Job Hunting Through A Depressing Recession

by: Vicki Hidde

Find hard-to-get jobs can be a challenge with the gloomy news bombarding us instantly on the internet or hourly through broadcast outlets. The recession word is bad, but when economists, high net worth Americans, and business leaders begin to use the big “D” word, it sends shock waves through our economy.

If this news has not changed our buying habits, it has the momentum to do so. Recently, I read that five states were in crisis mode – California, Florida, Michigan, Nevada and Arizona. Forty-four states are impacted less with the news and there was one state that is growing modestly – Louisiana. In some parts of the country this downturn has limited impact on the economic climate. However everyone is walking on eggs and expecting the floor to fall. Unfortunately, many times we get what we expect.

Should you find yourself unemployed in one of the states struggling or in the state with growth potential, you still need a job. Let’s take a look at an economy that is on the way down or near the bottom. You could say they’re in crisis mode. Sometime unemployed individuals have the opportunity to take advantage of retraining and higher education programs.

Before you enroll in any program, interview a candidate in the program, a professor teaching subject content and a student who has graduated from the program. There will be a couple of exceptions to this advice –one is if you have a passion for medicine, nursing or a specialized medical program in demand – high demand, this may me a good move for you. The operative word here is PASSION. Another consideration might be do you have the aptitude and intellectual capacity to succeed in such a program. I am recalling the old question, “What do they call the person who graduated at the bottom of their class from Harvard Medical School?” The answer, “Doctor”.

Based upon my experience, it is much easier to find a job if you’re ranked in the top 10% of your graduating class.” If you’re going totally refocus your career, you need a plan to excel academically.

There are emerging fields of studies. As one engineer told me, “The technical jobs in demand today, were not on the career radar of students seven or eight years ago. Technology changes so rapidly, there are always new opportunities.”

One added tip here. If you want to identify those new technologies, you may want to join the military. They used the latest technologies. Or another avenue is to do some information mining. What is the next generation of technology? Perhaps you could find a vein of information by reading college publications at renowned technical universities. Or even the regional newspaper from such areas as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, or others.

While I am not trying to confound the process of job search, there is so much contradictory advice. Most of the advice will work for some but not all. You may need someone to help you sort through the process. That someone needs to be fearless in staring down the beast that confronts the unemployed.

During a downturn late in the last century, one of my friends suggested that I write a book. I laughed and said, ”All the Barnes and Noble needs is one more book to confuse folks on resume writing or career development.”

Today as I review all, oh no not all, but some of the information on the internet, I see why job seekers are confused, paralyzed and baffled. Job search is mining for opportunity, identifying the vein with the most potential, developing action plans, identifying secondary options, facing the reality and executing your plan. Inactivity minimized stamina at best and at worst it paralyzes.

If you can’t stare down the “black economic beast”, find someone to help you to get your career on track.

(c)2008 Resume Source, all rights reserved.
www.resume-source.com

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Tune In to Hear Vicki and Bob This Saturday!

Posted by Vicki Hidde:

My husband and I were the guests of Charley Biggs, editor of the Tulsa Beacon to discuss career topics as they related to the current economic climate on his Tulsa Beacon Weekend (the 30-minute show will air Saturday, Feb 28th, 2009 at 11:30 AM and again at 9:00 PM at AM 970 KCFO radio). Unfortunately, with each news report we see the economy deteriorating. We are being bombarded with bad news on the economic front. Yes, we are in uncharted waters. I keep telling my clients to look for new opportunities emerging on the horizon.

Downturns can be a good thing. For the first time in years, people are in a position where they can think about what they want to do with their life. How long has it been since you really thought about your life, your career and what you want to accomplish? You may want to take some time and really think! Clear you mind and think – yes, it can be hard – but it is rewarding when you find the solution to your individualized problem.

A few years ago, there was a movie with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson – “The Bucket List.” They played characters with life altering illnesses, who decided to develop a bucket list of what they wanted to do before their “final life experience” (kicking “the bucket”). I am not sure these economic times are that dire. But they do offer the opportunity to develop our career bucket list and to give some thought to our “Next 30 Years” – to borrow a phrase from a country song.

For the time being, the Tulsa market has not been severely hit with massive layoffs. But the mindset of “things are bad” is in the February wind…soon to be the March wind. Fear is creeping into business practices throughout the area. Intellectually, we all know that fear is paralyzing and, unfortunately, leads to apathy.

A good sports coach would tell you to shake it off. Redouble your efforts. Make more contacts. And if you are confident that you can make a difference for the company that you are applying to, tell ‘em so. If you can’t make such a difference, you’d better find out why you can’t. Then take action to correct the problem.

Companies want people who can make a difference.

For those of you who think you are too young and inexperienced, find someone to mentor you. You will both learn something in the process.

And if you think you are too old, think again. Age discrimination is alive and well. That is nothing new. If you want to sell yourself to a company, have the energy and drive to make things happen. But more importantly, have the mindset to accept young workers, share your knowledge and build a bright future.

You may find short-term assignments as a Temp or you may find a consultative position where you work with several companies. Within each of us is the solution to our problem. Find someone who will help you see you dilemma through the eyes of reality, not fear.

Tune in and listen to our discussion on Saturday at www.kcfo.com!

(c)2008 Resume Source, all rights reserved.
www.resume-source.com

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Is It Time To Update My Resume?

by: Robert Hidde, Managing Partner
Hidde Career Services

Sean was still in shock when he called my office. “I never saw it coming,” he told me. “I knew business was off, but I was blind sided when they eliminated my job.”

Anytime there is a downturn in the economy the number of calls and emails from people like Sean increase to recruiters, career counselors and résumé writers. And almost without exception, they all claim they didn’t see it coming.

Many employees seem to think that when times turn tough management simply begins indiscriminately cutting jobs. While such a scenario might be true of a very small minority of companies the truth is, companies in the twenty-first century view good performing employees as their greatest resource, not an expense.

Top managers know that innovation and ideas don’t come from business plans or computer generated projections. They come from people who possess the technical knowledge, customer skills and specialized expertise to breathe life into plans and projections. In other words, companies are cognizant of performance and decisions about job cuts are made after careful evaluation of performance. This on-going process of evaluation doesn’t just happen when business “turns south” rather has been going on for months prior to any cuts.

So, whether business and economic outlooks are great or grim, what are some of the signals an employee should pick up on that tell them it’s time to update their résumé and start exploring their options? Hidde Career Services research shows that the top signals employees need to watch for are:

• The company misses revenue targets in consecutive quarters. Regardless of the size of the business, its main product must be profits. Without profits companies can’t remain competitive, obtain needed financing, pay shareholders, upgrade technology, fund research, carry out effective marketing, and support payroll.
  
  
• An unexpected reduction in training budgets. If management anticipates having to eliminate positions they will be less likely to invest resources in on-going training for people who may be laid off. This may also be a red flag that new projects are slowing down, thus negating the need for upgrading employee skills.
  
  
• Budgeted new positions go unfilled. In most organizations facing potential cuts the first positions to be eliminated are those that were being created to handle projected new business. Not filling them or completely doing away with them is often a harbinger of potential job cuts in coming months.
  
  
• Failure to fill vacant positions and/or a hiring freeze in other departments. If openings resulting from employees retiring or those who quit are not being filled it can be an indication that management is anticipating staff reductions due to revenue shortfalls or lack of new orders.
  
  
• A reduction in responsibilities or a change in the type of projects being assigned. Being assigned lower level projects, having projects reassigned to other teams or finding that they’ve been left out of the loop is often an indication that an employee’s position is being evaluated for elimination.
  
  
• Changes in the attitude of managers. Many managers give subtle non-verbal signals to employees that their performance is below expected levels. Smart employees seek feed back on their performance when they become aware of them. These include no time for informal chats, slowness in responding to emails, not including them in meetings, becoming distant and not having time for impromptu meetings with the employee during the work day.

So, if you think it may be time to update YOUR resume', contact us today for a free consultation!

(c)2008 Resume Source, all rights reserved. www.resume-source.com

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