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How To Revive The Job Hunt When It Takes a Downward Spiral
You’ve devoted years of your life to a company that just dismissed you without looking
back. You feel rejected, lost, and depressed. The depression continues once you
start looking for new employment only to find months have passed and still nothing.
It’s time to stop the insanity and ask yourself what you need to change or what
more could you be doing. You need to learn the in’s and out’s of the job hunt and
understand that things aren’t done the same way the were 5, 8 or 10 years ago. The
competition is tough and companies are looking to hire folks whose skills are well
rounded to save themselves some bucks. You need to make yourself more marketable,
and you’ll learn how to do it here.
You need to start with your resume. If it’s been some time since you’ve had to utilize
one, then it’s best advised to use a professional career advisor to assist you in
creating a new one. Depending on your specialty area, your resume should fit the
job and not have any fluff that you once thought was impressive. Begin with a career
goal and forgo the objective. Many times objectives don’t fit the job, but career
goals are more broad and can show a potential employer what your plans are.
Next, you need to begin networking and marketing yourself in creative ways. Yes,
contact anyone and everyone you know that you’re looking for employment and the
skills you have- try to get referrals. But go a step further- create profiles on
social networking sites where you can truly sell yourself. Share your skills and
expertise including all projects that were successful in depicting your level of
talent. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are great places to get the word out and
find information on possible job openings. Word of caution: Keep the information
you post on these sites strictly in a professional manner. More and more businesses
are doing further background checks of potential hires on these sites. You don’t
want anything you post to keep you from getting employed.
You may also want to consider employing the services of career specialists and job
coaches. You can find many reputable sites online that can assist you in your job
hunt. Financejobz.com, Techcareerdirect.com, and Alternativepowercareers.com are
just some sites where you can find job postings, resume/career advice, job/salary
trends, relocation suggestions, and more. These types of sites are more than useful
to folks new to the job market as well as seasoned veterans. You can also consider
visiting your local Labor Department where they will assist you in resume and cover
letter writing, and may even suggest employment agencies that can bring you together
with companies that need employees with your skills.
If you’re a recent college graduate or active alumni of your college, old professors
and college staff often have their finger on the pulse of your specialized industry.
They have unlimited resources/knowledge of the market and know of local job trends.
If the have instructed you first hand and have maintained a relationship with you,
they can be the ultimate resource to utilize in your job hunt.
Many times, if the job hunt has become stagnant and you aren’t receiving many calls
for interviews, it’s only because you need to change a few things. Know one knows
better than we how stressful it is looking for employment. These simple suggestions
can make the stress a bit more bearable and may just get you a job sooner than you
think.
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