How do you face economic uncertainty if you are a jobseeker?

photo by orcmid

It has certainly been a long ride these past few years. Whether you are in the US, UK, or some place else on the globe, you aren’t likely to be immune to the constant noise of global uncertainty.

When the recession in the US was first appearing in 2008, most of us were only partially aware of it. As it continued through 2009, 2010, and now 2011 even though economists suggested the recession troughed in June 2009, the impacts continued to be felt and are still being felt.

Amazingly, this was the time I chose to take my company solo and drop the supporting non-profit contracts. What have I found? This has been the best time in my business history.

Yes, I am a career marketing specialist but normally I (like many in my field) do best in a good economy. Not only am I doing better but my clients are finding new positions rapidly too.

Responses to Uncertainty

How do I explain this? I think that when you face uncertainty, you have two responses. You can hide or you can use the best possible strategy to face it head-on.

When I look at incoming client materials, I can see very quickly why they are often struggling to find a new position. Their resume (aka the first step in career marketing materials) is selling them short. Often they follow a format from an old text book and struggle to squish their information onto one page deleting the value to condense it. Other times, they just have words filled with duties but no accomplishments that sell their value.

The role Strategy plays in Resume Development

Strategy is critical in the resume development but strategy is also key in how you use the resume to market yourself. Very often, I hear the frustration from prospective clients who have diligently applied to multitudes of positions that they do possess the qualification for but to no avail. They hear nothing and mutter at the Application Tracking Systems (ATS) that seem to block them from even obtaining a phone interview.

Trusting ATS applications to further your job search is putting your eggs all in one basket. Couple that strategy with networking with key players in the company or industry you are targeting and you are starting to head in the right direction. Work at networking throughout both your job search and the rest of your career and you will find yourself never in a position of uncertainty.

The little girl in the photo is feeling the uncertainty of looking down at the slide but if she pushes off, she will be welcomed by a safety net of family and friends who will make sure she is safe. If you take the plunge into the uncertain future equipped with the best possible strategies and marketing tools, you too will be safe.