Janice Worthington‘s article from Business First this week really struck me as a great reality check for job seekers. The advice is sound in any market, but especially important in today’s climate. If you’re a Business First subscriber you can read the full article online. Key points below.
What you should know about the changed landscape for job seekers:
- No one will knock on your door–even if you were always recruited for jobs in the past, expect to be the one looking today
- Realize the hunt–it requires creative hunting in corners relevant to your skills and expertise
- Type…Point…Click is not a job hunt–this is passive job searching and employers are swamped with online resumes, only using online job boards is equivalent to only looking at newspaper classifieds
- Interview schmooze is out–don’t be try to be a buddy or divert from the interview topic of how you can meet the employer’s needs, be friendly of course but stick to the relevant discussion
- Welcome new arrangements–consider all options…jobs that require longer or weekly commutes, contract-to-permanent jobs, relocation or paying your own relocation expenses
- Know the players–both internal and external recruiters work for the employer, their mission is to fill the position with the best possible candidate not to find you a job
- Career coaches for candidates–career coaches advocate for you, walk you through the search process, provide professionally prepared resumes, networking assistance, search strategy tools–their mission is to find you a job. In the interest of full disclose, the author is a career coach that we do recommend to our associates.
