Think your job is secure? Don’t bet on it…
We have a new President! Hooray for change! Even if you didn’t vote for it, change is on the way and it’s likely to get worse before it gets better. Be prepared; don’t get blind-sided. Take these steps to ensure that you end up on your feet, should you be the next casualty of the dwindling job economy:
Blogging
Blogging is a great way to share information, present your abilities or talents or showcase your funny bone. Just remember, never put in writing what you don’t want someone to read. In other words, if your blogs are full of foul language, references to drug use and pictures of weekend antics – you might not want to make it public. Potential employers are also blogging these days in record numbers. They are on Twitter, Blogspot, LinkedIn, MySpace, Facebook and more. As a recruiter, I have used these sites to search for candidates as well as to determine character of candidates that want to be considered for opportunities. Many times, I have been thankful to have found their MySpace page prior to submitting them to a client. These are things that references don’t tell you!
Bottom line: I highly recommend using blogging sites as a way to express your abilities, including those abilities you get from personal fulfillment – not just your day job. Is Ruby on Rails something you are tinkering with on the side? Blog about it and make it public. Follow other Ruby developers. You’d be amazed how just talking about it can snowball into networking with lots of people that can help you should you lose your job.
Education/Certification
While you are still employed, brush up on skills! Take online classes or night courses. Get certified. Take a look at the most “in demand” skills in your profession and bring yourself up to speed. Doing this now, rather than after you’ve lost your job, will ensure that you get back to work quickly.
Update that Resume!
Don’t wait until you’ve lost your job to update your resume. You’ll be in panic mode and are likely to make mistakes, leave things out or just present yourself poorly overall. Pull out that dusty resume and make sure you read this article: http://aplace4people.blogspot.com/2008/11/resume-writing-tips.html
Embrace Recruiters, don’t chase them off
If you get a call from a recruiter, be receptive. Even if you are happily employed, remember that change comes to those who least expect it. By tuning in to opportunities rather than blocking them out, you’ll have a better feel for the market should your job go south. At the very least, you may learn about an opportunity that someone you know would benefit from. Not all recruiters are built the same, however, the best approach is to always be willing to listen and network.
Source/Author: Robin M. Eads, Talent Acquisition Expert and President @ A Place 4 People, Inc. – http://www.aplace4people.com/
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6 Responses to “Think your job is secure? Don’t bet on it…”
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Comment made by Strategic Sense Inc on Nov 6th 2008 at 6:31 pm:
Great advice for everyone. We often wait for emergency mode to position ourselves, your advice is definitely worth taking for anyone!
Comment made by after8 on Nov 24th 2008 at 4:43 pm:
when i get contacted for potential jobs, like for everyone, it might be a yes or a no.
when it is a yes, recruiters will push until they have you signed, yesterday rather than today…..
when it is not a yes, recruiters disappear without a sign of life…
i find it interesting and potentially helpful, as in constructive criticism, to know the (real of course) reason for a no.
how do you get recruiters to come back to let you know what was not suitable?
Comment made by bobh on Nov 28th 2008 at 2:23 am:
The comment from after8 is really straight to the point. Having just recently got a new contract after a long search, I know exactly what he means. There were many cases of “I’ll put your CV forward to the client” and precious few were heard of after that.
Should we track each application ourselves? Sometimes this is just not practical 🙁
Comment made by Vinay on Dec 4th 2008 at 12:06 am:
Infact after8 I am still searching for the real reason. Its rather disappointing to know how the recruiters behave in the NO situation…is this the professional conduct of NET era? Would really appreciate if some recruiters comment on this.
Also a point usually recruiters just do matching of keyword searches.. they do not Market an individual for all its good points or flaws…
Comment made by aplace4people.com on Dec 15th 2008 at 3:46 pm:
Actually, I do address this point at a high level in my blog “What to Expect From Your Recruiter”. I plan to address this more in depth in an upcoming blog. Stay tuned!
Comment made by HR Pro on Feb 17th 2009 at 3:54 pm:
Under update that resume- should add, update your references! Lots of times people list references they haven’t spoken to in years… if you aren’t sure what your references will say, you can get them checked, not a bad idea in this economy, when it’s hard to find a job anyway. Try checking out reference-check.com or allisontaylor.com