What a crazy March it has been! The stock market ups and downs, severe weather. and world affairs - one can only dream of security. If you have a job, consider yourself lucky; although you can never assume that you are secure, not in this day and age. If you are looking for a job right now, you are probably wondering, how is the job market? Right after the first of the year, the consensus in our industry was that things were going great. The job market was one of the best in years. While things are still good, it appears that there has been some backing off from hiring recently. It could be the time of year, with taxes coming due and people taking a breather for Spring Break. Companies may be a little hesitant to hire due to the economy's uncertain signals. Who knows what is going on. What is a job seeker supposed to think?
Well, get used to it. It is a sign of the times, volatility, uncertainty. As Mark Twain said, the only certainty is change. Should this affect your plans to go forward? Absolutely not. In fact, everyone who is employed should be prepared to conduct a job search even if they are completely happy in their current job. Take the advice of a seasoned resume writer and always have your resume updated and ready to submit. You never know when you might get a call from a recruiter or hear of an opportunity.
If it isn't too late for New Year's resolutions, take my advice and UPDATE YOUR RESUME!!
What else can you do to be proactive in this crazy world and volatile job market? Post your resume on the niche job boards that relate to your background/job function. For a list of niche boards, go to
www.nicheboards.com.
And be sure that you are taking steps in your current position to make sure you are "recession proof." To get an idea of where you stand, I give my clients an assessment called "Ten Keys to becoming a Career Conqueror." The handout was included in my training from Career Coach Academy with Susan Britton Whitcomb (http://www.careercoachacademy.com/about_CCA.html.)
I'd be happy to share it with you if you send me an email at jfranke1@bellsouth.net.
Here's a preview:
"If you were to learn tomorrow that your job was
eliminated, how confident are you that – WITHIN 60 DAYS – you would be able to
find a job that you enjoy doing and would pay your bills? The assessment evaluates where you stand on three basic principles:
1) Be future focused: goals, brand / identity, connected /networked.
2) Be employer focused: ROI proposition, skill development, interpersonal relations.
3) Be personally proactive: self accountable inspiration & attitude, self-initiated training, time management, support.
So take time out to give yourself a "Career Checkup" today!
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