If your answer consisted of only one area of expertise, then you're
wrong. You
almost certainly have more than a single qualification, don't you?
From the fact that you're on this website, you're
obviously
computer-literate, not to mention passionate about finding a rewarding
job.
Both of those details go pretty far in this economy.
As an example, if you were, say, a project director at an ad agency,
and you
become a victim of corporate layoffs and downsizing, your first
instinct would
probably be to search for another job within the advertising industry.
That's certainly a good idea, but looking for a similar position within
the
same industry is only one small part of finding a job during a
recession. What
you should do is consider your qualifications in a broader sense.
So, what is a project director at an advertising agency really good at?
Are his
or her skills restricted solely to that one, very specific position in
one
single industry? Of course not.
Someone who makes a good living in such a position obviously has a
knack for
salesmanship, they obviously know how to communicate clearly, they know
how to
manage a team, they have an eye for the arts thanks to all that time
spent
interviewing prospective graphic artists and commercial directors, they
know a
little something about managing a project budget, about dealing with
the
public, about researching and developing products, and on and on.
A list of positions and industries such an individual would excel in is
not
only too long for this chapter, it's too long for this entire e-Book.
Now, what makes this so important is that there aren't as many jobs to
go
around during a recession. The market becomes more competitive, and
where you
used to walk into a job interview and see maybe three or four other
candidates
in the waiting room, now you're more likely to see at least a dozen.
That can
be incredibly disheartening if you were really hoping for this job. The
odds
are in favor of there being at least one other person in that waiting
room who
is at least as passionate and as qualified as you are.
Now, on the other hand, if that job interview is only one of thirty you
had scheduled
this week, the odds are in your favor.
Sticking with the original example, there might be only, say, three or
four
positions open for a project manager at an ad agency within your city,
but the
list of positions open for someone with all of the qualifications that
project
manager might have would, again, be too long to contain in this volume.
Don't paint yourself in a corner and don't place labels on yourself.
There are
hundreds of jobs out there, and by acknowledging just how qualified you
are,
your options are limitless.
So let's say you've checked every help wanted listing within a hundred
miles,
and there are just no positions open for you. Even if you live in the
city,
this happens a lot. The fact is that there are a lot of qualified,
passionate
people out there, so these days there are far fewer positions available
than
there are qualified applicants.
Okay, here's why you really need to be versatile:
You're might need to
settle for something to tide you over between jobs.
So, going back to the example of the ad agency's project manager,
there's no
shame in, say, taking a job as night manager at the local grocery
store. The
pay is lower, the hours aren't so great, and there's little room for
upwards
momentum. So what? Right now, you have bills to pay, and the people who
make
the most of a recession are those who can put aside their pride and
think
pragmatically.
The idea is simply to make ends meet. Keep an eye on the want ads, get
some
networking done, do some freelance work if you can, and pounce on any
opportunity to get back into your chosen field, but first and foremost,
make
sure you're getting the bills paid.
But here's the catch; even knowing that you're only taking a temporary
position
in order to make ends meet, you still need to walk into that job
interview
knowing that you can take to the role with passion for applying your
expertise,
whether it's the industry you prefer to be involved in or not. Your
potential
employer may know full well that you're not taking "grocery store
manager" as a lifelong career, but nonetheless, nobody wants to hire
somebody who doesn't care about the job, who deems themselves "too
good" for this kind of work.
To be frank, this rule holds true even if the only job you can find is
an opening
for happens to be as a cashier at the local drugstore. Don't regard any
job as
a disappointment, but as an opportunity. At the very least, you're
paying the
bills, and at the end of the day, that's the main reason you're looking
for a
job.
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