Essentially,
surviving a
recession will demand no small amount of dedication. There
are fewer jobs in a
recession available, meaning that employers can afford to be all
the more demanding, setting
the standard unusually high for new hires. There's simply
less money going around during a recession. This means that companies
cannot afford to staff as many workers as they otherwise could. As a
result, people are laid off, and there are fewer new openings.
Not only does this mean that there are fewer positions, it means that there are more and more qualified
individuals out there, without work, looking to fill those
positions. In other words, it's a very,
very competitive job market for finding a job in a
recession.
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The
cold hard truth is that the working
force is comprised entirely of people who get hit harder than anyone
else
during a recession. As you no doubt have experienced firsthand, the
employment
rate is perhaps the first major casualty of economic downturn.
There's simply less money going around
during a recession. This means that companies cannot afford to staff as
many
workers as they otherwise could. As a result, people are laid off, and
there
are fewer new openings.
Not only does this mean that there are fewer positions, it means that
there are
more and more qualified individuals out there, without work, looking to
fill
those positions. In other words, it's a very, very competitive job
market.
What you should understand, first and foremost, is that your
qualifications,
your degree, your past experience, they don't guarantee you the job
anymore.
All of that only guarantees you an opportunity to get your foot in the
door.
That's it.
In other words, you can't coast on your credentials alone. You may be
an MIT
graduate, an expert with ten years experience in the field or a
Pulitzer Prize
winner. Unless you're also the only son of the company's CEO, there's
no award,
title, position, degree or golden ticket that's going to guarantee you
any job
you want.
What you need to be able to do is offer something more than the next
candidate
can. With so many people attempting to fill so few positions, employers
aren't
just looking for a qualified candidate. Qualified candidates are a dime
a
dozen. Employers are looking for someone who can be a boon to their
company,
and not simply just another employee.
This is true at every level from managing an office to working as a
janitor.
Anyone can grasp the job and get it done, but not everyone can offer
strong
leadership, creative problem solving, or a strong work ethic. Whatever
you can
offer that the next candidate cannot, that's exactly what you need to
play up
in your resume and during any job interview.
To put today's economy into perspective, let's say you're applying with
a
newspaper to be a film critic. Ten years ago, you wouldn't have quite
as much
competition. Getting paid to watch movies is a desirable job, so there
are
always people out there looking for work there, but there were also
more jobs
available.
More and more papers these days are actually dropping their
entertainment
columns, meaning that there are a lot of out of work film critics out
there,
looking for work, and highly qualified with years of experience writing
for
national papers.
For example, Ella Taylor, former critic for the LA Weekly, was laid off
in 2009
after working for the paper since the late eighties. If you went out
looking
for your first job as a film critic right now, that's some pretty stiff
competition to be up against.
What this means is that you're not as likely to nab your dream job
right off
the bat. The waiting rooms these days are packed from wall to wall with
qualified, capable individuals, people who've had very successful
careers in
their field, who've built a reputation, and who were laid off because
their
company simply couldn't afford to keep them employed any longer.
When there were more jobs than there were applicants, it wasn't
difficult to
find a great position on your first try simply by virtue of your
qualifications
and experience. Now, even the most qualified and experienced
professionals are
competing with one another for the few positions available.
This doesn't make the situation hopeless, it only means that you need
something
more than simply the right qualifications for the job. You need to be
passionate, versatile, aggressive and persistent.
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