Subject: DJC Placement
From: "Merilee:::Kern Communications" <[email-masked]>
To: "John" <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:48:29 -0700

DJC.COM: Tough time for job seekers: Some tips for a lousy market, provided Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce
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      October 15, 2008

      Tough time for job seekers: Some tips for a lousy market

      By JON SILVER
      Journal Staff Reporter 

       If you're looking for a job these days, good luck. 

      In recent weeks, it seems each day brings another raft of alarming economic news. The uncertainty stoked by the credit crisis has given pause to many business owners, employees and job seekers, even those who haven't been directly affected, aside from their melting investment portfolios. 

      “The press has been so effusive with layoffs and downsizing, people have been very concerned,” said Katy Uhl, a senior partner at BusinessSuccessCoach.net. The Sedalia, Colo.-based job-coaching firm's clients include ESPN, DirecTV, Bank of America and Hewlett-Packard. 

      The former human resources executive said job seekers she's spoken to have become more inclined to stay put in relatively secure jobs than accept new jobs elsewhere. 

      Such employees — including executives — want to “buckle down and stay where they are,” she said, rather than risk jumping to a company that could falter. 

      Uhl's clients have expressed growing concern for their job security, she said, fretting over performance reviews and whether they're meeting their job objectives. 

      “It's a good time to do an overhaul of your resume,” she said, “and reevaluate your skill sets.” 

      A CEO Uhl spoke with recently revealed he hadn't updated his resume in 15 years. 

      “You should always have a current resume,” she said, in case “someone wants to know your credentials and what you have to offer.” 

      For those who get laid off, job coach John McKee, founder of BusinessSuccessCoach.net and author of “Career Wisdom: 101 Proven Strategies to Ensure Career Success,” suggests dealing with the loss first before jumping back into the ring. 

      “It's like the death of a loved one,” he said. “It's tough to go forward without going through the anger and grief. People who are in a state of shock and want to immediately move forward have a difficult time.” 

      Attitude counts for a lot. It helps to think of job losses as opportunities rather than career-enders. 

      “We're in a really terrible time right now,” McKee said. But “a lot of new business are going to get started. ... There will be a resurgence in small business as people take their careers in their own hands.” 

      McKee suggests that younger workers who lose their jobs take time to reconsider their opportunities and what they want to do with their lives. Older workers nearing retirement could embark on new careers. 

      “People in their 60s and 70s often have an awful lot to contribute,” he said, “but might have to move on and do something else. We're not talking about flipping burgers. Lots of small companies might welcome their experience and judgment.” 

      Younger people trying to enter the workforce will have to make the same calculations that older workers do. 

      “We've got Millennials who've graduated just recently who can't get jobs,” he said. “They're struggling right now.” 

      McKee suggests such workers use the time to “get into something you can make a contribution with and get paid for.” 

      Those looking to advance in their careers need to practice the art of self-promotion, McKee said. 

      “People in the HR department who don't know you well could be making decisions about headcount reductions,” he said. 

      Office politics can be used in a positive way when people network internally, build alliances and talk to colleagues in other departments about what they see going on in the company. 

      The key is to anticipate changes, McKee said. “You don't want to be broadsided.” 

      He also suggests maintaining face time with superiors, making sure to share office hours, even if it means working late or on weekends. 

      “Let the boss see you have the same values he or she does — you're more likely to be around when the cuts come.” 

      Uhl suggests that even workers who decide to stay put should be pragmatic and future-focused to position themselves for when it's time to move on. 

      As the economy sours, she said, observe how the market responds, and take notice of which things have the highest priority in your organization over the next five or 10 years, so you can burnish your resume in those areas. 

      Uhl and McKee both suggest taking a cold-eyed inventory of your skills and addressing the weaknesses. 

      Online services such as Indeed, TheLadders or PongoResume can help job seekers get started if the axe falls or it's time to move on. 

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      Jon Silver can be reached by email or by phone at (206) 622-8272. 

            Copyright ©2008 Seattle Daily Journal and djc.com. 
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