Why Job Search Advice is the Same but Different

Why Job Search Advice is the Same but Different This post is to support the efforts of Job Action Day, an initiative started by Quintessential Careers. As a member of a new community of resume writers and career coaches called the Career Collective,  this post is one of many responses to ideas and concrete steps to secure  your future in a changed economy.   I encourage you to visit other members responses, linked at the end of my post.  Please follow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective.   We find ourselves in unconventional times.   Never before have any of us experienced economic conditions like today.   As crazy as these times are, the advice to job seekers is the same, NETWORK!   But we have so many more ways to network today, that is the difference. There are two  things we know about the job market: Employers arent posting jobs Job seekers dont know what to do without job postings There is absolutely nothing anyone can do to force employers to post their openings when they do have them.   What this has done is force the traditional employee to find new ways to look for work.   And in many cases, there are just not enough jobs to go around so the advice being given is to become more creative  and network. NETWORKING The C suite (CEOs CFOs, COOs) certainly understand this.   They hardly ever have applied for job postings.   Their jobs have been mostly secured through the power of networking.   There were seldom postings to apply to. The majority of job seekers today have not had to look for work in a long time.   They remember when you entered a company lobby, filled out an application and interviewed for the job on the spot.   It also didnt take months for the employer to make a decision.   Back then, the employer also was in contact with the job seeker to let them know what was going on or where the job seeker stood. When  I recommend networking to this set of  job seekers , they dont understand how.   They dont know what to say. And sometimes the flatly refuse to even try. Then, lets enter social media into the equation.   It is new to most of us.   It is often seen as a waste of time, frivolous, or too  high of a hurdle to leap.   Or it becomes an obsession and takes time away from the more critical task of actually meeting with people face to face. Heres a quick summary  of what  LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook  each mean to developing your network. SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS LinkedIn has been around since 2001.   This past year there has been a huge demand from the job seekers Ive been working with for information on how to use LinkedIn. If you arent there yet, you should be.   Read why here. Twitter was founded in 2006.   It is seen as a fad by many.   There are  great ways to use Twitter to meet people to network with and even find jobs.  Do you want to read more about how to grow your network using Twitter, read this post. Also quickly  emerging into the world of job search  is Facebook.   This used to be seen as a kids platform, but its functionality is proving to work for businesses and professionals too. MARKETING/SELF PROMOTION The large number of people looking for their next job makes the market competitive.   This competition is forcing job seekers to be great self-promoters (aka sales people).   Our society has long taught us not to brag and boast.   The majority of job seekers are humble.   What they hear is that they have to toot their own horns. However, what  I am encouraging  them to do is to take credit where credit is due.   But this isnt always what they are hearing. Today, more than ever before, job search takes project management skills,   marketing savvy, great discipline and incredible perseverance. For other insight and advice on job search in 2009, read the posts below contributed by Career Collectives talented experts. Meg Montford:   Job Action Day: Finding Your “MOJO” After Layoff Debra Wheatman: Plan B from outer space; or what do you have in case your first plan doesn’t work out? Heather Mundell:  Green Jobs â€" What They Are and How to Find Them Grace Kutney: Securing Your Career While Navigating the Winds of Change   Hannah Morgan: Career Sherpaâ€" Why Our Job Search Advice is the Same but Different  http://hannahmorgan.typepad.com/hannah_morgan/2009/10/why-our-job-search-advice-is-the-same-but-different.html Gayle Howard: The Enlightened Jobseeker Laurie Berenson: Making lemonade out of lemons: Turn unemployment into entrepreneurship   Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter: You Can Thrive In, Not Just Survive, an Economic Slogging  http://careertrend.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/you-can-thrive-not-just-survive-an-economic-slogging/ Rosalind Joffe: Preparedness: It’s Not Just for Boyscouts  http://workingwithchronicillness.com/2009/10/preparedness-its-not-just-for-boy-scouts/ Rosa E. Vargas: Are You Evolving Into The In-Demand Professional of Tomorrow? http://resume-writing.typepad.com/resume_writing_and_job_se/2009/10/furture-careers.html Dawn Bugni: Your network IS your net worth http://thewritesolution.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/your-network-is-your-net-worth/ Miriam Salpeter: Optimize your job hunt for today’s economy  http://www.keppiecareers.com/2009/10/30/optimize-your-job-hunt-for-todays-ecomony/ GL Hoffman: The Life of An Entrepreneur: Is It for You? http://blogs.jobdig.com/wwds/2009/10/30/the-life-of-an-entrepreneur-is-it-for-you/ Katharine Hansen: Job Action Day 09: His Resume Savvy Helped New Career Rise from Layoff Ashes Martin Buckland: Job Searchâ€"The Key to Securing Your Future Career.  http://aneliteresume.com/job-search/the-key-to-securing-your-future-career/ Chandlee Bryan: Where the Green Jobs Are: http://emergingprofessional.typepad.com/the_emerging_professional/2009/11/where-the-green-jobs-are.html Heather R. Huhman,Take Action: 10 Steps for Landing an Entry-Level Job, http://www.heatherhuhman.com/2009/10/take-action/ Barbara Safani: Where the Jobs Are 2009 and Beyond:http://www.careersolvers.com/blog/2009/10/31/where-the-jobs-are-2009-and-beyond/