| unemployment rates at record highs and Fortune | | | | do, and she thinks that she shouldn’t have to |
| 500s daily announcing pending layoffs, it is pretty | | | | spend more than 45 days looking for a job. |
| clear that 2009 is going to usher in an even greater | | | | Ugh. |
| frenzy of job seekers. All of us, directly or indirectly, | | | | It’s going to be a very rude awakening for |
| will be affected in some way. | | | | some job seekers out there. The truth is none of |
| As a job search coach, it concerns me that so many | | | | these things that my Ph.D. friend is expecting have |
| people will be out there, clinging to corporate | | | | been true for a very long time, if ever. I’m |
| outplacement services and to bad advice from | | | | not sure where some of these expectations come |
| well-meaning friends and family as a way to conduct | | | | from, but they are very misguided. Add to these |
| their job search. Anxiety levels will be high, and | | | | false expectations a tough economy and job market |
| expectations will be false. | | | | and you have a recipe for disaster! |
| When it comes to a job search, I have two areas | | | | Yes, 2009 is definitely going to be the year of the |
| that I focus on with my clients, above and beyond | | | | job search, whether we like it or not. My hope is that |
| the quality of their resume: proper expectations and | | | | out of the doom and gloom some positive things will |
| key target market. The reason I focus in on these | | | | arise. |
| areas so much is because they are often the two | | | | First and foremost, I am hoping that many |
| areas that trip up most job seekers and cause them | | | | professionals will awaken to the idea that a job |
| to waste a lot of time, money, and frustration when | | | | search is about much more than having a nice |
| it comes to their job search. | | | | resume and talking to a couple recruiters. I’m |
| And when you add in people’s high | | | | hoping that they will begin to really look at how to |
| desperation levels, it is only going to be worse. | | | | conduct an effective search in a competitive market |
| Case in point: I spoke with a woman the other day | | | | and will invest wisely in services to accomplish that |
| who is a Ph.D. and has a diverse background in | | | | goal. |
| leadership development and change management. | | | | But even more than that, I hope they will establish |
| She is frustrated. She is mad. And she wants to | | | | proper expectations in light of the economy and the |
| spend a lot of time blaming someone, something, | | | | nature of the marketplace today. Granted, it is a |
| everyone. She wants one resume to cover 3 | | | | tough thing to do, but not impossible if you prepare. |
| different fields, and she is angry that resume writers | | | | The problem is that most of us only look inward |
| keep advising her against that. She wants some | | | | when it comes to a job search; we spend too much |
| recruiter friend to tell her that everything she has | | | | time looking at ourselves and not enough looking at |
| ever done is fantastic, but of course the recruiter | | | | the industry we are targeting. Therefore, we fail to |
| friend can only help guide her into a very specific job | | | | prepare the way we need to. And then when things |
| that the recruiter is recruiting for. And of course she | | | | don’t work out the way we expect them to, |
| doesn’t want and doesn’t fit that job. | | | | we start blaming everything and everyone. |
| So she thinks, once again, that the resume just | | | | So if a job search is in your near future, |
| doesn’t “capture” her. She | | | | don’t hide in a corner and wait until it comes. |
| believes that with her background and expertise, she | | | | Make it your resolution this New Year’s to |
| should be suitable for almost anything she wants to | | | | get yourself armed with wise counsel. |