April 17, 2009

Five ways to 'recession-proof' your job search

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With state unemployment rates reaching 9.2 percent for the month of March in Washington state, it's clear that we have a long way to go before the region recovers fully from the recession. But this economic news does not mean job seekers should give up hope, it just means they have to employ some new tactics.

Recently, I spoke with Laurence Shatkin, a career information expert and senior product developer at JIST Publishing, which produces best-selling job-help titles such as "Best Jobs for the 21st Century" and "150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs." He gave me some advice about how workers can still find good jobs, even during a recession.

1. Make yourself more visible - The first thing you can do is to make sure colleagues know you're there. "It's more important to think about networking now than ever before," he says. "Blogs are a good way to get your name out there. Write about a project you're working on. Comment on other people's blogs. Let others in your industry get to know who you are."

2. Know the core function of a business - With companies constantly looking to trim extraneous costs, there has been a renewed focus on core competencies. When looking for a job at a particular company, "find out what really pays the bills and make sure you're a part of that," Shatkin says. "Other projects on the periphery might look more exciting, but they may also be expendable."

3. Focus on the long term - While job outlooks seem bleak across the board, there are some industries, Shatkin says, that are cyclical in nature and must be viewed through a long lens. "Nobody makes a TV series about technology," he quips. "But the outlook for the technology sector still looks excellent--our whole economy is built on it." With the collapse of the banking markets, he says, expect to see more people moving from finance into engineering this year.

The other major target for jobs is health care, which, as an industry, employs 14 million people and is still the nation's fastest growing sector. "There is demand for everybody in health care, from surgeons to bedpan cleaners," he adds. The industry has always suffered from a dearth of skilled professionals, such as registered nurses, but many health care firms are looking for medicals assistants, physical therapy assistants, medical equipment sales staff and technicians to help digitize medical records.

4. Follow the stimulus money - It's too soon to know how President Obama's economic stimulus package will boost the local job sector, but Shatkin says there will most likely be a renewed emphasis on infrastructure. According to his recent JIST publication, "Great Jobs in the President's Stimulus Plan," Shatkin predicts that nationwide demand for environmental engineering technicians will grow by nearly 25 percent through 2016 due to the stimulus bill while the industrial engineering sector will grow by more than 20 percent. Other potential growth areas are mobile heavy equipment mechanics, geophysical data technicians, construction managers and electricians.

5. Don't be afraid of entrepreneurship - It may seem like a scary time to start your own business, but it's an avenue that may be the right fit for a lot of people frustrated by the 9 to 5 grind. Before he got involved in researching and writing, Shatkin began a career making product placement videos on the Web. "One of them was basically a slide show, but it generated 100,000 clicks and made me $5,000," he says. "Entrepreneurship and innovation are what we do well in this country. If you can't find a job, maybe you should create your own. The Internet is a great place for doing that."

Randy Woods writes about job-search tools, networking techniques and other tips to help you land your dream job.

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2 Comments

Rod Mattson on April 17, 2009 11:15 PM | Reply

Good article. I firmly embrace the advice of "Make yourself more visible." I am watching the media and talking to people and finding out most people searching for work are doing it on the Internet. Since the competition is so fierce, I decided to try to help these folks make themselves more visiable.

Can you help me get out the word.

I have an inexpensive 2 hour seminar that can help these folks.

I only charge because I have to pay for the facility.

See my website: www.MattsonCommunication.com

RH on April 21, 2009 2:51 PM | Reply

Good points. I think it's key to remember that to truly "recession-proof" your career(if there's such a thing) you need to do these things BEFORE BEFORE BEFORE a recession comes. Be prepared. We know things move in cycles. We know we're going back up eventually...and that we're going back down eventually. Be ready for it before you need it.

Still, very good points and better late than never.

I would add: Be the best at what you do, whatever it is. Though it can still be tough for "the best", you put yourself in a much better position if you're cream of the crop. Choose an area of expertise, immerse yourself in it, study it, practice it, use it, volunteer, pro bono work, internships, get your hands on whatever you can get your hands on. And, again, don't wait until a recession(ie when you need it) to start this.

And then, once you've absorbed a good deal of existing best-practices for your area of expertise -- become a thought leader and contribute BACK to your field. Take these best-practices and make them even besterest! :P

RH
Seattle, WA
zomackadindin@yahoo.com

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