Opening Employment Doors in Today’s Economy

By Sam Morton, Certified Staffing Professional

Finding a job when all you are hearing about is how bad the economy is can be down right frightening. It seems like you are doing all the right things and nothing is working.

Yes, it is true; we are in the midst of a very serious economic struggle.

Companies are faced with an uncertain tomorrow and applicants have more competition than ever when seeking employment. There are companies laying off employees and almost every industry is being impacted. Job hunting itself is a full time job!

It is now more critical than ever for applicants to do everything in their power to set themselves apart from their competitors in relation to finding employment. Below is a list of items that you may need to take a second look at when going forward:

Perfect your resume. Have you had friends and family review and critique your resume? Have you taken the time to do research on the best resume formats? The library has a wealth of materials available on this subject.

Establish a solid list of references. Do you have professional references such as previous supervisors listed? Have you contacted these individuals and let them know that you are using them as a reference and asked for their support? Have you tried to get letters of recommendation?

Hone your interview skills. Have you practiced your response to the everyday questions that will be posed to you during an interview? It is important to be articulate and come across as well spoken and intelligent. Read this article for tips on appropriate interview attire for Hampton Roads jobs.

Set goals for your search. Discipline yourself to establish daily and weekly goals for your job search. You may want to establish how long you will spend each day job searching online, how long you will spend honing your interview skills and how long you will take for yourself. Search Virginia Beach jobs here.

Take care of yourself. This is probably one of the most important aspects of your job search. Don’t deny the amount of stress that job searching places on you. It is critical to take time each day to get some form of exercise. It may just be a short walk, a bike ride or even a more strenuous workout. Exercise is proven to reduce stress. You may want to consider exercising before you go on interviews to help with that “pre-interview” stress.

Keep an established routine. Are you getting in the habit of sleeping in because you are not working right now? You should continue to get up as though you are going to work and start your day. Establish times during the day that you will focus on your job search and time that you will focus on taking care of yourself.

Explore educational opportunities in Hampton Roads. Have you explored some of the free community educational programs available to individuals? Learning itself is therapeutic and keeps your mind sharp. You may be able to pick up some new skills and in the process add to your resume experience.

Network and join organizations. Have you been avoiding interaction with people because you are somewhat discouraged because your job search has yet to produce results? There are numerous groups and organizations in Hampton Roads that you could participate in. You never know who you will meet that might have knowledge of an available openings. You may even want to consider doing some volunteer work to meet new people.

This is a difficult time to be searching for employment but it is not an impossible task. It will take time, discipline, patience and perseverance. That next door of opportunity will open for you but it is you who must take the walk and actually reach out and open the door.