Finding Work in Tough Times: Strategy

You're out of work. Perhaps you were laid off, or maybe the company folded. You've been looking for work, and it's discouraging. The situation is serious and news reports are saying that things will probably keep getting worse for a while. It's now difficult to stay energized about looking for work.

One day you noticed you were grateful for a "no thanks" response to one of your job inquiries, because at least it was a response. Some days, your heart isn't really in it. Other days, you don't do much at all.

The challenge of this environment is both a curse and a blessing. It's a curse because the challenge can sap motivation, and that can lengthen the period of unemployment. It's a blessing because working hard at finding work despite the challenging environment makes you stand out, and that enhances the probability of landing a good job.

To help you decide to give this task everything you have, I've compiled a collection of strategies for shortening your path to your next job. In weeks to come, we'll look at ideas for setting up and managing your infrastructure, tactics and strategy for marketing yourself, and sharpening your communications skills. But let's begin with overall strategy.

Looking for a job is a full-time job

Think of yourself as having a job, and report to work each day. Keep office hours. Dress your part. Decide whether it's a five-day-per-week job or six; rarely more, never less. Observe national holidays. Take sick days and allotted vacation days when needed. Make a plan for the month, day, and week, and report status each morning to your boss — you. Self-supervision can be a bit tricky because you have an inherent conflict of interest, but do your best.

Know what employers are looking for

Imagine that you're an employer looking for someone like you. What do you want in a candidate? What don't you want? Make lists of these assets and liabilities. Know where you stand relative to these assets and liabilities. Make plans for promoting those assets, and for addressing those liabilities.

Set a schedule

Schedule your appointments, of course. But also schedule your projects, such as resume customization, training (on-line or in person), shopping for a desk lamp, or computing your run rate.

Get additional certifications

If having the right Looking for a job is a
full-time job. Think of
yourself as having a
job, and report to
work each day.certifications would make you more marketable, get them. If you have several different certifications, don't be concerned about looking like you're unfocused — disclose only those that are relevant to each particular position.

Enroll in continuing education classes

Classes that support relevant certifications are a great idea. Classes that help you acquire relevant skills even without certifications are great, too. Institutional prestige is less important for certificates than it is for degrees. Often overlooked: business writing, public speaking, etiquette, and languages.

Certainly some of these strategies don't apply to you. Which do and which don't? And there might be others that do apply to you. Find them. They're important.   Next issue in this series   Top    Next Issue

Love the work but not the job? Bad boss, long commute, troubling ethical questions, hateful colleague? This ebook looks at what we can do to get more out of life at work. It helps you get moving again! Read Go For It! Sometimes It's Easier If You Run, filled with tips and techniques for putting zing into your work life. Order Now!

For more on finding work in tough times, see "Finding Work in Tough Times: Infrastructure," Point Lookout for July 15, 2009; "Finding Work in Tough Times: Marketing," Point Lookout for July 22, 2009; and "Finding Work in Tough Times: Communications," Point Lookout for July 29, 2009.

Your comments are welcome

About Point Lookout

Thank you for reading this article. I hope you enjoyed it and found it useful, and that you'll consider recommending it to a friend.

This article in its entirety was written by a human being. No machine intelligence was involved in any way.

Point Lookout is a free weekly email newsletter. Browse the archive of past issues. Subscribe for free.

Support Point Lookout by joining the Friends of Point Lookout, as an individual or as an organization.

Do you face a complex interpersonal situation? Send it in, anonymously if you like, and I'll give you my two cents.

Related articles

More articles on Personal, Team, and Organizational Effectiveness:

Heavy Burdens: Should, Always, Must, and Never

As a leader you carry a heavy burden. You're accountable for everything from employee development to meeting organizational objectives, and many of these responsibilities conflict. Life is tough enough, but most of us pile on a load of over-generalized rules of work life — a load too heavy for anyone to bear.

Working Journals

Keeping a journal about your work can change how you work. You can record why you did what you did, and why you didn't do what you didn't. You can record what you saw and what you only thought you saw. And when you read the older entries, you can see patterns you might never have noticed any other way.

What Makes a Good Question?

In group discussion or group problem solving, many of us focus on being the first one to provide the answer. The right answer can be good; but often, the right question can be better.

How to Foresee the Foreseeable: Recognize Haste

When trouble arises after we commit to a course of action, we sometimes feel that the trouble was foreseeable. One technique for foreseeing the foreseeable depends on recognizing haste in the decision-making process.

Creating Toxic Conflict: II

Some supervisors seem to behave as if part of their job description is creating toxic conflict among their subordinates. It isn't really, of course, but here's a collection of methods bad managers use that make trouble.

See also Personal, Team, and Organizational Effectiveness for more related articles.

Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout

Coming July 3: Additive bias…or Not: II

Additive bias is a cognitive bias that many believe contributes to bloat of commercial products. When we change products to make them more capable, additive bias might not play a role, because economic considerations sometimes favor additive approaches. Available here and by RSS on July 3.

And on July 10: On Delegating Accountability: I

As the saying goes, "You can't delegate your own accountability." Despite wide knowledge of this aphorism, people try it from time to time, especially when overcome by the temptation of a high-risk decision. What can you delegate, and how can you do it? Available here and by RSS on July 10.

Coaching services

I offer email and telephone coaching at both corporate and individual rates. Contact Rick for details at rbrendPtoGuFOkTSMQOzxner@ChacEgGqaylUnkmwIkkwoCanyon.com or (650) 787-6475, or toll-free in the continental US at (866) 378-5470.

Get the ebook!

Past issues of Point Lookout are available in six ebooks:

• Get 2001-2 in Geese Don't Land on Twigs (PDF, )
• Get 2003-4 in Why Dogs Wag (PDF, )
• Get 2005-6 in Loopy Things We Do (PDF, )
• Get 2007-8 in Things We Believe That Maybe Aren't So True (PDF, )
• Get 2009-10 in The Questions Not Asked (PDF, )
• Get all of the first twelve years (2001-2012) in The Collected Issues of Point Lookout (PDF, )

Are you a writer, editor or publisher on deadline? Are you looking for an article that will get people talking and get compliments flying your way? You can have 500-1000 words in your inbox in one hour. License any article from this Web site. More info