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 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.

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:

Pet Peeves About Work

Everybody has pet peeves about work. Here's a collection drawn from my own life, the lives of others, and my vivid imagination.

Decisions: How Looping Back Helps

Group decision making often proceeds through a series of steps including forming a list of options, researching them, ranking them, reducing them, and finally selecting one. Often, this linear approach yields disappointing results. Why?

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.

High Falutin' Goofy Talk: II

Speech and writing at work are sometimes little more than high falutin' goofy talk, filled with puff phrases of unknown meaning and pretentious, tired images. Here's Part II of a collection of phrases and images to avoid.

Way Too Much to Do

You're good at your job — when you have enough time to do it. The problem is that so much comes your way that you can't possibly attend to it all. Some things inevitably are missed or get short shrift. If you don't change something soon, trouble is sure to arrive.

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

Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout

Coming February 1: The Big Power of Little Words

Big, fancy words, like commensurate or obfuscation, tend to be more noticed than the little everyday words, like yet or best. That might be why the little words can be so much more powerful, steering conversations where their users want them to go. Available here and by RSS on February 1.

And on February 8: Kerfuffles That Seem Like Something More

Much of what we regard as political conflict is a series of squabbles commonly called kerfuffles. They captivate us while they're underway, but after a month or two they're forgotten. Why do they happen? Why do they persist? Available here and by RSS on February 8.

Coaching services

I offer email and telephone coaching at both corporate and individual rates. Contact Rick for details at rbrenZLkFdSHmlHvCaSsuner@ChacbnsTPttsdDaRAswloCanyon.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