Thousands of jobs have already gone poof! this year, and more layoffs are announced each week. So what’s a victim of this economic slowdown to do in these humbling times?
First, face facts. Take a close look at the diminishing ranks and you will see, with some minor exceptions, that very few laid off were from the ranks knows as the ‘seasoned pros’, those with the full complement of general experience. More likely they were the newly hired or those who have bounced from fire to fire looking for more bucks and not understanding that the whole enterprise would be burning down.
Was it naive for you to leap from job to job despite the fact that it so often lead to a dead end? Not really. The truth is that the best careers are often forged on diverse experience.
But you do need to take stock of what you’ve learned. Start by answering (honestly) these questions:
1. What were your accomplishments? It is one thing to list a bunch of duties from your previous positions but isn’t everyone responsible for completing the elements of their job description? If you not only fulfilled the duties but made measurable accomplishments along the way, these need to be stressed in your resume.
2. Are you ready to take a step down? Sometimes your best career move may be a step down. While taking a step down from a previously lofty perch can be tough, a move into a lesser role will let you apply your skills and knowledge to more minor dilemmas where you can build on smaller successes and test out new strategies. A step down cal let you grow in new ways.
3. Is it time to change career direction? You may have found yourself in a career not of your choosing. How many of us actually become what we wanted to be when we were in grade school (or even when we were in college)? Often we end up where we are by accident. Now that you are faced with being unemployed, isn’t this an opportunity to really think about what you would like to do? It is possible that your career could rise from the ashes of unemployment and soar to new heights in a completely different direction.
