Job Search vs. Crisis

Be a realist and don’t panic

There can be people who will be rather glad than not to hear they’ve been laid off. But if you don’t belong to this category and a layoff is a stress for you, do not get panic-stricken and don’t start job searching at once, have a short time-out. The psychologists say you need at least three days to cope with your emotions. And when you’re more or less calm again, think what you’re going to do next.

Every person has a different reaction to a job loss and there’s no unanimous advice. Things you should not do are to stay at home, get desperate and feel sorry for yourself. Use this time to realize those plans you haven’t had time for before: take good care of yourself, visit your relatives, go out with your friends. Try to treat this situation as some period in your life. But remain a realist when it comes to job search. If some time ago the professionals knew for sure there were tens of employers eager to hire them, the situation has changed nowadays. On the one hand, remember who you are, on the other – follow the situation on the workforce market and modify your ambitions in a way.

Look for Opportunities

Mr. McNulty, consultant of recruiting company McNulty Management Group stresses: “The game has changed but the rules are the same: a job seeker should look for opportunities instead of jobs. Opportunities which appear in crisis and chaos and which are still there even if the economic situation doesn’t look like fun.”

The companies nowadays are divided into two groups: those who massively lay off their employees and those who cheaply buy wonderful experts and think how lucky they are. Crisis is an opportunity to gain new experience and expand horizons.

Some recruiting managers recommend that those who were laid off because of the crisis, first, should re-consider their experience and try to understand in what other fields they can apply their knowledge. Second, it’s better to consider all the offers and not refuse from interviews even in not very famous companies and carefully pick all the information about the potential employers, especially, how stable these companies are. Third, be less ambitious about the salary.

Use all the Sources

All in all, the job search during the crisis preserves its basic features: “polish” your resume, perfect your resume skills and activate your connections. The latter is the most important. Do not rely only on Internet and recruiters. There are always some jobs in companies which are not proposed openly.  Joe Turner, a 15-year experience recruiter, says that “In the majority of cases the suitable job is found namely due to the connections”.

You shouldn’t be embarrassed by the reason why you were laid off as you still have your professionalism and skills. If you were laid off because of the crisis, there’s nothing to be confused about. It wasn’t you who were laid off but the position you occupied. The only thing you’d better avoid in the interview is telling about the inappropriate behavior of your ex-employer. Negative information will hardly be welcome. If you want to secure yourself, you’d better get the references from your ex-employers and partners.

If you are not laid off, but think this can happen, you should be law-literate to see the procedure clearly and control how the employer carries out his/her commitments. Apart from this, refer to the staff management in the company you’re hired by as they can recommend you to some partnership organizations or recruiting agencies they collaborate with.