2011: A new year - new job!

Posted on Fri, Jan 7, 2011 : 6 a.m.

2011: A new year - new job!

By Kim Kachadoorian

2011 holds a lot of hope in the job market. Most economists and job/career indicators point to an upswing in new jobs. So the question is: Will you be successful in finding a new job?

Photo Credit: Hapticflapjack on flickr

Unemployed - want a job?

Michigan has been hard hit on the job front - There is no way around this issue; however for those of us that think “outside the box” we often look at a negative as a positive. Being hard hit means there are new opportunities to explore.

What are you doing to change your chances in the job hunting race? - This might be a tough one to answer, but take a good hard look at yourself - ask others for their opinion. What will you change to make yourself more desirable in the job hunting competition?

This is your job right now - job hunting - Schedule it, organize your search, treat it like a job, be serious and work at it.

Rethink what you have as your skill set - Maybe look at some alternatives to your job classification.

I remember reading an article once (Thanks to Dan we have the link for the study) that men will apply for a job when they meet about 60 percent of the job requirements, and women tend to shy away from applying unless they meet 100 percent of the job requirements. Women - in this case, I would say - act like a man!

Already have a job - want a new job?

If you are not excited to go to work on Monday, you might want to start looking for another job.

Don’t quit until you have a new job - Make sure you give two weeks notice. Some companies might let you go when you give your two week notice - be prepared for that scenario.

Rethink your current job - Do you need to add some color to your cube to brighten things up? Or, it might be time for a serious talk with your boss or to look for another job within the company
.

All job searchers

Don’t wait for a job to come to you…this rarely happens - work at finding the job.
Be proactive as well as reactive as needed - Flexibility is key.
Network in your field.
Freshen up your resume, websites, LinkedIn, and make sure a search on your name has what you want an employer to see.
Reconsider entrepreneurship, contracting, part-time gigs, and professional temp agencies.
Keep your skill set up to par - Learn new things too!

Articles of Interest

Kim Kachadoorian is also known as the "Geeky Marketer". She maintains a job hunting blog Jobs in A2 as well as her Geeky Marketer website (resume website with fishing analogies). She is looking for her next job and found that helping others was a good way to use her talents. She'll be sharing them with readers of AnnArbor.com's Business Review on a regular basis.

Comments

Kim Kachadoorian

Fri, Jan 7, 2011 : 4:35 p.m.

@Kevin - I looked at your FB profile that you have linked to your AnnArbor.com profile - if those are your photos - you should be selling them! You have a great eye for photography. You could sell your photos worldwide and still be able to live, stay and enjoy what Michigan has to offer - 4-seasons of lots of activities and adventure.

Kim Kachadoorian

Fri, Jan 7, 2011 : 3:50 p.m.

@Dan - posted link - thank you once again. @Kevin - I can only go by what I am hearing and seeing with other people and companies that I know. I am also a sincere optimist. 1. I have friends that are finding jobs now and getting a couple of offers...that wasn't happening 6 months ago. 2. Being hard hit makes many people and companies begin to be more creative - in their products, marketing etc. They often think of a new target market and adapt their product to fit the new market. I have witnessed this more often in the past 2 years than in anytime in my lifetime. Hang out at SPARK for a day and you will see a lot of innovative people that are working towards making something good happen. Of course there are those companies that will perish in this economy, many of them are not constant innovators or jump on too late. Innovation will be the key to Michigan's survival. 3. I have four friends that recently quit their jobs. Two were smart enough to find another job before leaving. The other two are still looking for a new job. 4. I have 2 friends that recently got new jobs within a company they already work for. One was a lateral move but one that she thinks will improve her skill set and the other person was promoted. So there is still movement within companies you already work for. 5. I do agree we need to innovate beyond automotive (even though I loved my automotive job). I look at all of the green companies that are now calling Michigan home. Real cutting edge technology companies that are supplying or about to supply unique products globally. The fact that Michigan is a leading Bio-tech corridor. I can't help but get excited about the near future that Michigan holds. Yes I will admit it isn't always easy.

1412920849

Fri, Jan 7, 2011 : 12:28 p.m.

"Being hard hit means there are new opportunities to explore." No, being hard hit means struggling families, population declines and many other negative things that most would not dub "opportunities". Furthermore, I'm not sure who would be brave enough to consider leaving their current job only to start from square one somewhere else in one of the toughest economies in the US. Negotiating a different position within the company? This isn't the late 90's, any company would be more than happy to replace an unhappy worker with someone else who will do the same position and for less pay. As far as the validity of "a brighter job market", this depends greatly on what market your considering. Job growth in Michigan will be minimal, and until we re-invent our economy beyond automotive, large scale growth will stay in on the east and west coasts.

Kim Kachadoorian

Fri, Jan 7, 2011 : 11:42 a.m.

Dan - thanks so much for the article link. It is frustrating when you read something and then later cannot find it. This is exactly what I was looking for. I will add the link to the story later this afternoon.

Dan

Fri, Jan 7, 2011 : 10:41 a.m.

Thanks for a useful column, Kim. Here's an interesting article that points out that the 60%/100% observation you cite comes from an internal HP study (so it's probably not readily accessible on the web). http://media.cla.auburn.edu/wli/documents/wli_board_articles_3.pdf