This has been a rough month and a half. First, I was dealing with the deafening sound of crickets in response to my numerous resumes/applications. Then, around the middle of April, my in-box and mail-box have been filled with “…while your credentials are impressive, you have not been selected…” responses.
I know I am in good company. The March report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on the unemployment numbers indicated that there are 13.2 million people out of work in the US. (United States Department of Labor, (2009, April 3). The unemployment situation: March 2009. Bureau of Labor Statistics News. Retrieved April 3, 2009, from: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf.)
What can a person do to get out of the mountainous pile of resumes received for each opening and in front of a hiring manager? Or, better yet, what can one do to get an interview?
All the experts will tell you that the trick to landing a job, especially in this type of job market, is using your network to get in the door at your targeted companies. Networking can take a number of forms and doesn't have to be seen as a difficult endeavor. It took me a few months to get in the swing of things, but I am finding that when I forget about the job search for a moment and focus on the opportunity to learn about a new industry, a career option, or gain a new friend, it is really not a bad way to spend some time. So far, it has not resulted in a job. I've met a lot of interesting people and some contacts that may help me at some point, but the elusive dream job is still beyond my grasp. For now.
In addition to networking like crazy, I have decided to get creative.
One of the networking groups I belong to sent out a query on behalf of a reporter for personal stories about coping with unemployment. I contacted the reporter and gave an interview, which may be published later this month. I have also registered with a radio station in my home town that is featuring an unemployed listener each week and helping that person promote themselves to prospective employers on the air and on the station’s website.
Sort of unusual tactics, and even more unusual when you factor in my nature; I tend not to seek the spotlight so this is way outside of my “comfort zone” under any circumstances. So why am I putting myself out there? My hope is that a prospective employer will see that I am able to “think outside the box” and willing to take a risk. My hope is that a prospective employer will recognize these strengths that can be hard to demonstrate on a resume. My hope is that a prospective employer will realize that they need someone like me in their organization.
Will it work? We shall see, but that is the beauty of the successful creative thinking – you never know if it will work until you try.
Fourteen Years
3 weeks ago
