Career Monday: Worried about layoffs in a slowing economy? It is a good time to start thinking strategically!

Job boards are a good source of job leads, but they should not be your only source!?Personal and professional connections are an excellent way and looking at your network.?Your alumni organizations can be a resource as well.?Targeting specific employers is always a good tactic, especially if you are focused on a specific industry.?Finally, and obviously, work with a contract agency you TRUST!

Here are some recommendations on how you can be Strategic:

1. Your resume should be flawless. No typos, no sloppy alignment issues, no mish-mash of fonts.?Have another set of eyes review your resume in case you don’t catch your own mistakes.?Spellcheck doesn’t catch everything!
2. Customize your resume when appropriate.??Your professional work history may be attractive to most employers.?However, if the job calls for?something you have experience in, and failed to mention that on your resume -that is a missed opportunity!?Make sure it is listed -where you did it most recently and the Skills list or Summary if it is important. You need to target your resume to highlight these skills. ?One resume may not be appropriate for all opportunities.?Please don’t read this advice as being deceptive.?A resume should always represent a job seeker’s background honestly, but rarely do we list every bullet point of everything we ever did in our jobs.????
3. Be selective.?Don’t apply to every opportunity. Use the 70/30 or 80/20 percentage of fit rule. ?Yes, you can learn new skills and will in a new job, but look to see what the employer is saying is required.
4. Be flexible.?Especially now with the slowing economy -consider contracting, to exploring new industries, or using new skills you acquired.?Contracting does NOT equal temporary in every case. In many cases, it is long-term and the only way into a company that has frozen their perm hires during a potential recession.
5. Make sure that your Linkedin profile has a professional headshot (preferably with you smiling) and that you include keywords in your profile.?Candidates are found using a keyword search.?