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Laid Off? Tips on Getting Hired

If you are like so many in today’s job market, you have probably been victim to your company’s downsizing or layoffs. A bad economy means less money for employers to shell out, which means jobs must be slashed from the budget. This, in turn, as you know, makes the availability of jobs that much less-which means much more competition for every job you seek. All of the brutal statistics in the news can certainly wear down even the most optimistic job seeker, so how do you stay proactive to get yourself a new job? Despite the less than perfect economy, there are plenty of things you can do to start your job search off on the right foot.

1.  Plan- After the first week or so of feeling dejected because of being laid off, it’s absolutely necessary      before you act on your job seeking to make a plan. Make a master plan of what you want to do as far as a      job is concerned. Perhaps, it’s as simple as staying in the same industry and job position, or maybe you      want to evaluate a career change. Whatever it is that you decide upon, now is the time to brainstorm and      evaluate all your job options.

2.  Tasks- After you’ve decided what your industry and position is, start drafting short and term tasks to get      you there. Make goals for the year, month, week, and day starting with small, obtainable goals. For      example, a simple day goal might be to browse career search engines and sites, and make a list of ones to                                                                        apply to. Making and achieving simple goals on a daily,                                                                        weekly, etc basis will not only keep you focused but also help you                                                                        to feel like you achieved something at the end of the day.

                                                                  3.  Start Your Day- Just because you’re now unemployed                                                                        doesn’tmean you have to act like it. Start your day as if you                                                                        wereworking, and treat job searching as a full time job in itself.                                                                        Thismeans showering, getting dressed, and getting to it. Doing                                                                        thiswill help dissuade you from getting distracted, dejected,                                                                        orunmotivated. The only way to get a job is to take steps to                                                                        getthere every day.


                                                                  4.  Set Work Hours- Along with getting showered and dressed for                                                                        aday of job searching, you should also set normal work hours                                                                        tojob search with. You may be home and on the couch, but if                                                                        youset scheduled hours each day to work, you’re more apt                                                                        toactually work those hours. Treating your job search as a job                                                                        willdeter you from allowing distractions and interruptions                                                                        sabotageyour job searching success.

5.  Map Out a Network- Crucial to beginning a successful job searchis to start seeing the people you know as      valuable tools tofinding a new job. Your relatives, friends, and coworkers are all parts of your network, and      the more people you have looking for jobs for  you-the better your chances are. Moreover, work on      boosting your network by networking online in social networking sites, forums, and blogs that are related      to your industry, field, or career position.

6.  Persevere- Though this is one of the most obvious of job searching must-dos, it is usually one of themost      overlooked. It can seem almost impossible to stay focused, positive, and proactive whencompetition for      jobs can be so fierce, and job after job, you may get turned down; but if you keep atit, you will get one of      those positions out there. Think of the alternative, inaction. We all knowinaction only wastes time and      opportunity.