A series on how to survive the pink slip.
So you have accepted the fact that, for whatever reason, you are the victim of a pink slip. You’ve now come to the realization that you have to move on to another job…
Well, let’s state the obvious—you will need a freshly updated resume. No matter which position you are interested in, you need a resume; I repeat….no matter what! It is very unlikely that you will get a job these days without a resume. If you’ve never had one, I highly recommend a resume class. This is a key component to get you started on the right foot, and you can find these classes at your nearest Workforce Solutions career office.
How will you land a job in today’s economy? Keep in mind that hiring managers want to know three things: how you can make them money, how you can save them money, and how versatile you are. Are you trainable? Are your skills transferable? If you can demonstrate, through past examples, that you are capable of accomplishing all three things, your chances of scoring an interview and landing the job are much higher.
Once you have a resume and are prepared to talk about your skills and experience, take several copies of your resume and visit employers, job fairs, and staffing agencies. Research different companies and complete online applications (you may save yourself time and gas).
A great way to maximize your job search is through career fairs. This is one of the easiest ways to get your foot in the door with the hiring manager and make a good impression right away. Employers will take advantage of career fairs to screen and interview many candidates in one sitting, and they are usually looking to fill multiple positions. In some cases, they interview you on the spot and you may hear whether or not you have been hired that same day.
Other than career fairs and online job searching, you can make the most of your time by meeting with a recruiter or employment counselor. The benefit of meeting with a specialist is that they are willing to work for you! It’s their job to find you a job, so be honest about what you are looking for; such as, job site location/travel, work duties, compensation, etc. Stop by your local Workforce Solutions career office and speak with an employment counselor to maximize your job search results or visit www.wrksolutions.com.
Stay tuned for more blogs on: “Surviving the Pink Slip”
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Many job seekers have the same questions and frustrations that you are experiencing and your feedback is very insightful. I agree that searching for a sub industry within your field of expertise is a resourceful way to transfer and utilize your skills. Moreover, the fact that you are pursuing additional education and training is significant- I commend you for that.
I wish you the best of luck in your job search and continuing education.
~Aleesa Janssen
Focused resumes are a given but thank you for feedback. I went to our local Worksource office yesterday and they gave me several helpful tips. In my last 10 years I have been in a management position at 2 employers. However, I have been apply for non-management positions as well. It is these “lower” positions that seem to spur concern by the interviewers.
Personally, as a former interviewer, I would be extatic that a multi-qualified person was applying. With so many companies looking at the bottom line I’ve been trying to sell my experience as a person that can be multitasked to several rolls, if needed.
I will take your advice and see if interview coaching might be helpful. Who knows, maybe confidence in my knowledge is coming off as arrogance. Or maybe I’m coming off as abrasive. I don’t know until someone else tells me.
I’ve come across this environment once before in 2001 when technical school grads flooded the IT market and dot-coms started to fall. The IT industry became highly competative with salaries plumetting due to cheaper labor. During this time period was the first time I was exposed to Worksource. I took advantage of retraining opportunities and moved from IT to Telecommunications. The knowledge I already possessed could now be applied to a more specialized subindustry of IT.
Now I’m looking at that prospect again. Over the years I have become even more specialized as a telecom project manager and designer. So now I’m looking into design and drafting course and degrees.
Thanks for the feedback.
Anthony
First and foremost thank you for commenting about theses issues, you bring up a really good question. I’m going to be very straight forward with you and I hope you can appreciate my honesty.
With the state of today’s economy and all of the lay-offs we have to become more creative as job seekers and re-train our minds (if you will) to be more “manageable.” I believe everyone-no matter the position-is looking over their shoulder wondering when and if they are up next for a pink slip. Some hiring managers might think “are you my next replacement” and feel threatened. Right off the bat, calm the situation by concentrating on how valuable, reliable and dedicated you are. Focus your questions and answers on how much more you have to learn from their company, industry, and even the hiring manager. What can you bring to the table with your experiences and how can you build on them? True, this is a rough time for the economy, some may say it really IS that bad….but you are that diamond in the rough and they know that finding qualified and reliable candidates is the biggest challenge.
With that said, I would avoid changing or “dumbing” down your resume. Instead adapt your resume to reflect the position to which you are applying for, even if it is lower on the ladder. Make sure you highlight your skills and how they are transferable. Additionally, my question to you would be: why would the interviewer get the impression that if they hire you now, you would be leaving to find another/better job? Don’t give the sense that you are there temporarily looking, make sure you clearly demonstrate that you are in it for the long run…even if you are not.
This is such a relevant topic and I believe that many other job seekers share your frustrations. But, it’s important to remember that we all can learn something new, even if it means looking into one of Workforce Solutions Interview Skills classes. If you’ve been off the job market for a long time it’s not always a bad idea to brush up on those skills. What could it hurt?
Aleesa Janssen
I was wondering if anyone has a suggestion on how to overcome the intrepid “over qualified” label.
It seems to me that with the current state of the economy that some interviewers are taking the “I could be hiring my replacement” attitude. At least that has been my experience. There have been several occasions during an interview where I have heard the comment “I guess the economy IS that bad” or “Why should we hire you if you’re going to leave for a better job when one arises”.
I’ve even tried dumbing down my resume with little effect. Not sure where to go from here, but I have now been out of work since November and am more than ready to get back to work.
Any suggestions?