Barney Matthews - Resume Writer + Career Coach

 

4 tips for job searching in a recession

The economy is generally cyclical. In fact since the 1960's the US economy has experienced a recession on average every 6.1 years. (A recession being defined as 2 quarters of decline in the countries GDP.) So there is a good chance that at some point in your career you will need to job search in a down economy. Here are 4 tips that can help with job searching in a recession.

1. Target recession resistant industries

Look for jobs in industries that generally aren't affected by economic downturns.

• Consumer goods (hygiene products like toothpaste, toilet paper soap.)
• Health care (especially senior care.)
• “Sin” industries (alcohol, tobacco, candy.)
• Death services.
• Federal government.

2. Network

80% of all jobs are landed because of some form of networking. Networking is all about contacting, connecting and contributing. That is actually reaching out to people. Building a relationship based on common ground. Then helping them in some way. Read more about networking here.

3. Highlight revenue 

Make a point to accentuate the financial portion of your accomplishments. Articulate how much money you made or saved the company in your cover letter, resume and in interviews.

4. Be flexible.

Be open to different kinds of work. Consider freelancing and temp jobs. Move where the work is. It's easier to get a job when you have a job (any job) and any income is better than no income!

A career coach can help you job search in a recession.

You might also be interested in reading: How to job search from home.

20 times a career coach can help you

Not sure when the right time to get the help of a Career Coach is? Here are 20 times a Career Coach can help you.

1. Deciding if now is the right time to change careers.
2. Deciding what the right level of job to apply for is.
3. Determining what your skills gap is for your next career or job - and how to fill the gap.
4. Deciding if a company is the right fit for you.
5. Designing a job search strategy.
6. Creating a professional resume.
7. Creating an effective cover letter.
8. Showing you how to tailor a resume for a specific job.
9. Showing you how to network.
10. Keeping you motivated during the job search process.
11. Helping you with a job application.
12. Getting professional recruiters on your side.
13. Boosting your chances of your application being seen.
14. Researching the company you have applied to.
15. Preparing for a screening interview.
16. Preparing for an onsite interview.
17. Practicing interview skills.
18. Helping with salary negotiation.
19. Helping with counter-offers from your current employer.
20. Deciding whether to accept a job.

If you need help with any of these, contact me, I'll be happy to help!

How to decline a job offer

We would like to offer you the position." Usually those are the words every job applicant can't wait to hear. But what if you decide you don't want the job? Perhaps on consideration you have decided to stay at your current company (or perhaps your current company counter-offered.) Perhaps the offer wasn't sufficient for you. Perhaps you accepted a job at another company. No matter the reason, its important to decline a job offer nicely.

Thank the hiring manager

First of all, thank the hiring manager and recruiter very much. Thank them for taking the time to meet with you and for answering the questions you had. Be sincere in your thanks too. They probably have put a lot of effort in to the process. Let them know that you appreciate the effort they have put in on your behalf. You should always decline a job offer by phone.

Give a short but positive reason

Next, give them a short but positive reason. "After much consideration I've decided that now isn't the best time to leave my current job." "While this position is a great opportunity, I have decided to pursue another role that will allow me to grow in a different area. DO NOT tell them their offer was rubbish or that your current company counter-offered or that you heard a rumor they were going to go bankrupt in a few months. Keep it positive and don't feel like you have to go in to too much detail.

Stay in touch

Lastly, tell them you would like to stay in touch. Never miss an opportunity to expand your network. Perhaps they will have a better job for you in the future or they will know someone who might want to hire you. Say something like "I hope our paths cross in the future" or "Let me know if there is ever anything I can do to help you." If appropriate, you also might want to suggest a referral for the position.


A career coach can help you figure out how to decline a particular job in the best way.

You might also be interested in reading: Should I take the job?

Should I take the job?

Congratulations! You successfully made it through the interview process and the company has just made you an offer. Sometimes you "just know" it's the right decision to accept the offer - in which case, go ahead and do that. What if you are slightly conflicted?

The first thing to know, is you can never be 100% sure a job is the "right" one for you. Some parts of the decision are measurable, for example pay and time off. Other parts however aren't, for example company culture and how much you enjoy the work. There have been studies in to why people leave jobs however and you can use this to help you guide your decision. The tool below lets you rate each of the areas that often cause people to leave a job. Complete this tool comparing your current job ("JOB #1") and your job offer (JOB #2), or multiple job offers if that is the situation you are in.

For each statement enter a rating of 1 - 4.

1 = Highly disagree.
2 = Disagree.
3 = Agree.
4 = Highly agree.

JOB #1

1. I will enjoy the work.
2. The pay is fair.
3. The benefits are good.
4. The manager would be good to work for.
5. I liked the team.
6. I would grow in this role.
7. I am happy with the commute.

TOTAL:

JOB #2

1. I will enjoy the work.
2. The pay is fair.
3. The benefits are good.
4. The manager would be good to work for.
5. I liked the team.
6. I would grow in this role.
7. I am happy with the commute.

TOTAL:

Then add up the totals. The job with the higher total is the one that on paper would seem to be the better choice. There is one thing that trumps this rating however - your "gut." Your sub-conscious is able to provide clues that your conscious might not be able to articulate. So, if your "gut" tells you to take a job, or not take a job, that is probably the right decision for you.


A career coach can be very useful in help you deciding whether to take a job or not.

You might also be interested in reading: How to decline a job offer.
 

3 questions to help find your ideal career

It can be hard to come up with your ideal career.

These 3 questions will help with that process:

1. What would you do for free?
2. Are you good at it or can you learn to be?
3. How can you get paid to do it?

1. What would you do for free?

If you had another source of income, would job would you do for free? What do you do in your free time now? What do you spend your free time doing or learning about? This will help identify your passion.

2. Are you good at it or can you learn to be?

Are you any good at it? Or can you learn to be good at it? If the answer is no, then go back to the first question. This will help identify your strengths and skills.

3. How do other people get paid to do it?

The primary objective of a career is to bring in money. How do other people do this? Its no good finding something you are passionate about and good at if you can't earn money from it. Its good to find a career you love but its also important to find one that will pay you!


Talking with a career coach will help tremendously with this process too.

You might also be interested in reading: 20 times a career coach can help you.

How to get a job

I have been sitting on both sides of the interview table for 20+ years. Here are a few insights I have picked up over the years as both an interviewee and interviewer.

Resume

The first step to getting a job is your resume. Make sure you look at the job description for the position you are applying for and then go through your resume and make sure it highlights the relevant skills and experience in the job description. You’d be amazed at how many people just have a generic resume that may or may not include relevant information to the job they are applying for.

Next, make your resume easily readable. When I was hiring for a new position on my team I reviewed 50 resumes in an hour. Two thirds of these resumes I threw out within 10 seconds because they didn't highlight the relevant information or they were paragraphs long and I had to work hard to find the information I was looking for. Does this sound harsh? Its not uncommon. When you have 50 or even 100 resumes to go through in a short period of time you pick the ones that give you the information you are looking for rather than the ones you have to work to dig out the relevant information. Write your resume to make it easy to pick out the relevant information for the job you are applying for.

Use bullet points. Limit long sentences. Bold key words in your sentences. Make sure you include the relevant key words from the job description on your resume. Your resume may be reviewed by a human or it may be reviewed by a computer system. If its being reviewed by a human they may read between the lines - but they may not. If its a computer reviewing your resume - it cant read between the lines.

Put your experience on the resume. List your accomplishments. Your past is our best indicator of how you will perform in the future. If you’re still in college, you don't have any experience you say? Rubbish! There is always experience you can draw on from your personal life. What about that project you worked on for your church, for your theatre group, your skating club, your Aunt. That's relevant experience. Tell them about it.

Cover letter

Once you are done with your resume, write a short cover letter that summarizes your relevant experience for the hiring manager. Don't use a generic cover letter, that will get your application thrown in the bin straight away. Use your cover letter you highlight your top 3 relevant skills or experiences. Once you’ve written a few cover letters you can bang one out in 10 minutes. And those 10 minutes may well get your feet in the door.


Take the time to proof read your cover letter and your resume. Spelling mistakes will get your application thrown out because its a sign you don't pay attention to details. These small details are important! Use a spell checker and always get someone else to proof read your work. When you’ve been working on a document for a long time your mind skips over your mistakes because it sees what you wanted to put, not what you actually did put.

Networking

In addition to your resume and cover letter, your network will go a long way to helping you get an interview. If you know someone who works at the company reach out to them and ask them to put in a good word for you. If you know someone who knows someone who works at the company, ask the person you know to ask their acquaintance to help. As a hiring manager, if I know someone who knows you in some convoluted way I am more likely to give you a first interview.

When you start looking for a job - let everybody you know know. Have an elevator pitch and use it liberally. Your elevator pitch is a 30 second spiel telling everyone what you can do for a business. Don't tell them what you want, tell them how you can help. For example “I am an IT Manager who loves getting the most from my team and making my boss look good by completing software projects early.”

How can you get in to company when you don't know anyone who works there? Call them up and ask to speak to someone in a department you are interested in working in. Don't go in asking for a job, go in to find out more about the field or the company. People love talking about themselves. Go in and say “I want to find out more about the field of forensic accounting" (or whatever it is.) "Could you spare 15 minutes to tell me what the job is like, what skills or experience someone needs to succeed in this field?” They’ll love talking about their job and indirectly they will know you are interested in the field and think of you if a position opens up.

Screening interview

Once you’ve used your writing skills or your spoken skills to actually get a first interview. What now? Screening interviews should be the easiest interview to sail through. You are going to be asked what you know about the company and why you might be able to do the job. This is easy, simply have the “About this company” webpage open and have a printout of the job description in front of you. Its on the phone so they wont see you. Remember your cover letter, make sure you mention those highlights in this conversation. When the interviewer asks you to tell them about yourself they don't want to know that you are fly fisherman. This is your opportunity to give them your elevator pitch. 75% of people fail this. Do these 3 simple things and be one of the 25% who get a second interview.

Second round interview

Congratulations! You did those 3 simple things and they asked you back for second interview. This is the biggy. This is really your chance to nail that job. Now what? Head to the internet and Google interview questions for the type of job you are applying for. Then write out the answers. And the great thing is some of these questions are generic and can you used in any interview - like what are your strengths and weaknesses. Write out the answers to lots and lots of questions. Practice repeating these answers. Say them out loud. Say them to someone else. Get someone else to ask you the questions and answer them. Practice these questions. Get confident with your answers. If you can't say something with confidence, no matter how true it is, people won't believe you.

If you walk into your interview having written out the answers to most of the questions you are likely to be asked and having told yourself you interview well - guess what, you are going to be confident, you are going to be comfortable. You will interview well and you will stand a better than average chance of getting the job!

Make sure you take copies of your resume to the interview, I guarantee at least one of the interviewers won't have had time to print out a copy and have one for them will make you look organized and helpful. It's also good to take a notepad and pen so you can take some notes as well.

At the end of the interview you will be asked if you have any questions. Make sure you have some questions prepared for them. Even if in the course of the interview they covered your questions at least let them know you were prepared and had some questions by going over them again. My favorite ever question from an interviewee was "what are you looking for in an ideal candidate for this position." Ask them this and when they have finished highlight all the ways you meet the requirements of the ideal candidate.


A career coach can help you with this whole process.

You might also be interested in reading: Tried and true tips from a career coach.

Tried and true tips from a Career Coach

Here are some tried and true tips to help grow in your current career, find a new career, and get a new job.

Growing in your current career

Ask for feedback - and then act on it.

Learn new skills to make yourself more valuable. Stay up-to-date with the latest trends in your field.

Do more than asked and make your accomplishments known. Volunteer for projects.

Work on your 'soft skills.' Polish your collaboration skills, refine your communication skills and improve your personal productivity skills.

Make time to network every week. Seek out new connections. Offer to help other people.

A career coach will help you identify which areas of improvement will give the biggest return on investment, and help you locate the resources needed to improve.

Finding a new career

List your passions, strengths and motivators. The are some great online tests that can help.

Identify careers that overlap what you enjoy and what you are good at.

Talk to people currently in the career fields you have identified. This networking will also help you get another job.

Create a plan for moving to the new career field you have identified - and then take action.

Working with a career coach will speed up the process of finding the right career for you to pursue. A career coach can also help you ensure you make progress towards getting a job in your new career.

Get a new job

Tailor your resume to each position. List specifics that demonstrate you can do the job.

Make your resume easy to read. Use bullet points, bold key words and get someone to proof read it for you.

Learn about the company and job you are applying for. Their website is a great place to start

Research interview questions for the job and prepare answers to them. Google "interview questions for..."

Leverage your network. People with personal connections are more likely to be offered a job.

A career coach can guide you through the job application process to ensure the best chance of success for you - including negotiating a fair salary for your new job.

You might also be interested in reading: How to get a job.

Why hire a Career Coach?

Hiring a Career Coach is a serious investment both in terms of money and your time. 96% of people who have had coaching said they would do it again.

If you need some proof that its worth engaging with a coach consider this:

A 2014 study conducted on behalf of the ICF found that of those individuals who had received coaching:

● 80% saw improved self-confidence.

● 72% saw improved communication skills.

● 70% saw improved work performance.

● 61% saw improved business management.

● 57% saw improved time management.

Several studies have also found that coaching provides a $4 to $8 ROI for every $1 spent.

In addition:

● Nearly 90 percent of millennial say professional development opportunities are critical when evaluating a job.

● A Manchester Consulting Group Study found coaching resulted in a 67% improvement in teamwork and a 61% improvement in job satisfaction (leading to increased employee retention.)

● An International Personnel Management survey found productivity improved 88% with coaching (versus 22% with training.)

You might also be interested in reading: 20 times a career coach can help you.