Find a Job in a Recession

Let's face, it's not exactly a job seeker's paradise out there in the marketplace right now. The $700 billion dollar bailout may have passed, but job losses continue to mount and it's likely to get increasingly difficult to find a job that pays as well as you are hoping it will. With this in mind, however, it's important to brush up on your job finding skills and be able to charge through the adversity present in this environment to get the job you want. Ready to get started? Here we go:

Refresh your skillset

As competition increases, it's important to be able to convince your employer you know a lot and can put it to use, and that includes knowing the basics. Make sure you know basic office skills like PowerPoint and Excel, and know your way around an Access database, too. This is easy to do and most of the time something you can teach yourself. If you find yourself with some free time, read up on improving your sales skills, even if you're not currently in a sales position. This will allow you to pitch yourself at an interview even better than you would have, and sales skills are often an important aspect of your job at any level.

Examine the data

It may be time for a change, especially if you're looking for a job in an industry that's taking a turn for the worst. If you're in Financial Services right now, for example, it might be time to take alook and see where there are job shortages. Careerbuilder often produces a job forecast that indicates hiring trends over the next few months. This covers major sectors as well as what's happening in various regions. You can also take a look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics for additional useful figures.

Work on your own

I've always liked the idea of setting up a network of multiple jobs. Rather than putting all your eggs in one basket with one job, try setting up a number of gigs that accent your different skills. This will be a great resume builder as well as line up multiple positions for you to earn money from. If one job happens to go the way of the dodo, no problem! You still have others out there bolstering your income.

Load up social networking

Web 2.0 is here and, despite the oncoming recession, more and more opportunities are available to you with a click of the mouse. Take a look at networks like Linkedin and Brightfuse, and take a look at Facebook as well. Now is the time to pull the strings on all those unproductive hours you've spent building up your friends list. There's almost certainly someone somewhere that would be you might be interested in working for.

Consider the results

It's a rough market out there, so you need to work harder than ever to convince a potential employer that you're the material he/she is looking for. Past behavior is all too often used as a marker for your expected productivity in the future. Be sure to make a talking point of times in the past when you went above and beyond the call of duty to serve your firm.

With a severe economic downturn looming and a recession on everyone's lips, job searching may not be the most appealing activity, but do it right and you'll end up where you want to be in no time.