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By Kevin M
Now might not be the best time to make a job or career change, but does that mean you have to sit where you’re at and just tough it out until better times come along and open up the doors of opportunity? Well, don’t go quitting your job, but there’s plenty you can (and should) do right now to get yourself prepared for the day when…
Start preparing yourself now for the place you want to be when the economy starts to creep back—many of the best opportunities will come as the elevator begins to rise, and pre-positioning yourself for that moment is something you don’t have to wait to start.
Continue reading Staying Motivated When You’re Stuck in Neutral →
STRATEGY #6 TO SURVIVE A DOWN ECONOMY
By Kevin M
If there’s ever been a time to adopt flexibility as a strategy, it’s now. The certainty we knew only a few short years ago is currently failing us, and our progress and even our survival may rest on our willingness to adapt to change and to new rules as much as anything else.
In 10 Ways To Survive a Down Economy (published on Christianpf.com June 1) we listed ten strategies to help you deal with the bad economy. Our topic for today, Strategy #6:
”Be flexible in your plans and ready to adapt to changing circumstances. If your job is eliminated, offer to contract or to work part time for the same company. If you develop multiple income streams, a shift to a part time arrangement may be to your advantage on a number of fronts. Be prepared to convert a negative development into an opportunity.”
Continue reading Be Flexible in the Face of Changing Circumstances →
By Kevin M
Right now I know a substantial number of people who are looking for a job, but can’t think of a single one who’s found a job through the major internet job boards. Perhaps this has been your experience as well.
Earlier this summer, a CNN articleThe Hidden Job Market (Jessica Dickler, June 10) took a look at the impact of internet job boards on the employment world and came to conclude what so many job seekers are finding out on the front lines. Real life results aren’t living up to the promise.
Continue reading No Luck on the Job Boards? You’re Not Alone →
STRATEGY #4 TO SURVIVE A DOWN ECONOMY
By Kevin M
When ever the economy turns sour, there’s a general tendency to stay on current jobs as long as possible, under the belief that it’s better to stay where we’re established than to go to another company where we’ll be the new/low man on the totem pole. In addition, an often reflexive response to the news of a job loss, or an impending one, is to immediately seek new employment at competing firms within the same industry.
On the surface, these strategies have merit. In the former, we hold on as long as possible, hoping that either we’ll keep our current situation as long as possible, or maybe we’ll even out last the downturn. It seems to make sense to stay in the same career and in the same industry—after all, that’s where our skills are concentrated, and where we have the greatest income potential. But do these represent the best strategies?
Continue reading Changing Careers in a Recession →
By Kevin M
A family living in a McMansion loses their home to foreclosure. An overbearing manager earning a six figure salary loses his job in a department shut down. The (former) most prosperous family in the neighborhood is forced to close down their business for lack of sales; there’s a for sale sign on their front lawn. A couple who drove high end cars and traveled often is facing bankruptcy. A women in old clothes approaches us in a shopping center, tells us her husband has lost his job several months ago, and they have no money to feed their children.
How do we react?
To the family who lost their McMansion: They had no business buying a house that large.
To the overbearing manager: It’s about time he got his—I remember when…
To the former most prosperous family in the neighborhood: They always thought they were better than everyone else—maybe this will teach them a lesson!
To the couple who lived the good life: It serves them right. They lived like money was no object, and now they’re in bankruptcy; they should have saved their money like I did.
To the women in the shopping center asking for money for food: I don’t have any money with me. (She’ll probably use it to buy liquor or drugs if I give it to her.) Get a job! Isn’t there an ordinance against panhandling?
Continue reading Lending a Hand to the Economys Victims →
By Kevin M
With the economy in retreat, and job losses mounting, many are finding that their ability to rely on their employers is rapidly turning into quicksand. But if you can’t rely on your company for your career, who can you rely on?
How about your coworkers?
We all need people who will speak well of us; management might not always be willing or able to do so. Management might not remember some or any of the times you saved the day, but a coworker won’t forget the day you helped her out of a jam. One day, she might be at another company and remember you when a job opening or promotion opportunity with your name on it comes up.
Continue reading Is Your Company Looking Shaky? Bet On Your Coworkers →
By Kevin M
Maybe you or someone you know isn’t having much success in finding employment, and while the poor state of both the economy and the job market are primarily to blame, use of ineffective search methods may be contributing to the frustration.
Yahoo! HotJobs ran an article on Monday, Deceptive Targets in the Job Hunt:
5 Methods That Waste Your Time. In the article, Caroline M.L. Potter zeros in on five common job hunting strategies which are either outdated, completely ineffective or even counterproductive.
Continue reading Useless Job Hunting Methods →
By Kevin M
In 10 Ways To Survive in a Down Economy (published on Christianpf.com June 1) we listed ten strategies to help you deal with the bad economy. Last week we took a closer look at Strategy #1, now we’ll outline Strategy #2:
2. Move outside your comfort zone. Network outside your career orbit; you never know where the next opportunity may come from, or who might assist you in getting there. Pigeonholing yourself into a single job or industry may prove to be a strategic miscalculation in the future.
Continue reading Strategy #2 to Survive a Down Economy: Network OUTSIDE Your Career Orbit →
By Kevin M
In 10 Ways To Survive a Down Economy (published on Christianpf.com June 1) we listed ten strategies to help you deal with the bad economy. Now we’ll begin taking a look at each in greater detail. Strategy #1:
1. Assume perpetual economic instability. You can’t go wrong with this. If that assumption turns out to be wrong I’m sure you’ll have no trouble adjusting! Otherwise, actively network your business or your job skills continuously. You can never know when the next job eliminated might be yours. Be ready.
Continue reading Strategy #1 to Survive a Down Economy: Assume Perpetual Economic Instability →
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General: Any information in regard to money, credit, personal finance, or in regard to any other monetary topic, provided or shared on OutOfYourRut.com is presented for information and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. It is intended to provide general information only and does not constitute personal financial advice in regard to your specific circumstances...MORE-->
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Lending a Hand to the Economys Victims
By Kevin M
A family living in a McMansion loses their home to foreclosure. An overbearing manager earning a six figure salary loses his job in a department shut down. The (former) most prosperous family in the neighborhood is forced to close down their business for lack of sales; there’s a for sale sign on their front lawn. A couple who drove high end cars and traveled often is facing bankruptcy. A women in old clothes approaches us in a shopping center, tells us her husband has lost his job several months ago, and they have no money to feed their children.
How do we react?
Continue reading Lending a Hand to the Economys Victims →