NEW YORK| Finding a job today may be more difficult than it was a year ago. The economic malaise that set in last summer has resulted in thousands of layoffs across different industries. Companies are cutting back, and that means they are hiring less.
But with a little creativity, finding a job in today's environment is by no means impossible. From Joe Turner of career
builder.com, an online job search site, here are three ideas for how to approach your job search differently:
Take a step back and evaluate your industry.
If you are in the financial services industry, for example, improvements in hiring may be months off. Rather than continue applying to financial services jobs, you could explore other industries where your skills would also be a fit.
Do some research and find out the sectors that are hiring the most. (The U.S. Department of Labor is a good resource.) Then redirect your efforts toward these.
Focus on results.
Employers want to see what you have accomplished on the job, and not necessarily a long list of your skills.
Think of yourself as a mini profit-and-loss center rather than just an employee. If you saved your previous employer $50,000, then highlight this. If you were responsible for $50,000 in sales, then emphasize that.
Put together specific examples of the benefit that your company gained from the work you performed, and be ready to rattle them off to a prospective employer.
Add achievements to your resume.
Resumes are a valuable sales tool designed to accomplish one goal, and that is to get the interview. Add a specific achievement list to your resume. Then go one step further and point out the most notable accomplishments from this list. Describe the benefit your employer gained from each item. This alone should make your resume stand out.
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