OVERVIEW:
Article in TIME Magazine, September 21, 2009: “Unemployment Nation”
… “With nearly 10% of Americans idled, the country faces the prospect of long-term, double-digit unemployment. Even after growth returns, many jobs won’t…”
From the same article:
“From December 2007 to August 2009, the economy jettisoned nearly 7 million jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s a 5% decrease in the total number of jobs, a drop that hasn’t occurred since the end of World War II. The number of long-term unemployed people who have been out of work for more than 27 weeks, was the highest since the BLS began recording the number in 1948.” – p. 27, TIME, September 21, 2009
BACKGROUND:
People who have lost their jobs and who continue to define themselves in terms of the work they did in those lost jobs will find themselves out of work for a very long time. Maybe forever.
If you are one of those whose job went away in the Recession, please reread those last two sentences, and think deeply about the implications for you.
Now the question becomes: what is your primary job search tool at this moment?
If you are using a traditional reverse-chronological résumé that focuses on listing your job duties, activities and responsibilities, you are increasing the likelihood of a very long, disappointing and frustrating job search.
Why? Think of it like this: Each time you submit your résumé for different position, you are using the SAME GENERIC, ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL résumé for a UNIQUE, DIFFERENT POSITION.
Does that seem like an effective strategy, one that will bring you success? The answer is “NO! it is not an effective strategy because your résumé looks just like all the rest in the pile!” To get a job in this economy, your résumé has to stand out. Please see :Tips” at www.ResumesThatResumeCareers.com.
SOLUTION:
The good news is that, with some time well spent first identifying your primary ACCOMPLISHMENTS and then identifying the TRANSFERRABLE SKILLS AND ABILITIES you used to achieve them, you can create a functional résumé based on your most significant accomplishments.
Once you have taken the time to precisely identify your most significant accomplishments and the skills you used to achieve them, you can easily CUSTOMIZE your résumé to the requirements of EACH position you are seeking.
When you do that, you present yourself as the ideal candidate for that position. You become ONE IN a million, rather than ONE OF a million.
Please call 800.597.9972 for a free 30-minute telephone needs assessment.
