YOU’RE OUT OF WORK, WHAT DO YOU DO NOW? 

submitted by Tim Ahern, Sr. Director, Recruiting Partners

1. STAY POSITIVE. Don’t get down on yourself, your unemployment situation wasn’t your fault, rather a result of your company’s cost cutting measures.
2. UPDATE YOUR RESUME. You have an updated resume ready to go, right? If not, get going on your update, list your skills, measurable accomplishments and work history. Review it with a friend, co-worker or recruiter.
3. REVIEW YOUR SKILLS AND ABILITIES. People are finding that being unemployed gives them time to re-evaluate current skills, career goals and to think about what they really want to do.
4. GET BACK TO WORK! Treat your job search as a full-time job. Put off that vacation, you could miss an opportunity. Keep a daily routine, makes those phone calls, go to the gym, meet friends for coffee, it will help to keep your mind busy, focused and builds momentum
5. NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK!! Tap into your network of contacts, family, friends, co-workers, recruiters, job network groups, social groups, vendors and outplacement service companies (if offered to you). And remember, never burn a bridge, you might need that contact one day for a job lead or reference.
6. FOCUS YOUR SEARCH. In 2002/2003, only 1% of people found their job applying via the internet. Mass distribution (ie spamming) of your resume adds to the clutter and minimize the chances that your resume will standout among the hundreds of resumes that companies are receiving. Find the company you are interested in, individuals at those companies that might be able to refer you, also check into your network of contacts to find these people. The more personalized you are with your contacts, the better the results.
7. BE FLEXIBLE. The job market is tough, it doesn’t mean you have to be. Be prepared to be flexible with your job requirements. Also consider a temp job at a company you are interested in, better to be on the inside. You may need to think about being flexible in the areas of geography, salary/rate, title, and/or responsibilities.
8. GET YOUR FINANCES IN ORDER. Hopefully your unemployment hasn’t caught you too much off guard and you have severance and/or savings to get by for a few months. This is a good time to review your budget and cut back on unnecessary expenses. Also make sure to sign up immediately for unemployment and COBRA health benefits.
9. FOLLOW-UP, FOLLOW-UP and FOLLOW-UP. Follow-up on any and all leads, no matter how big or small or insignificant. Timing is everything. And when you do find a job, keep those contacts fresh by following up.
   

BUILDING YOUR RESUME 

Many people have been asking us to critique their resumes thinking that their resume does not "sell" themselves well. Following are some tips and formats that we have found to be successful with our clients.

RESUME BUILDING TIPS

1. Keep it brief - 2 pages ideal, 3 max. Also, in our experience Chronological resumes work best.
2. Proofread, Proofread and Proofread, get some else to review it as well
3. Keep the format simple, keep out special boxes, shading, columns/tables, pictures. We love clean resumes. Word or Rich Text Format.
4. For employment gaps or jobs where you were laid off, provide a brief explantion.
5. Send the resume to only applicable/specific jobs or people, ideally via referral. 
6. Track where you send your resume and follow-up via phone if possible, surprisingly not many people do. This is a chance for you to stand out.

- RESUME FORMAT OUTLINE - FOLLOW THIS LINK TO A SAMPLE RESUME

• CONTACT INFO - it seems simple enough but include your full name, address, phone and email. Don't include current work contact info if you don't want to be called at work.
• OBJECTIVE - this doesn't always need to be included but if it is, should reference the job for which you are applying. Making this generic could lead to confusion on the part of the resume "screener"
• CAREER/ACHIEVEMENT SUMMARY - our clients seem to like this brief summary. It should be brief, no more than 5 lines or bullet points. This is also a place to list your career or achievements as they apply to the job for which you are applying. This needs to be to the point and descriptive, it will entice the "screener" to read further.
• TECHNICAL SUMMARY - this should be a listing of your technical skills, but keep it limited, no laundry lists here. Prefer breaking out skills into hardware, software, languages, applications, OS, protocols, databases, etc. Number of years in each area is a nice to have- ie Java (3 yrs), C++ (5 yrs) You can also include Certifications in this area as well. 
• PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE - for each position list (reverse chronological history) company, location, periods of employment (mm/yyyy) and title. In your description of the job/project briefly describe the projects you worked on, daily activities. In describing your specific responsibilities, use the action words we know so well (managed, created, led, developed, interfaced, etc.). In addition, our technical clients like to see action words associated with the software development lifecycle (analyzed, designed, developed, tested, implemented, maintained, supported).
• EDUCATION/TRAINING - Include degrees, certifications and training.
  

FOLLOW THIS LINK TO A SAMPLE RESUME