Riveted by the Recession

By On · Add Comment · In C-Level Executives, Career Coaching, Career Transition, Job Search, Job Search Strategies, Professionals

Linda Lupatkin, Career Counselor, Coach and Consultant

Hurdles, insurmountable odds. That’s what you may feel you’re facing if you’re looking for a job in the current economy. Every time you turn on the news you see: rising unemployment numbers,  companies  contemplating layoffs and now chaos in Cairo (what will that do to gas prices and inflation here?).  And you think, “why should I even try to find a new job?”

Because the only failure is in not trying. As a career coach, I’ve worked with hundreds of clients, in good times and bad. But even in these difficult times, my clients are getting jobs. They’re having to work harder and it’s taking longer, but they are succeeding.

Since it’s a very competitive climate, to achieve your career goals and land that job, you have to apply yourself and use creative ways to run your job search. Just answering ads is not enough. Sitting in front of the computer and answering job boards is like buying a lottery ticket, you might win but what are the odds when there are so many players?

Now you have to be more aggressive in your approach, find different ways to get in front of decision makers. Today it takes a combination of tools to get attention. First you need to decide on a direction, then you need a targeted resume and cover letter that really highlights and markets your abilities and skill-sets. And finally, you need a plan, a marketing plan if you will, one that uses innovative strategies to help you get in front of the right people.

Your plan should include traditional, as well as social online networking through resources like Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter. You should also identify companies or organizations you’d like to work for and use creative strategies to get a meeting, either in person or on the phone. Yes, you can still spend some time on job boards, but only a small amount,  just to gather intelligence about who’s hiring.

So if you’re riveted by the recession and stymied by news stories, what you need to do is turn off the noise. While you can’t control current events, you can control your own efforts and that’s where your focus should be. People are getting jobs, it’s just a matter of applying yourself.

Resumes, Bios and Letters

At the Imagemakers, Ink!™ LLC we create powerful, attention-grabbing resumes that WILL separate you from the competition. This personal marketing tool is the core of your career campaign and will highlight your strengths, skills, accomplishments and experiences in a way that markets you like a pro.

Bios: Our biographies present your most marketable and appealing assets in a sophisticated narrative that appeals to executives, board members, venture capitalists and recruiters. Our resumes capture attention and our bios close the deal.

Letters: Our well-crafted, customized letters are designed to get you noticed either via email or snail mail. We develop customized letters and innovative strategies to best market you in every situation you’ll encounter in a career campaign.

Career Coaching and Consulting

Even the most sophisticated executives and professionals can gain a quantifiable benefit, by finding a higher paying position in less time, from our career coaching and consulting expertise.

We're accomplished in the art of the job search and we'll walk you through all the different strategic ways to approach recruiters, decision makers, leaders and even investors.

Our strategies, tactics and communication techniques boldly move you through the entire spectrum of your job search, enabling you to not only get in front of the right people, but to impress them with your personal brand and position you for a winning negotiation.

Interview Prep and Salary Negotiations

Interview Prep: We enable you to outperform your competition with communication strategies and techniques that will advance you to the next round of interviews and ultimately to land the offer.

Your Pitch: Our comprehensive coaching includes developing a powerful thirty-second commercial about your background, strengths and accomplishments, the opening salvo in your efforts to achieve your career goals.

Salary Negotiations: We’ve been involved with hundreds of salary negotiations and will bring that expertise to help you clinch your best compensation package.