With unemployment climbing over 8%, today’s job market is drastically different than a couple of years ago. Consequently, some recent Capella graduates find they’re entering a different world than when they started their programs. It’s important to recognize the reality of the economy without getting discouraged. Here are some specific ways you can do that, courtesy of the Capella Career Center.
It’s a detour, not a roadblock
Be patient. The need for good work and good workers hasn’t gone away. Those who make substantial contributions now are appreciated—and when new opportunities come along those contributions will be remembered. Focus on the work in front of you and do your best, even if you were expecting to be working on something more challenging and exciting by now. As you build a reputation as a “can-do” person, you encourage colleagues and supervisors to consider you for additional responsibility down the road.
Build new skills You can develop new skills and strengthen your resume without changing your job title. Say, for example, you want to move into management and need budgeting experience. Volunteer for an activity—an event at work, a nonprofit board—that requires some financial decision-making. When a management position opens up later, you can highlight that work to demonstrate your capacity.
Similarly, you may find opportunities to supervise others, teach, or provide consulting services in a way that’s substantial enough to position you now for roles later.
Connect with people No question—networking involves work, and not all of us are comfortable with it in the beginning. Now is the time to strengthen and expand your network and connect with people who have similar interests and backgrounds.
As you enter a new field or look for new opportunities in your current profession, other people will be your best guides. They know what other organizations are like, who’s good to work with, what skills are in great demand right now, and who else you should get to know.
But keep in mind that you’re a good source of information, too. If you’re willing to share what you know with another person, you both stand to gain.
Learn from others Two other points about connecting with other people: They know what is required for different jobs and they know where those jobs are.
A more experienced person in your field can help you identify the skill sets you’ll need. This will help you prioritize what growth and enrichment opportunities to take on as you wait for new jobs to open.
As unemployment rises, organizations become more reluctant to advertise openings because they’ll be flooded with applications. Even before the current downturn, only 1 in 5 job openings was advertised. Now it’s likely less than that.
So knowing people in the field becomes increasingly important to know who’s hiring, what they’re looking for, and how to give them what they need.
Comments? Share some of your strategies for planning and growth.
This entry was posted on Monday, March 23rd, 2009 at 11:39 am and is filed under Alumni, Learners. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
