Tips for the job search

By: | Times-Dispatch
Published: January 04, 2009

Do not use your severance time as a time to wait. "Some people make the mistake of saying, 'Everybody's going to be looking right away so I'll wait until the end. I'll take advantage of this time off,'" said Jane Snead, branch manager for Ajilon Professional Staffing. "You need to be getting your résumé out and networking."

Network with everyone you know, from business colleagues to neighbors to church members.

Stay involved in your field in some way, possibly through association work or through volunteer work while you look, said Charlene Jeter, who was laid off as vice president for marketing at SunTrust MidAtlantic. If nothing else, "It gives you something to talk about," she said.

Use the Internet to make connections. Post your profile on sites such as LinkedIn.com, build up your recommendations there and create connections online.

Assess the opportunities. Are jobs available in your field in your region? If not, are you willing to move? Look for employment ads in print and online at sites such as monster.com and hotjobs.com.

Be creative. "Just because people got laid off doesn't meant they got stripped of their talents," said Elinor Burstein, president of Placement Professionals. "People have a whole toolbox of things they've done and talents they've never explored. It's a time they have to take an inventory. That's where creativity comes in." Switching careers or starting your own business are among the possibilities.

Work at it. "You have to hustle," said Keisha Snead, who's working at a temporary job that resulted from her persistence. "You have to keep calling them. Don't sit around and wait for somebody to call you. That's not going to work."

Supplement your personal job search with a recruiter. Generally there's no cost to the job searcher.

Stay positive. "The most important thing is a great mental attitude," Burstein said. "Don't get in a depression over it. If you want to mourn, wait until you have a job. It's not a permanent thing. It will change. As soon as you find a job, you won't be unemployed."

- Katherine Calos