A growing number of jobseekers find themselves in the midst of a long-term job search. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. jobless rate soared to a four-year high of 5.7 percent in July 2008 and the average job search took more than four months to net results. However, some critics would put this number and the number of the unemployed much higher.
Helen Kooiman, author of Suddenly Unemployed asserts, “[S]uch statistics are inaccurate indicators. They do not include those whose unemployment benefits have run out or those who don’t qualify for unemployment … Such statistics also do not count welfare recipients, temps (who cannot be counted as fully employed), or others who eke out a living on so-called self-employment.” Neither do such reports include what the Bureau of Labor Statistics terms “discouraged workers” or those who “were not currently looking for work specifically because they believed no jobs were available for them.” Their figures reached 461,000 in July.
A long-term job search can put a tremendous financial and emotional strain on a job hunter. “It’s been a demoralizing experience and it’s been very difficult budgetwise. I’m a single mother,” Kay Marie King says, a former non-profit executive with a wealth of experience who is currently involved in an ongoing job search. So, what can you do when weeks of a fruitless job search quickly turns to months? Here are seven tips for jump starting a stalled job search:
Tip 1: Don’t be so quick to blame everything on the economy (your region, your industry, etc.).
These issues certainly play a role in the current job market. However, it is easy to fixate on such factors and completely discount factors that we personally control. The next six tips cover areas that long-term jobseekers do well to revisit to jump-start a stalled job search. Why is this so important? I am reminded of a woman I once interviewed who looked great on paper, but during the interview, she had an incredibly offensive body odor. She remarked that she’d been on several interviews but she was “overqualified” for every position. It was a classic case of the problem (or her perception of what the problem was) not really being the problem. While most jobseekers don’t have such an obvious issue, each one would still do well to take a long look in the mirror.
Tip 2: Conduct a candid self-assessment.
Look at yourself from the perspective of the potential employer. Compare your experience and qualifications to those typically required of someone in your target position. How do your skills and experience match up? Think of creative ways to fill skill gaps and gain experience.
