12 ways to re-vitalize a stalled job search

In the current economy job candidates can expect their job search to take longer. According to Sarah Needleman in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, the Department of Labor reported that it is currently taking unemployed workers an average of 27.2 weeks to find a job, up from 19.1 in September of 2008 and 16.7 in September of 2007. There is more room in a longer job search to feel like you've hit the wall.

In her article, “Giving a Stalled Job Search a Jump-Start,” Needleman gives excellent tips for revitalizing a job search that is not going anywhere or netting results. She covers some familiar strategies that I advocate for ALL job candidates, whether re-vitalizing a stalled search or to get a new one off the ground and headed in the right direction.

I’ve summarized my takeaways from her article and added my own comments:

1. Apply to positions where you have some base of experience.

2. Avoid the “I could do that” trap.

Trust me on this, you’ll get beat up far worse than you imagine applying to anything and everything, especially if you think you are overqualified. When you “jump swim lanes” from your area of expertise thinking that you are a shoe-in for that administrative position, you’ve not just increased your competition to all Administrative Pros, but to all the other people jumping out of every other swim lane into to this one with you. I'm reminded of a Tacoma Meter-Reader job posting that had 1,400 applicants from literally every profession.

3. Tailor each cover letter to the company’s specific needs and your base of experience.

Generic cover letters get trash-canned right now. And don’t make the mistake of not including a cover letter at all because they didn’t specifically ask for one. You need to stand out from the crowd, and a targeted cover letter is a great way to do so.

4. Apply rigor and tenacity.

That’s what it takes right now. "A river cuts through rock not because of its power, but because of its persistence." - Jim Watkins

5. Make sure your materials and communications are 100% error free.

One typo can do you in. I pointed out a few typos and inconsistencies in a new client's resume recently to which he replied,"Well I don't want to work for a company that cares about a few typos in my resume!" Sorry Mr. Senior Marketing Manager, but the brutal truth is that right now you just don't have the luxury of that attitude. When employers are looking for any reason to reduce the huge stack of qualified applicants to a manageable few, they will assume that your typos mean that you will be sloppy with their marketing messaging. And they will go on to an equally qualified, typo-free candidate.

6. Don’t rely solely on job boards and posted positions.

Even where there are needs, fewer jobs are being posted because employers get overwhelmed when they do. (see #2)

7. Networking, networking, networking has to be one of your main strategies.

It can give you the earliest warning when a company has a hiring need and is essential to help you create job opportunities.

8. Fill a hole in your skill set.

If you keep seeing an area of knowledge you don’t have in the job postings you like, do something about it. Do self-study, take a class or offer barter to someone knowledgeable in the area. Offer your first attempts pro-bono to an organization in need to get some experience in the new area.

9. Be open to freelance work.

Great way to stay current, earn a bit and make connections/references.

10. Bone up on and follow industry trends and news.

What you learn will keep your knowledge relevant while you are out of work, tell you first who might be hiring, and provide useful networking entrees to them.

11. Push your boundaries.

Define your ideals, then broaden the scope a bit. To generate enough opportunities I tell my clients, “Be willing to drive further for an interview than you are willing to drive to work each day.” Once you are there you may find that the opportunity is so good that you change your mind on the drive being worth it. Or you meet someone you could carpool with.

12. Reset your salary expectations.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but when salaries have all come down with supply and demand, you can kill your chances of working at all by clinging to an old-economy expectation of matching your previous salary.

As one job seeker said to me recently, “I’ve given up on making $100K again, the jobs in my field just don't pay that anymore. I’ve been out so long that now I’d be happy with $50K. Half of something is far more than 100% of nothing.”

Sarah Needleman's full WSJ article: “Giving a Stalled Job Search a Jump-Start”