This past Sunday, 60 Minutes aired a program describing the plight of people who had been unemployed for one, two, three or four plus years.
In the story – Trapped in Unemployment – Scott Pelley indicated that today, there are over 4 million Americans who have been out of work for more than a year.
One of the individuals interviewed related being at home alone, in front of a computer, answering hundreds of job ads – but not receiving any invitations to interview. I found myself talking to him and the others – through the television – telling them what they were doing wrong!
Why are these individuals, some of your family members and friends – or you – out of work for a year, two years or more?
How do you crack the code and discover the strategies to prevent or recover from long-term unemployment?
Causes
- Applying to online job ads and expecting a call.
- Not paying attention to industry and company indicators.
- Not making a short- and long-term career plan.
- Allowing the skills and competencies for desired roles to become obsolete.
- Not having an online presence that documents knowledge, thought leadership, or memorable competencies.
- Not utilizing social media to its best advantage.
- ‘Key influencer’ contacts have decreased rather than increased.
- Not building long-term personal relationships with search firms and recruiters.
- Not volunteering and serving in visible leadership roles in industry associations.
- Not searching for and accepting broadening assignments.
- Not implementing external reputation enhancement strategies. Not leveraging this enhanced reputation ‘capital’ internally.
- Not identifying and leveraging a leadership career brand.
Impacts
- Becoming invisible to movers and shakers in your industry.
- The possibility of being hired in a role of the same level, scope and compensation diminishes quickly after 60 days of unemployment.
Strategies to Crack the Code
- Develop LinkedIn contacts to include industry movers and shakers.
- Use Internet job sites to identify openings – then use your network to get an interview.
- Participate in a few free LinkedIn optimization webinars to learn how to increase your ranking.
- Google key words relevant to your role and your industry – does your name show up?
- Google your name – only to identify if there is adverse information. Remember recruiters won’t Google your name until you are a bona fide candidate.
- Become a thought leader.
- Develop an external reputation enhancement strategy.
- Take action on your customized multiple revenue stream strategy so that all of your ‘eggs’ are not in one basket.
- Take a leadership role in a few influential clubs or associations.
- Re-tool, re-connect, re-engage, re-new.
A question for you to consider:
- Do you have a plan to prevent or recover quickly from long-term unemployment?
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Christine M. Glasco consults to company executives, business owners and non-profit leaders on career management/career transformation and strategic leadership development solutions. To request a complimentary copy of Five Tips to Transform Your Executive Career and to receive Is Your Career on Track? Assessment and e-Workbook go to: www.christineglasco.com Email: cglasco@charter.net
[...] February, I wrote a blog – Crack the Code: Discover The Strategies to Prevent or Recover From Long-term Unemployment! A former client who is in career transition sent the following [...]
[...] February, I wrote a blog – Crack the Code: Discover The Strategies to Prevent or Recover From Long-term Unemployment! A former client who is in career transition sent the following [...]