With almost 16 million people out of work, more and more people are finding themselves in the job market having to land a job in a market where more jobs are being lost. This is the toughest environment in 50 years to get a job in and you better have your best game on to do so. While the consensus is that no one is hiring, apply the tips in this article exactly as they are written and I assure you that you will not just get a job but get the job you want!
1.Decide that you are going to get a job and eliminate all other options. Treat unemployment benefits like the plague and a non-option. Unemployment benefits will not prove beneficial to you in the future as they will ultimately destroy your job prospects going forward.
2.Spend more time replacing the lost job than you spent at the job you lost! Take the attitude that getting a job is your job and if you have to spend 50 hours a week doing so do it!
3.Even if you have to take something you consider beneath you, it is better to stay connected in the workforce with less pay than disconnected from the workforce with unemployment benefits! (Refer to #1 again.)
4.Disregard all the talk that no one is hiring! There are always companies looking for productive-solution oriented people that can help their company grow. While there are 16 million people without work, most companies have not gone out of business. Have the attitude that you will find a job and stay away from other unemployed people, as they are likely to contaminate your attitude.
5.Do NOT rely on your resume. While it needs to be current and list all of your accomplishments, do not rely on it to land your job -- it won't! Companies don't hire resumes they hire people that can help move the company forward. A resume will not get you a job!
6.Do NOT rely on others to get you your next job. Headhunters and recruiters are representing many people and no one is going to present you better than you will. Go into this endeavor with the belief that you are the ONLY one that will make this happen!
7.Do NOT rely on the HR department and do every thing to bypass them even though this is not politically correct. Find out who knows the players in the company and get your story in front of the decision makers of the company. It is the decision makers that have the most invested in moving the company forward.
8.Do NOT depend on the Internet or on social networking sites. They may be a good place to get a date or play poker but it will not get you a job. Let the other 16 million depend on the 'net' while you get yourself, your resume and your story in front of decision makers.
9.In the interview do NOT talk about what you have done in the past, talk about what you can do to create for the company in the future. Make big claims as to what you will and can do for the company.
10.Do NOT go into an interview to be interviewed, go in to sell your self. Avoid communicating from the viewpoint of what the company can do for you but rather what you can do for the company. Check out my book, Sell to Survive as it will show you exactly how to sell yourself to decision makers about why you are 'The One'.
11.Approach every opportunity understanding that the only thing a company is interested in today is REVENUE. Anyone that can directly or indirectly assist in revenue creation is desirable! Those that can sell their ability and willingness to do whatever it takes to assist in adding revenue to the company are always desirable regardless of the overall job market. Things like being a team player, loyallty, and dependability may be some of your attributes, but they will not land you a job in this environment.
12.Do NOT go into any interview talking about how you have been let go wrongly. Nor do you ever want to mention anything negative about your last employer or position. Approach your current situation as a new opportunity to create a new life for yourself and carry that attitude with you into every interview. It takes a lot of pressure to create a diamond and this may be the very thing that it takes so that you hit your full potential! Take this time to bury yourself in positive books and audio programs so that you bring the best you to every interview. Check out my "The Rules of Success" audio program to get your head right because your attitude is going to be 90% of the interview.
Grant Cardone, Author of Sell to Survive and International Sales Expert