Idle Hands - What To Do When Hiring Halts
By Stuart Calvert
Job seeking can be frustrating at the best of times, but what do you do when companies just aren’t hiring? Many people start to feel defeated – and while you can’t change the economy, there are many productive ways to use your time that can contribute to landing a job. In this article we’ll outline some things you can do to aid in your job search when the economy is reeling.
Build Your Personal Brand – Write A Blog
Thanks to technology and the ease in which people can now self-publish thoughts and opinions, everybody has the opportunity to demonstrate their expertise on a topic. One of the most popular and proven formats for creating and sharing content is through a blog.
Publishing a blog related to your professional field of interest will appeal to and attract those in your industry – people that work at the very companies you’re seeking employment with. A blog gives you the opportunity to share your knowledge, insights, and opinions with readers and appear as an authority on a certain topic.
More importantly, it allows you to communicate and demonstrate your level of thinking to the people in your industry. It gives people a deeper insight into who you are and what you’re able to do. Even if companies cannot currently hire, people who become regular readers will think of you when their company is in need of people again.
One more advantage of creating a blog is that it allows you to control your digital footprint, and shape what people will find when they search you online – a growing trend in hiring. If a potential employer searches your name, a blog that provides frequent content will likely appear at or near the top of the search results.
Network
One of the most productive ways of putting free time to good use is to work on developing and maintaining your network of personal contacts. Who we know is often as important as what we know, and many times the people in our personal networks play a pivotal role in our career moves.
The number of opportunities that come out of your personal network can be closely related to the strength of those relationships. Taking time to nurture your existing relations as well as work on developing new ones is always time well spent.
Networking can take the form of phone calls, face-to-face conversations, and even online correspondence – anything that allows you to maintain and further develop relationships. Two particularly great networking tools are conferences and online social networks.
Attend Conferences
Conferences are a great way of connecting with like-minded people in your industry, and provide the opportunity to gain face time with new and existing contacts.
There are many conferences that are affordable or even free. People in digital marketing for example, created a series of free conferences called PodCamps. Even some of the highest profile conferences will have certain components to them that are free of charge.
You don’t have to limit yourself to only attending conferences in your industry. Get creative. If you’re looking for a job, you could find out if there are any networking events for recruiters coming up. A few simple online searches should turn up many different conferences that are happening near you.
Online Social Networks
Social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn make it extremely easy to organize, manage, and stay in touch with your network of contacts. Spending time to regularly connect with people is something that pays dividends in the long run. It tells people they’re important to you and in turn, they’ll think of you first when they come across opportunities they’re able to pass along.
Maintaining contact doesn’t have to mean long, in-depth emails – it can be as simple a quick hello and a few lines asking how they are or even commenting on something they may have posted on their profile. The important thing is you’ve shown you’re remembering them and value your relationship with them enough to make the effort to maintain contact – something that the majority of people don’t do.
Volunteer
While the notion of working for free can seem unappealing, it’s important to think of the upsides that come along with it. It’s obviously only a temporary situation and can be an extremely valuable use of your time when looking to get back into the job market.
The objective with volunteering is to continue applying, and if possible upgrading, the skills you already have in an effort to show first-hand what it is you can do. There are many resulting benefits to you - factors that could play a prominent role in helping land your next job:
- Great work will earn you a great reference, referral or possibly even consideration for a position within the company
- Valuable industry connections that extend outside that specific company
- The opportunity to develop new skills as well as show that your existing skills are current
- Shows drive and dedication on your part – that you’re willing to extend yourself and make sacrifices to achieve the end result you desire
Professional Development & Skill Upgrading
Taking courses that upgrade or teach new skills is a great way of utilizing downtime between jobs. Aside from furthering your skill set and looking great on your resume, it shows you to be a proactive person who is interested in constantly learning and bettering yourself – and ultimately succeeding.
In deciding what courses you want to take, look at the roles you’re interested in applying to and check if there is anything critical you might be missing. It’s also good to think about industry trends and what may be required or highly valued in the future. For instance, writers and journalists will have to become increasingly knowledgeable and capable in the online space as it becomes a more important part of a publication’s offering.
An additional benefit is that courses are often taught by industry professionals and experts who hold down senior roles in the very companies you’re probably targeting in your job search. The opportunity to connect with these people is an ideal side-benefit.
Conclusion
There are many things you can do with your free time during a slow economy that can ultimately aid in getting you a job. When companies are forced to temporarily tighten budgets and put a freeze on hiring, don’t do the same with your dedication to finding that next great opportunity. By using this time in a productive manner, you give yourself an edge over others who are taking the wait-and-see approach – and when companies do need to hire, you’ll stand out from the crowd.
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As Partner, Stuart Calvert works in partnership with some of the brightest minds in the consumer packaged goods industry.
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