The Real Skinny on Getting Hired

It's a sad but true fact about life that most of us learn lessons best that are learned the hard way. One of the factors that makes "the hard way" so hard is that more often than not, there is no second chance, and that is particularly true in today's job market.

We're in a buyer's market right now, and there are no signs on the horizon that things are going to change anytime soon. One factor that makes it so hard for jobseekers today is that the rules that were in place several years ago when they were hired don't apply anymore. If you were hired into your job (or your former job) at anytime in the last 15 to 20 years ago, chances are very good that your skill set and/or your potential was enough to put you on the payroll. We were in a seller's market then, and most people had multiple offers and opportunities.

Things have changed.

Today, it takes a lot more than a skill set and/or experience. The unemployment rolls are filled with bright, industrious, qualified people who know everything they need to know about the job tasks, but nothing about how to market themselves to a potential employer. With the competition as stiff as it is out there, there are lots of candidates who know as much as you and who have as much (if not more) experience as you. In that type of competitive environment, if you send out a resume that is the standard name, objective, work history, education, and references format as everyone else, your chances of getting invited for an interview are incredibly small. And if you are fortunate enough to get an interview but go into it poorly prepared in any of several key areas, you'll likely be added to the pile of people who have been turned down before you.

The rules are a lot different in a buyer's market than they are in a seller's market. If you don't know and apply them, don't be surprised when you're still looking months from now. Job opportunities are too valuable to blow because you don't know the new rules and don't know how to present yourself. If your job search strategy is the same as everyone else's, don't be surprisd if your results are just like theirs as well.