By the time the economy was looking really bad, and the average Joe had admitted it, many of my career friends said “finally!” They had seen signs for a long time but so many people stuck their head in the sand and ignored the signs. It’s easier that way, for sure, but it doesn’t mean the problem will go away.
The economic downturn came first and the job market was still okay. Then… then the job market took a turn, people started feeling it, and started admitting there were some serious problems.
Unfortunately, as things get better, the economy will recover first, and later (perhaps much later) we’ll see a job recovery. It could be a while, though… don’t expect it to happen overnight.
Here’s an article by Ken Kaufman of CFOWise titled Why the conomy will rebound faster than employment. Go read that post… his CFO perspective is better-stated than what I could write here.
If the economy is recovering but employers are scared to take on more payroll costs, what does that mean for you for now? How can you fight that? Could you position yourself differently? Do you just wait it out until employers are ready to bring on more talent? Do you become a contractor and have a different cost structure than what an employee would have (no benefits, no long-term commitment/employment liability issues)?
It isn’t an impossible challenge, but it is different than a normal job search.
