Changing Jobs in Troubled Times

by Liz O’Donnell (Boston)

Conventional wisdom might be to stay put if you are lucky enough to still be employed in this economy. But some workers are looking to make a move regardless of the economic outlook. According to a recent survey from CareerBuilder.com, 19 percent of workers say they plan to leave their jobs and look for a new one in 2009. More than 8,800 people filled out they survey and six-in-ten said the economy was not a deterrent in their plans to change jobs.

The reasons for wanting to make a change varied. Almost half of the survey respondents (49 percent) stated better pay and career advancement as the primary reasons for wanting to leave their current positions. Eighteen percent of respondents are looking for better work/life balance and twenty-three percent want more training and education than they are currently receiving.

Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.com offers the following advice to people looking to make a job change:

1. Be patient – More than one-in-five employers (20 percent) report it typically takes them two months or longer to fill their open positions.
2. Use the job posting –Use some of the same key words from the posting in your resume.
3. Get online – Post your resume online and search job posting boards.

Shelley Harrison who works for Citigate Cunningham, a technology public relations firm, emphasizes the need to differentiate yourself from other candidates. Says Harrison, says, “Due to the skyrocketing increase in unemployment across the tech industry, job competition has never been more fierce. Recent graduates and other job-seekers are being forced to differentiate themselves from the crowd in any way they can. In Silicon Valley, job seekers are taking a different, tech-oriented approach; they are creating interactive online resumes by using free do-it-yourself Web site building tools. ”

She points to Grace Hu-Morley, a woman who posted her resume online, complete with a slide show and introductory video. Morley’s online resume can be viewed here.

Nicole Hardin, who leads the technology recruiting practice for permanent placement at Hire Strategy Inc. agrees with Harrison’s assessment of the technology market.

“This year many employers aren’t planning to add many positions but most have a few critical hires that will be made,” says Hardin. “These jobs are often times the more exciting jobs in the company that are plugged into critical project’s making for some exciting opportunities.” Hardin predicts stiff competition and a flat or downward trend in compensation throughout the year.

Sarah Dollander, a career transition specialist with the firm Lee Hecht Harrison in their Charlotte, North Carolina agrees 2009 will be challenging but she offers some advice for women job hunters.

“Good people will find themselves out of jobs, good people may have a longer time getting a job. One key to success is for women to think beyond their immediate industry as they look for a new workplace. For instance, don’t think “banking,” but think “financial expert.” When you think broadly, more opportunities open up, so instead of looking only within a bank for work, a professional can think about being the finance person at a small company, for example. Opportunities multiply when a job-seeker broadens the way her skills can be applied.”

Dollander predicts we will see increased entrepreneurship, more career reinventions and an increase in contract workers and consultants across the finance, technology and law industries.

“This is a great opportunity for job-seekers to test the culture of an organization without committing to full-time work,” says Dollander.