4 Myths About Job Hunting During A Recession
Whenever talks about a potential recession come up, it naturally puts some people on edge. Recessions can impact careers and make the job search process a lot more complicated. However, not all hope is lost. While getting a job during a recession isn’t easy, it’s not impossible. Here are four common myths about the job search process during a recession.
- Myth 1: No One Hires During A Recession
There are some businesses that are greatly impacted by recessions that may implement hiring freezes, and others that will slow their hiring, but in general there’s always some need to hire people as a result of vacancies and retirements. In addition, there are some industries that continue to do well in a recession. However, while businesses are still hiring during a recession, the job competition will be greater and you’ll need to work harder to market yourself as an employee worth hiring.
- Myth 2: No One Will Hire You After Getting Laid Off
But from a competition standpoint being laid off puts you at an initial disadvantage. Layoffs are common during a recession. This increases the competition because of the amount of people on the job market in need of work. If you’re laid off, you have to work even harder to market yourself to potential employees. But at the same time, you don’t want to come across as too desperate. Like with any job search, do your research and leverage your professional network whenever you can.
- Myth 3: If You’re Over 50, You Won’t Get Hired
People over the age of 50 are staying in the workforce a lot longer but have to compete with millennials that make up more than half of the workforce. These millennials are highly skilled, tech savvy, and a lot cheaper to employ. This means that anyone over 50 looking to get hired needs to work even harder to get noticed. You need to clearly understand and sell what it is that you do well (you’re specialty). You also need to invest in yourself and be willing to upskill whenever you can.
- Myth 4: You’ll Have To Take Less Money
Recession or not, you should prepare for a typical salary negotiation process. Do your research and have an idea of the competitive rate for the position you’re pursuing. If you’ve settled on a salary range, be ready to prove to the company why you would be worth the investment. You can do this by demonstrating why you’d be a valuable asset to the company and how your unique skills/experiences will make you the best fit for the role. It always comes back to marketing yourself. In many ways the job search process doesn’t change much in a recession. If you want to pursue a new career you have to work hard and be your own best advocate.
Originally published on Work It Daily
