How to get ready for the ‘upswing’…

There is no doubt about it, things are starting to pick up again in the economy and also the job market. We’ve seen businesses start to release multiple roles to try and quickly regain some of the muscle required to help them cope with the economic upswing ahead.

So how does looking for a job in a downturn differ to job hunting during an upswing?

During a downturn, hiring managers have been quite spoilt for choice. The war for talent has continued to rage during the global economic crisis, but there has been significantly more talent available than in the previous 3-4 years. This means that unfortunately, hiring managers have become more ‘picky’ and ’selective’ than ever. However they still heavily rely on candidate’s reputation and informal references from their personal networks when making hiring decisions.

So, if you are looking for work, what are some things you can do to make sure you’re at the top of the pile/pack when it comes to the big upswing in hiring?

Firstly, use this time before the upswing to get yourself ready and super prepared. Refine your resume; take a course that you’ve been meaning to take, invest in skills and training where possible and create or refine your NETWORK! I cannot stress enough the importance of networking in any market.

Put simply; networking is keeping in touch with every person you have met, worked with or worked for along the way.

Now I know that trying to keep in touch with all of these people sounds quite daunting… however it’s easier than ever with common social networking sites like LinkedIn, connectionsP2P and Spoke in full play.

If you’re an amateur at networking and you’re not sure where to start, here are 5 handy tips for creating your professional network;

1.   Join a social networking site like LinkedIn or Scope (if you want some advice on networking, try connectionsP2P).

2.   Start connecting with people you have worked with. Connecting with your references, old bosses, colleagues (past and present) is a good place to start!

3.   Connect with your friends and family.

4.   Catch up with connections for a coffee.

5.   Always offer to help people in your network where you can, the golden rule of networking is; ‘what goes around, comes around’.

Spending time refining your resume, skills and network before the upswing in the job market, will mean that you are prepared for your dream role at your dream company when it comes available.

Think about this; if you’ve spent time connecting with people you know and nourishing your network, you never know…someone in your network might just know the hiring manager at your dream company and might put in a good word for you! I strongly believe that word of mouth is still, and always will be the most powerful job hunting tool!

So use any down time to connect with friends and ex-colleagues to ensure that when the upswing comes into play, you are fully prepared!