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It's no earth-shattering surprise that the economy is in some serious turmoil. Economists, business leaders, and even our new president are telling us that the economy is in the worst shape since the Great Depression, and it may be longer and more protracted than originally thought.

With increasing layoffs across virtually all industries, companies are tightening their belts and hiring fewer permanent full-time employees. So does this mean people who are looking for jobs won't be able to find work at all? Not necessarily.

Who's Hiring and Who's Firing

While some career fields including construction, finance, real estate, and manufacturing are laying off workers, others are still hiring. For example, the healthcare industry continues to expand due to the baby boom generation retiring. Besides, everybody needs a doctor or dentist once in awhile.

The job market also depends on which city you live in. In some areas of the country, growth remains steady despite poor national economic conditions.

As an example, while Las Vegas and Dubai are both experiencing a bust in economic activity, other places such as Dallas and Raleigh-Durham continue to expand. On the flip side, rust-belt cities such as Detroit and Flint are suffering due to turbulence in the automotive manufacturing sector.

Other companies who are hiring include such freelancing websites as Guru, oDesk, Sologig, LiveOps, and Alpine Access.

The Role of Career Networking

Career networking is always important in order to find out about new positions at various companies. As they say, it's who you know; and who you know may know of somebody else who knows of a position opening up at a local area company.

Be sure to sign up on Linkedin, a professional business networking website. Beyond Linkedin, search for job networking groups in your community so you can share potential job leads.

Job Search Preparation

Candidates seeking jobs should take the time to refine their resumes. Now is the time to spruce up the resume with some key action verbs, solid work experience, and a look and feel that really sells the candidate's job skills.

Now is also the time to hone interviewing skills and brush up on job skills. Particularly if the candidate has not interviewed in several years, he or she will want to research how to effectively market themselves during the interview process. Also, the candidate should be aware of the most current software skills necessary to perform the job.

Adult Education and Retraining

If the candidate lacks competency in one or more job skills, adult education courses may be a good option in order to make oneself more marketable. In addition to community colleges and trade schools, job search websites such as Monster, Careerbuilder, and Dice offer information on adult education in the Advice sections of their websites. A good example of a candidate that should consider retraining is a young adult who was just laid off from a factory job.

In summary, getting a job during a recession simply means recognizing the challenges today's job seekers face in our rough economy and a willingness to go the extra mile. Once the candidate understands these challenges, he or she can work around them to make their job search a more effective one.

Learn more about this author, Daniel J. Gansle.
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