by Ted Sherman

Created on: July 22, 2009

Finding a job in the tough economy we're experiencing now isn't easy, but certainly not impossible. It takes persistence, intelligence and a fair amount of good luck. My own experience in a tough economic situation may be a lesson. I was a copywriter in a pharmaceutical company's ad department when we were all called into a meeting. Sales figures were down, and the company profits were dropping. The VP said the department next to ours, the medical TV unit, had been eliminated, resulting in job losses for 25 people. However, he assured us, our department was absolutely secure from any cutbacks.

As soon as the meeting ended, we all ran back to our computers and started revising and emailing resumes to other companies all over the area. While the situation had its humorous edge, we seriously knew our jobs were in jeopardy. Incidentally, our department wasn't totally eliminated, but six months after many of us had found new jobs, and the company's sales continued to drop, about half of the remaining ad department staff members were terminated.

Therefore, in a tough job market, the first need is to anticipate the possibility of losing your current job and to take positive steps to find another one. A reason many job seekers are unemployed for so many months between jobs, is that they wait until the day they actually get their final paycheck before they even begin to look for a new job.

Here are some suggestions on finding a job in a tough employment situation:

1. Anticipate. Don't wait until the door hits you on the rump and you're terminated. Keep your resume current and be prepared to get out and start looking for a job immediately after you get that final paycheck from your old job. Or sooner, if your soon-to-be ex-employer allows you to do job searching on company time during your final days there.

2. Establish and keep updating your circle of people references. When you anticipate needing a new job, get letters of recommendation from people at your school, college, church, community and other contacts. Providing you haven't lost your job due to disciplinary reasons, a valuable reference letter can be one you get from your most recent employer.

3. Make daily checks for potential jobs in local newspapers, online want ad listings and other sources where the information changes frequently. Additionally, make frequent contact with resources that will help you job hunt at no cost, such as school and college career consultants, professional associations, unions

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