Careers
CareerCasts
That
Don’t
Suck
.com
RECESSION
SURVIVAL
KIT
Worried about the recession and how it may
a!ect your career? Worry no more. The
Recession Survival Kit is here!
5 keys t o r id i n g o u t t h e r e c e s s i o n
he “Big R”, Recession, is
T upon us. Ushered in by
higher gas prices and the
subprime mortgage debacle, signs
of the recession are spreading like
Ebola to every sector of the
economy. The stock market
recently took a spine"tingling 326"
point dive before rebounding #to
our collective relief$. The
unemployment rate is at a two"year
high of 5%. Housing prices and
home sales are at an all"time low
#una!ected by Fed rate cuts$.
Department stores reported
disappointingly low sales numbers
for the holiday season and are
scrambling for a new strategy to
win back previously free"spending
consumers.&
The “Big 3” automakers are
planning to layo! nearly 130,000
workers in the coming year.
And, big business is announcing
mass layo!s in nearly every sector.
Manufacturers are closing their
doors in record numbers #over
February 2008 Edition
Ev en ts
ruar y
Feb
2.04.08
Orlando Sentinel
Careerbuilder Job Fair
(Orlando, FL)
Local employers recruiting for various
position from account managers to
systems analyst. Free admission.
2.12.08
2nd Annual Advertising &
Marketing Industry Diversity Job
Fair (San Francisco, CA)
Top ad agencies recruiting new grads
and experienced creative professionals,
with an emphasis on diverse candidates.
2.21.08
HireQuest Diversity Job Fair
(San Jose, CA)
HireQuest job fairs focus on retail, sales
and management positions. Dress
professionally. Bring resumes. Free
admission.
2.25.08
Greater NYC Citizenship and
Social Enterprise Expo
(New York, NY)
Thirty companies and social enterprises
recruiting students and professionals for
CSR, nonprofit and green jobs.
Signs of the recession are spreading like Ebola
to every sector of the economy.
212,000 jobs lost in 2007$. The So, what can you do to ride out this
financial services firms are recession?
scrambling to regroup. Even the
shiny, high"performing tech sector
has been a!ected #Yahoo recently
announced its plan to layo! as
“In Every
many as 14,000 workers$. Crisis, An
Opportunity”
And, the only relief in sight is the
economic stimulus package being
hastily constructed by the
President and members of
Congress, the benefits of which we
may not see until this summer.
r e so ur c e s fo r Re ce ssi o n- p r oofing
y o ur c ar ee r
R ec es s io n -P ro o f
! Careersthatdontsuck.
co
! Careersthatdontsuck.
com’s
Declaration of Care
er
Empowerment (200
8)
! CareerCasts Newslett
ers
! Recession Survival K
it
Event Info
Careersthatdontsuck.com
Events Calendar
Learn more about these and other career
and professional development events by
visiting www.Careersthatdontsuck.com/
events-calendar/.
Want to list your own event?
Contact Careersthatdontsuck.com at
ChangeCareers@careersthatdontsuck.com.
m I w ill ho no r m y pledge
of ca re er
em po wer men t, come
w hat m ay.
No th ing w ill ta ke me
of f m y
ca re er path .
I w ill us e al l of th e re
so urce s
av ai la ble to me an d en
lis t he lp
if I ne ed it.
-Me
 What can you do to ride out the recession?
iding out a recession does not
R
mean simply surviving but,
where possible, arriving at the
shore in a better condition than you
left. Believe it or not, this is possible
with any economic or other crisis that
may impact your career.
The 5 steps featured here are time" and
crisis" tested.
5 ke y s t o r i d i n g
o u t th e re ces si o n
1. Steady Yourself
2. Shore Up Your
Finances
3. Flu! Up Your
Resume
4. Network...A Lot!
5. Embrace the
Opportunities
Steady Yourself: The only way
to beat back uncertainty is with
preparation. Start by preparing
yourself emotionally. Share your
concerns and fears with your
significant other, friends, family or
career coach. Having a support
structure in place during a crisis or
setback is key to staving o!
depression and hopelessness. Your
personal support group can also
help you plan your “recession
survival strategy”.
Shore Up Your Finances:
Now is the time to save money,
spend wisely, lay o! the credit cards
and refinance variable loans while
rates are low #if your credit allows$.
Don’t rule out taking a part"time or
freelance job. You’ll earn extra cash
and, just maybe, start a new career.
Flu! Up Your Resume: Don’t
assume you will lose your job, but
do keep an open mind and an eye
on the job listings. If your boss
does deliver dreaded layo! news,
you’ll feel better having a job search
plan in place.
Network...A Lot! This sounds
crazy, but consider this.
Networking is key to staying
abreast of hidden job opportunities
and emerging business
opportunities. There’s also a
social"emotional benefit:&
Commiserating with others
actually makes us feel better.
Embrace the Opportunities:
Even in crisis there is opportunity.&
For every change there is someone
to usher it in. Could you be that&
someone? While layo!s are awful
for those a!ected, they spell great
opportunity for entrepreneurs,
human resources professionals,
consultants, attorneys, job coaches,
outplacement firms and even
colleges.
Take advantage of the opportunity
to re"tool""take executive
education classes online or at local
colleges, take a hobby to a new
level.
Resources
Careersthatdontsuck.com
Career & Leadership Coaches:
Professional coaches provide career
and interview coaching, job search
help and presentation skills
training.
www.careersthatdontsuck.com/
career"advice.
Bankrate.com: Research
mortgage rates, no"fee, high"
interest savings and checking
accounts and no"risk CDs.
www.bankrate.com
ResumeEdge: Resume writing
services and consultations.
www.resumeedge.com
Careersthatdontsuck.com
Events Calendar: Find
sub sc ribe to ca r e e r s t h a td o nt s uc k . c o m
professional and business events in
your area.
www.careersthatdontsuck.com/
events"calendar.
Everybody Else’s Guide to
Starting A Career: Resume
templates, interview tips and job
search resources. www.lulu.com.
Careersthatdontsuck Career
Changers’ Group: Network with
career changers, entrepreneurs and
other professionals in the San
Francisco Bay Area.
www.careersthatdontsuck.com
Have you met
CareerCasts editor?
D.D. Johnice, SPHR is a
career and leadership
coach, author, speaker
and entrepreneur. Learn
more about D.D. Ask
career questions at
ddjohnice.com.
Meetup.com: Network with
other professionals based on
career or personal interests.
www.meetup.com.
Subscribe to
Careersthatdontsuck.com
Opportunity Alerts:
Business and career opportunity
alerts emailed to your mailbox.
Subscribe at
www.careersthatdontsuck.com/
newsletters.
Sponsored By
The Right
Gear for Every
Career.
Careergearstore.com
ot Ti ps
H
5 Employment Trends
You Must Know
Hiring is Like Baking a
Souffle
It can’t be rushed.
Nineteen percent of employers took two
or more months to fill open positions.
Bend It Like...
Sixty percent of employers.
Sixty percent of employers currently offer
flexible schedules; 39 percent plan to
offer alternative schedules, compressed
workweeks, telecommuting, sabbaticals,
summer hours and/or job-sharing.
Free Agents Are Hot
Properties
Put your talent on the market.
Thirty-one percent of employers expect
to hire contractors or freelancers in 2008.
Movin’ On Up
It’s not just for George and Weazy.
Twenty-six percent of employers plan to
provide more promotions and career
advancement opportunities in 2008.
“Googleme”
Your Google resume, or dossier.
Employers are taking another page out
of the Internet daters’ handbook; they
are “Googling” prospective candidates.
Thirteen percent of employers always or
usually use search engines and social
networking sites to research job
candidates; 33 percent do it occasionally
and 19 percent plan to start or increase
use of Internet resources in 2008. What
will your “Googleme’ say about you?
(Source: Careerbuilder.com Job Forecast
2008)
 d ecl ar ati o n o f c ar ee r e m po w e r me nt

“Prosperity
My Ca re er 2008
proves th! From this day for ward,
I declare my
fortunate; commitment to career
empowerment and, hereb
the following:
y, pledge
" I will maximize my earn
potential
ing
" I will make optimal use
adversity, th! " I will proactively mana
ge
work and personal time
" I will deliver my be
of my

my career st
great.” " I will find or create
jobs
that enable me to do wh
performance ever yday
" I will actively pursu
e
at I professional growth
do best ever y day
Pliny The Younger #A.D. 62?"113?$. " I will fearlessly pursu opportunities
Panegyric, 31 e " I will start saving fo
career opportunities th r
at retirement today
excite me

P.O. Box 66864, Baton Rouge, LA 70896

Car e e r st hatd o nts uc k .c om

s ubs c r ib e r