We’ve all heard the old adage, or perhaps call to arms, about making lemonade when life hands you lemons.  While the expression may seem nothing more than a platitude, it is actually sound, straightforward advice, particularly in terms of certain career decisions and circumstances.  Downsizing initiatives, reorganizations, divestitures, jobs transitioning overseas, and smaller companies gobbled by larger, more financially secure counterparts can find the employee who once enjoyed a lucrative, stable position now holding an unwanted and often unexpected bushel of lemons.

As many of us equate professional development with personal growth, the loss of a position can be a serious blow to your psyche as well as your checkbook.  When you reach the final stage of acceptance, in order to gain clarity with respect to your situation and summon the inner resources needed to pound the pavement and/or the Internet job boards daily, you may still be looking, rather sourly, at that load of lemons and wondering how to begin to make that all-important batch of lemonade.

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Looking out on the morning rain,
I used to feel so uninspired.
And when I knew I had to face another day,
Lord, it made me feel so tired.
Before the day I met you, life was so unkind,
                               But your love was the key to my peace of mind.
                                Aretha Franklin – “A Natural Woman”

Although the Queen of Soul first belted this hit over the airwaves more than three decades ago, its sentiments are as relevant now as they were then.  Today, every media vehicle teems with negatives.  Browser pages on our computers greet us each morning with news of natural disasters, violent crime, and the ever-sinking economy.  In such times, we grasp for and cling to encouragement wherever we may find it.  When truly fortunate, we are directed to something whose intrinsic worth is more far-reaching than immediate forms of respite and motivation.  Often, that “something” is a “someone:”  a role model.  Neophytes in business have dedicated mentors; sports figures have team captains and coaches.  While these are avenues and examples of traditional role models, we sometimes find our guiding lights through routes perhaps not as obvious as these.

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What separates job finders from job hunters often comes down to the techniques that they employ in their searches.  While most people are relatively passive about their job search – posting resumes on major job boards and responding to advertised and posted opportunities, some people go the extra mile.  They seek not merely to respond to published opportunities in the job market, but also to uncover opportunities that may or may not be advertised.

For those candidates who desire to be more proactive in their job searches but do not know where to begin, consider utilizing the following approach:

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In an ailing economy, a rigorous job search can be can frustrating and intimidating, particularly as some sources state that as many as 85% of available jobs never appear in newspapers or Internet job boards.  While the statistics vary, the truth underlying this certainty has long been known among astute job seekers.  Candidates hoping to expand their opportunities by way of this hidden job market need to identify its most viable points of access.

Every serious candidate is aware of the significance of networking through direct contacts in the business world.  By attrition, however, the swelling ranks of applicants either unemployed or confronting imminent unemployment has diminished the potential openings available via this avenue of traditional career networking.  Consider using different approaches to yield greater results.
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Given the need to run leaner and meaner in an increasingly competitive environment, career professionals have streamlined the interviewing process.   Essentially a process of elimination for both interviewer and job candidate, it is no longer “business as usual” to conduct a first or sometimes even a second interview in person.  Instead, the telephone has become the medium through which a job candidate makes an initial, direct impression upon the recruiter or employer.

A calm, confident, and professional telephone demeanor infers that you conduct yourself in a similar manner in business settings.  In order to convey this image, be prepared.  Once you have submitted your resume, cover letter, and any other required documents to the headhunter or prospective employer, presume that you will receive responses via telephone.
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Understanding the critical role of online job sites in a serious employment search, and given the plethora of such sites, the situation begs the question, “Where to post your resume?”

The most obvious answers to “Where to post your resume?” are the giants whose names, as a result of their scope and longevity, are renowned.  These include but are not limited to Monster, Yahoo Hotjobs, and Careerbuilder.  Although it can be time-consuming to post one’s resume on and navigate through these super boards, it is advisable not to avoid them for the reason that employers don’t.  In addition, the super boards boast hundreds of partner sites; careerbuilder, for example, currently enjoys more than 1,100 such partners representing that many more potential opportunities.
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