Job hunting in a recession

The current global financial situation is making it that much more difficult to land an Entry Level Job or a job of any kind. This is why it is absolutely crucial that you are doing everything that you can in order to stand out from the crowd.

A post at Money Under 30 gives a great rundown of How to Get Hired in a Recession. While this isn’t necessarily angled towards new graduates, it’s full of great advice for job hunting in tough times.

Among those tips that really stood out:

On Rewarding Careers…

When making long-term career plans, you should certainly focus on not only what jobs you can get, but what jobs will make you happy and provide the kind of lifestyle you want. Sometimes, however, you just need to put food on the table. If you’ve been searching and searching for your dream job and just aren’t making progress, consider the possibility of sucking it up and taking a job that you’re qualified for even if it’s not your passion. Things will pick up in a year or two when you can consider looking around again.

…and on networking:

Even if you’ve never actively networked, you have a network to help you. They’re your past coworkers, your peers at school, your friends, and your family. Let all of them know you’re looking for a job. Don’t expect them to turn right around and offer you one, but you never know who might hear of the perfect opportunity for you.

I would be tempted to add a section on making personal contact. Considering the number of people who are currently looking for work (from new graduates through the recently unemployed) you have to do more than ever to land a job, especially an entry level job.

Regardless, check out this post. It is well worth the read.