Need other ideas? Find out about upcoming career fairs, dress in your professional best, arm yourself with several copies of your resume (and business cards, if you have them), and do the networking thing again – the only difference this time is that you’ll be talking directly with recruiters and employers. Consider also registering with a recruitment agency. It’s their job to help you find a job, and they do this at no charge to job seekers.
Another tactic you may like to try is to get in touch with businesses where you’d like to work, regardless of whether they have advertised positions. They just might have a job for you, but if they don’t, you could always propose volunteering as a temporary option. This way, you’ll gain useful contacts and experience, and, with enough luck and elbow grease, you may be offered a paid position.
If you have writerly inclinations, you may want to start a website or blog, where you can share your knowledge and expertise in the form of articles and portfolio items related to the industry where you’ve worked and would like to work. Promote and develop your site to attract readers, some of whom may lead you to good job opportunities. Your writing just might catch the eye of an employer looking for a good employee, and it may be good enough for paid publication, which is another good source of income.
Maybe you need to go back to school. Lots of industries, and especially IT, see dramatic change in a relatively short time. Old technologies quickly reach obsolescence and must be replaced with new programs, and knowledge of how to use them must keep up. This may be a good reason to take courses and augment your credentials. Find out about programs and courses in continuing education at your local university or college. Update your professional qualifications, or study to switch careers. When you begin your studies, be sure to visit your institution’s career center for further guidance.
An alternative to job hunting (and, by extension, “job working”) is starting your own business. This option will appeal to the entrepreneurs at heart among you, especially if you have the “fire in the belly” and the skills needed to succeed as a business owner. Business ownership is more demanding than the average job, but if the business is run well you can reap many benefits from it. When you first start out you’ll have to put in very long hours, but over time you will be on your way to wealth and financial freedom. A last point to finish things up: if there simply are no jobs available, consider the option of relocation. Other parts of the world may have a much higher demand for the kind of skills you’re able to bring to the table. It’s tough to make this decision, as it means leaving friends and possibly even family behind, but it may sometimes be the only option available to you.
The job hunt is frequently an arduous process, but it’s well worth it just to get paid work. Don’t give up hope and keep looking: the next work opportunity is still out there.