Redundancy

Every time you read the newspaper or turn on your tv and watch the news, you read of more redundancies being announced as the effects of the economic downturn hit again.

Its always sad and nobody can apportion blame. But the thing to be wary of is that for many that just signals the start of their troubles. Unemployment is soaring and looks set to continue growing so the job market becomes ever more competitive - and it is diminishing.

At times like thes you need to get yourself in shape - many companies will help redundant employees with their job search by hiring outplacement companies. My personal experience of outplacement was great and it helped me a lot.

But today, I was helping a very senior manager write a CV and frankly his current CV was atrocious. He had no achievements and it was merely a list of his responsibilities. I won't tell you the name of the outplacement organisation; suffice to say that if I ever need to contract an organisation for outplacement support, they will not be on the short list of providers!!!!

In these times when the market is so competitive, your CV must showcase you to the best it possibly can. That is your sales pitch for getting a job and if it doesn't sell you, then you are not even going to get job interviews never mind job offers.

So get yourself a good CV with a sound record of achievements. And welcome comments on its contents from recruiters - they can help you in your job search so ask them the direct question.

(C) Iain Williamson 20.11.09