Position yourself in tough times

It's October 1, and with the start of Q4, the holidays and new year will be here before we know it.

It looks like the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) won't be releasing their statistics this Friday because of the government shutdown, so I decided to move the newsletter up this week and share the ADP September employment data that dropped this morning.

ADP's numbers show that there was a net loss of 32,000 private industry roles in September. We were hopeful for a September Surge in jobs, but at this point, it doesn't look like hiring is picking up to the levels that were hoped for.

During the 2008 recession, I was a contributor to The Motley Fool and was tasked with coming up with tips for job searchers (and investors) in a tough economic climate. Starbucks, GM, Wachovia, United Airlines, and Abbott Laboratories were among the layoffs then. The companies laying off may be different today, but my advice on how to position yourself still holds.

Here are the toplines (if you want to see the original article, it's here):

Dig into the numbers: You wouldn’t invest in a stock without running the numbers behind the business, would you? Well, potential employers feel the same way about job candidates: they want to see real numbers behind your performance. No matter what your current job is, look for quantifiable results to illustrate what you can do for the new boss.

Be clear about your goals: The most successful investors typically set clear goals. The same can be said for successful job hunters: think about what types of jobs you are best suited for and what roles you have enjoyed the best.

Know the buzzwords – but use them wisely: Listen, it’s great to have the industry lingo down, and it’s great to display to future employers that you understand concepts like core competencies, synergies, or paradigm shifts. But a sentence like “I introduced key continuous improvement core competencies, creating valuable corporate synergies and paradigm shifts” can come off like a game of buzzword bingo to potential hiring managers.

Keep it simple: Great investors insist on keeping it simple. Peter Lynch boiled his investment summaries down to a few lines, focusing on top corporate highlights and growth strategies. Resume writing is the same way: List your top accomplishments, but don’t drone on about your daily meetings, weekly conference calls, or other day-to-day work in your resume unless they really show results.

Don’t make it personal: In resumes and in investing, it’s hard to stay objective. Your resume is one of the few tangible documents you have that outlines what you have done not only over your career, but over the course of your life. Your investment portfolio can be the same way. On a resume, it’s positions with previous employers; in your portfolio, it’s picks held too long. Either way, your personal soft spots can be inadvertently on display.

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If you'd like to work together, you can reserve your spot by replying to this email or choosing the services that you are interested in on my website.
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No pressure at all - just wanted to keep you in the loop.

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Take care of yourself and have a wonderful day!

Colleen