The job market is waning; people are scrambling for work everywhere across the map; desperation peaks, and anxiety creeps in during this financial meltdown.

One soul-tormenting question presents itself: How can I get a job?

I was browsing through my March edition of Readers’ Digest yesterday, a monthly publication that focuses on various daily issues such as health, job, family and etc, and came across this very interesting topic that addresses that very question. To get the ball rolling, here are some major warning signs that employers are ready to make the big “restructuring” plan.

Warning:

1. “I’m ready to restructure the company”

2. “The company needs a top-down restructuring program”

3. “We need a head-count reduction”

4. “Workforce reduction and alignment”

5. “It’s time to downsize/rightsize/smartsize”

6. “I think it’s time we reposition ourselves for this downturn”

7. “A reduction in workforce is impending”

When these words pop up frequently around the company, you should do your due diligence – start looking at wanted ads.

Readers’ Digest sought the expertise of a panel of job experts to give their advices on this topic. They started with several topics:

o When to hire a career coach

o How to use career-matching sites

o Your e-portfolio

o Prepare your power resume

I prefer not to elaborate on the career coach and sites and e-portfolio due to inconsistency with my post’s main goal. I will, however, tell you what I think how you should get ready for your job in the future.

Getting Your Job

1. Power up your resume. Use strong, clear, specific words to make sense to your employer. Avoid words like “problem solver, good team player, self-motivated”. (This is new to me, so that’s something new learnt) Use words like “I administered” rather than “I directed” in a resume for an executive job – use words that match the position you’re applying for.

2. Open yourself to opportunities. If the employer is skeptical to hire, give him the reason to say yes! Offer to work 2-3 times per week without a salary, and then subtly suggest you would like him to offer you a job title that matches the position you play in the company, and a recommendation for your next job. You don’t need cold-hard cash to make sense of this opportunity; a good, thorough, and positive recommendation is more likely to land you in your dream job than pocket cash that will eventually dry out.

3. Use the Internet to your advantage. Create your own personalized webpage, or even your myspace/facebook to make people know of your existence. Keep looking around, socialize with people on these social-networking sites. You never know when an employer is looking for

someone like you.

4. Socialize. Expand your social network. Nothing beats words of mouth, and most job opportunities are found through a friend, or a friend’s friend. That’s why there’s a certain degree of truth in the saying, “It’s not what you know; it’s who you know.”

“Networking is not the most important thing; it’s the only thing.” <= That’s your main principle.