Who knows, that’s my answer….although I’ll keep writing something just because I need to fill up a little more of the page.

I keep in tune with the economy and job market (although I hate the media right now), and I always laugh when people try and make an accurate evaluation of when we’re going to come out of this recession. Like anyone frickin’ knows, c’mon. I keep hearing, Q3, Q4, blah blah blah.

Personally, I really don’t think we’ll see a significant amount of progress until next year. Consumer confidence is absolutely destroyed right now, and companies are taking a “wait and see” approach. The tech field has been relatively stable in the Minneapolis market, but I don’t foresee any growth in the immediate future. I think we’ll see more layoffs and companies turning to consultants to do the work that needs to be done, but it will be hit or miss. Obviously retail and financial companies will be hurt, but the beauty of the Minneapolis job market is the amount of diversification that’s present. Healthcare should do well, the medical device manufacturers should maintain, insurance is doing well. When some industries are down, there’s always something else that picks up the slack.

Also, companies use technology to gain efficiency, and I don’t foresee a big change in that this year. However, they will be very cautious on who they hire or engage for the things they need to get accomplished. My advice, sharpen your skills now more than ever. If there are jobs out there, it will be more competitive than ever! You’ll be facing other applicants more qualified than you at times, and you need to prepare yourself for that challenge. Make sure you don’t forget about personal branding, afterall you’re a product and you need to know how to present yourself as a quantifiable entity.

Keep feelers out there at all times, and don’t burn any bridges. I always laugh at people that get pissed at me because I contact them or email them, what a stupid move. That person will be the one that gets laid off and has NO contacts or opportunities on the horizon, then he/she will post his/her resume on Monster.com and get killed with phone calls from all the staffing companies offshoring their recruiting capabilities to India. Good luck!

So, stay positive right now and remain optimistic, things are on the mend and we will pull through this downturn. But, don’t become complacent about your job and finanical situation….be prepared.

Tags: 2009, economy, job market, minneapolis, Recruiting, Technology

This entry was posted by Ehren Seim on Thursday, January 22nd, 2009 at 9:07 pm and is filed under Economy/Job Market, HR, Job Search, Recruiting, Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.