Finding Work After A Layoff

Despite it being one of the most challenging hiring environments in the nation's history, there are still opportunities for job seekers. In fact, recent CareerBuilder research found that half of workers who were laid off from full-time jobs in the last 12 months reported they found a new full-time, permanent position while another 8 percent found part-time work.

While it may take longer to find a new opportunity in today's market, there are jobs out there not only in technology, but also in health care, government, education, and sales. Once you start your job search, it is important to devote several hours to job searching every day by checking online listings, talking to recruiters, joining social networking sites and more.

An additional strategy to find a new job may be transferring your skills to other industries. Thirty-eight percent of workers who were laid off in the last 12 months and landed new positions said they found work in a different field from where they were previously employed. Of those workers who are still job hunting, 44 percent are looking for work outside of their profession.

If you've been laid off, here are some more tips to help with your job search:

• Keep an open mind: Make a list of your current skills and look at a variety of job postings inside and outside your field to see how they measure up to the job requirements.
• Go beyond the basics: Ask a graphic designer to help you with your resume to make it eye-catching. Show off your skills with a digital portfolio of your work or follow up with an opinion on a relevant article after your interview.
• Try non-traditional tactics such as those espoused by Nick Corcodilos of Ask the Headhunter.
• Relentlessly use social media: Use professional and social networking sites, Twitter or create a blog to create a recognizable personal brand online and connect with industry insiders. While social media sites like MySpace are still associated with a younger and immature crowd, professional sites such as LinkedIn can be very useful.
• Use targeted job sites: CareerBuilder.com offers a variety of niche sites. Other sites like Monster.com attract a lot of attention from recruiters and hiring managers so be sure to scan the listings for anything useful.
• Take on temporary work: Sologig.com specializes in connecting contract-to-hire, contractors, freelancers and consultants with quality employers looking for independent professionals.

Good information technology jobs are still available and searching online is a great place to start.