Here’s a harsh reality — a recession may be on its way.
Many economists and business insiders believe that it is already here. With the uneasy motion of the real estate market, the crazy price of eggs, and a tumultuous job market — all signs point to an economically unstable economic environment that has people on edge.
However, all is not lost. For Black people particularly, there is a well-documented history of overcoming difficult times. When society and powers placed restrictions to hinder Black men and women, they created resources, services, and products that transcended prejudices and allowed them to succeed.
That same level of ingenuity and resilience is evident today as people navigate the uncertainty that’s present in several industries in the job market.
AfroTech was able to team up with Andrew McCaskill, Sr. Director & Career Expert, LinkedIn, to gain practical insight on how job seekers can become recession-proof.
Job Searching Is A Job
In a previous conversation with McCaskill, he informed AfroTech that despite some of the daunting headlines about the job market, people are tapping into their pandemic-born confidence to land the job of their dreams — or at least the job best suited for their current situation.
Despite having big confident energy, there are some practical steps McCaskill suggests people leverage as they engage in their job search. Tips like using relevant keywords in your LinkedIn profile, updating your professional summary, highlighting applicable soft and hard skills, and having up-to-date profile pictures have been proven steps to take to help recruiters get to know job seekers beyond the resume.
America's Black Tax
And while these concepts apply to anyone searching for a job, one can’t ignore the systemic hurdles often present for underrepresented communities. McCaskill recalls a saying from his mother that brings this concept to life, “When America gets a cold, Black folks get the flu.”
McCaskill noted that LinkedIn saw the effort that Black and Brown job seekers have put in to ensure their profiles are updated, and their network is solid to beat the recession, a concept they’ve coined called career cushioning.
Here are five steps McCaskill and the LinkedIn team suggest to help ensure your career is recession-proof.
How To Cushion Your Career, According To McCaskill
Learn the skills that are most in demand for the job you want. Forty percent of companies on LinkedIn rely on skills to find the right job candidate. Identify the gaps, and plan to learn these new skills via LinkedIn Learning, on-the-job training, etc.
Updating your LinkedIn profile with your latest experience and skills. Be sure to include relevant skills and keywords featured in descriptions of jobs that seem interesting to you in your profile, which can further boost your visibility in recruiter searches. You should also highlight soft skills — like creativity and communication — as a great way to attract recruiters and help them understand more about you as a person.
Keep your network warm. It’s important to remember that your network matters and networking exponentially increases your ability to connect to opportunities. LinkedIn shared that members are four times more likely to get a job at a company where they already have a connection.
Evaluate your next move + non-negotiables (like remote work) to find a job that matches your needs. Workers should also begin to evaluate their ideal next role and outline a plan going forward. Know what you want in your career, especially where you want to work, and look for those jobs using search filters, like “Hybrid” and “Remote” filters on LinkedIn, to find jobs that match your needs.
While no strategy is foolproof, these tips should help alleviate some hurdles associated with the time and space the world is experiencing.
