How to Get Recession Proof Job Skills?

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Jobs are disappearing and the gloom mongers are still having a field day. The situation during the closing weeks of 2009 is a little like in the days following Christmas in the northern regions of the planet, when the days are supposed to get longer but we notice it only about a month later, during the first weeks of January. We are still missing the positive signs of overall job market recovery but in these industries people are managing to keep their jobs. 

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Two things are happening amidst the ‘global recession’.  The first is a major restructuring of production economics. Production units, which produce lots of things are moving to places where labour and raw materials are cheaper, large markets are closer and corporate social responsibility such as environmental measures are not so binding. This is killing semi-skilled jobs in sunset industries in rustbelts around the ‘developed’ world.

The second thing happening is a much less publicised, almost invisible trend. The competition for skills and competence is growing and become more complex. Most of these skills are not what you can get off the shelf or acquire easily through formal schooling but require a combination of focussed training, experience, personal attributes and most importantly a readiness to re-evaluate oneself and address skill gaps swiftly. This trend is not limited to sexy and high-paid professions, but also applies to jobs in security, funeral parlours, homes for the aged, fast food joints or the care industry.

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So, what are the recession proof job skills?

• Compatibility with the Job
 – How well do your skills fit the exact requirements of the position? Companies are less willing and able to spend time and money to let new people learn on the job at a leisurely pace. They expect you to be ready to work at 100% efficiency from the start. People who have consistently kept their job skills up to date seem to get the best jobs quickly.
• Organisational Cultural Malleability – 
The new recruit’s working style and manner should be immediately compatible with the existing workforce, as well as with other interest groups like customers. Companies do not want to go through processes where an existing organisation has to adapt to new recruits. So people with high flexibility and willingness to learn are attractive for recruiters. Those who proudly stick to their claim of being ‘experts’ and who are not ready to evolve may not be considered good catches.
• Motivation and Purpose – 
 More than ever before, motivation and sense of purpose are highly sought after competences. These are times when people have learnt the hard way that employer loyalty can be an empty phrase. But bringing a jaded attitude and having lots of chips on one’s shoulders is a great minus in the recruitment process. Employees who can show motivation and a sense of purpose are highly valued.
• Problem-Solving Ability – These are times when companies have to manage with lesser revenues and scant resources. Undoubtedly, this creates lots of unpredictable problems. Problems can’t be left unsolved, so problem-solving abilities are valued in all employees. An employer is probably not going to warm up to an employee who only does the bare minimum at all times.
• Dependability – With markets being highly unpredictable in almost all sectors, companies want to have dependable staff. Companies, which require significant efforts in sales and marketing in order to grow or even survive require predictability in internal operations so that they can focus more on leveraging external opportunities. Employees who can manage to do their jobs reasonably well without much supervision or guidance input from others, are valued.
• Positive Personality – Recruiters may give preference to people who appear positive if they have to decide among equally competent candidates. For the jobless, it’s tough, as they often have to climb an uphill slope of making oneself ‘marketable’ and ‘desirable’ on the job market. Self-doubt makes this slope very slippery. When one is flooded by negative messages coming from all around, keeping an open mind and trying to leverage opportunities might be the hardest task. Recruiters might think that those, who can manage to be positive against all these odds, have superior life management skills and can be presumed to manage better on the job.

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The most paradoxical thing is that you don’t need expensive courses from Ivy-league universities to acquire these skills. The most important factor is personal readiness to honestly see yourself and commit to improving yourself. Blaming yourself and feeling guilty is totally useless. It can turn you into a passive ‘victim’. See what has worked before, what is working now for others and try to adapt your approach to reflect the new necessities. Good luck!