Post -redundancy careers website, New Life Network, has seen a massive 300% increase in visitor traffic compared to the same time last year and some significant changes in their interests.
Janet Davies, founder and editor of the New Life Network website and author of the popular book ‘Rebuilding your life after redundancy’ says:
“When I set up the website in 2005, redundancies as a result of corporate restructuring, outsourcing and M&A activity were running at a fairly steady rate but against the backdrop of a strong economy.
“Visitors to the site would research our pages on setting up in business, particularly life-style micro businesses such as coaching and retail, in almost equal numbers to those looking to find a new job.
“What we have noticed over the past four months is a really dramatic shift in interest from becoming an entrepreneur to becoming re-employed.”
With constant media attention on the banking credit crisis people may perceive that start-up finance for new businesses simply isn’t available or is too difficult to obtain.
Furthermore, the Government Insolvency Service’s announcement this month of a 51% increase in bankruptcies for the fourth quarter of 2008 could shake the confidence of budding entrepreneurs.
“It’s hard to know if it really is doom laden reports like these are making a difference. It could be that people are using their redundancy payments to clear down debt instead, or to weather what they think will be a short period of unemployment instead of investing it in a business opportunity,” says Davies.
“But at a time when vacancies levels are falling rapidly, just considering employment as the only way forward could be a precarious option for thousands of people. On a more positive note, it does appear that visitors are seriously investigating what different types of careers they might be able to pursue, and how their skills could be deployed in a different way”.
Top 10 most visited pages Jan 2009
1. Choosing a new career direction
2. Find a brilliant new job
3. New Life Network’s 4 point plan for rebuilding your life after redundancy
4. Find recruitment & career events
5. A guide to Executive Search Firms
6. Recruitment consultancies & websites guide
7. Job hunting – our top tips
8. CV Help
9. How to get headhunted
10. Training & education guide
Most popular free downloads January 2009
1. Redundancy fact sheet
2. New Life Network job application tracking spreadsheet
3. New Life Network household cash flow spreadsheet
4. Sample CV template
5. How to write an impressive CV
Those who haven’t had to look for a new job for a few years could also find today’s recruitment landscape a bewildering place as the internet has revolutionised the way that both employers and professional recruiters search for, and attract, the best candidates for those precious vacancies.
“People get very frustrated by the sheer number of avenues they need to explore before they can focus their efforts on what’s right for them’ says Davies.
“So we group our directories of recruiters and online job boards in a way that helps people to find the most appropriate opportunities for them. Most of our site visitors find out about us by word of mouth and they are very good at sharing their feedback on what works and what doesn’t!
“Recruiters are usually quite specialised in an industry sector or profession and they can’t be effective if they are inundated by lots of inappropriate CVs, any more than candidates want to feel that they’ve dropped their precious CV into the black hole of cyberspace.”
Most popular websites to look for jobs January 2009
1. Totaljobs.com
2. NHSjobs.com
3. Timesonline.co.uk
4. Exec-appointments.com
5. Axcis.co.uk – teaching recruitment
“People also need to make sure that they pursue every single avenue open to them when they are job hunting”, closes Davies, ” finding out about opportunities through friends, family and colleagues as well scouring local newspapers and directly approaching potential employers, is just as important.
“Looking for a new job is a job in itself but no one should fool themselves into thinking that they don’t need to be very proactive or that they’ll find the job of their dreams at the Jobcentre’.
