Colorado Experts Offer Job Seeking Advice During Skyrocketing Unemployment

DENVER (CBS4)- Career coach Andrew Hudson hosted a second virtual job seminar on CBSN Denver on Wednesday after the initial job seekers virtual seminar last week. He addressed what makes this current situation different than previous periods of high unemployment.

"There's layoffs and unemployment is skyrocketing and it's just such a surreal place that we all find ourselves in right now," said Hudson.

For more than two decades, Hudson has managed his own jobs board Andrew Hudson's Jobs List and career coaching business.

"Companies are starting to loosen up a little bit and we're starting to see more and more jobs, become available," he said.

"There are a lot of people interviewing for jobs through Skype and Zoom and getting hired and immediately starting to work from home," said Liz Ryan who joined the seminar.

Ryan is an industry leader in the field of career coaching who spent many years as a Fortune 500 Senior Vice President of HR.

"If you got laid off, if you lost your job, apply for unemployment. If you're not sure you're eligible, apply," she counseled.

"If you don't know when you're going back to work, or whether you're going back to work to get paid, apply for unemployment, so let's get that out of the way. That's very important," she said.

Ryan cautions against just sending out job resumes right away.

"Stop, think, look at job ads, but then say to yourself, 'Where is my sweet spot? Where do I intersect the market? Where I show up as being the most qualified for jobs that by the way are going to pay me what I need to live on, and that I can do well, and that are interesting," said Ryan.

Ryan also encourages job seekers to tailor their resume to the position.

"Don't say, 'I have deep experience in aerospace law' if you're not applying for a job in aerospace law. That can only push them away. What do they care?" said Ryan.

And she says to take your focus off trying to sell who you are and channel that into showing what you can do for the company.

"Them talking about themselves was never why I hired them, right? And that's the case for most hiring managers, it's that the person being interviewed got where I was and where our company was and said things that said that they got it, and showed me that they got where we were.

"They were listening, they were perceiving, and they were jumping from the pain to, 'Well Liz, I don't know, I'm not an expert in this stuff, but have you guys ever thought about doing XYZ?' And then I'd be like, 'Well, like I need you.' Then I'm driving home saying, 'I need this person on my team!" That's what you want," said Ryan.

And if you don't get the job, try not judge yourself.

"Not everyone is going to like you. You cannot try to contort yourself into pretzel shapes, trying to please this unknown mass of people every single HR person, every single recruiter, every single hiring manager has their own likes and dislikes. You are out there trying to be yourself and bring in the people who are going to get you," she said.