Plan for a Long Job-Hunt

No, I am not saying that you will be unemployed for a long time. I am pointing out that you will be “on the market” for a long time—specifically, for rest of your working life.

Here’s why: 

http://web.jobvite.com/rs/jobvite/images/2014%20Job%20Seeker%20Survey.pdf

According to JobVite, “75% of the U.S. labor force is on the job market.” Huh!? How can that be, if the current official unemployment rate for the U.S. is 6.6%? It’s because most of the people seeking jobs are currently employed.

The trend these days is to job-hop. Few people will stay at the same job for more than a handful of years. You will probably work for 20+ employers in your life, quite possibly in several different career areas.

There are lots more infographic numbers here that you can use to plan strategy—suggesting that LinkedIn is a good place to be, for example. But these numbers also mean that you can't say "whew! glad that's over with" once you find your first job. Think about job-hunting as a skill you need to learn and keep sharp for a lifetime.