Catch a "Taxi" Job for the Holiday Season and Beyond

In this recession it could take many months for you to get a dream job. During that time you may run low on cash and need to find a job – any job — just to make ends meet. This type of work is called a "taxi" job, intended to carry you over until you get a job that furthers your career. The holiday season is a good time to look for such a temporary job.

Here's an example of how a taxi job worked for one job seeker:

Mark was a Vice President in a major high-tech firm until he got laid off unexpectedly near the beginning the recession. He wanted to stay in the high-tech industry but jobs were scarce, and he wasn't able to find a new job quickly.

To make ends meet, he took a "taxi" job as a sales associate at a high-end men's clothing store. After several months of job searching (while working his taxi job), he finally landed a VP position in a high-tech company.

Taxi jobs come in various flavors.

- Full- or part-time job.
- Contractual position with or without a specified ending date.
- Temporary job gained through a temporary employment agency.
- Seasonal job, such as a retail sales position during the holiday season.

Your resume for a taxi job will likely look nothing like the resume you use for your career goal. It should focus on skills for the taxi job and highlight experience that's related to that type of work. You may even delete information that makes you look over-qualified or that's not relevant to your taxi job.

More on short-term jobs:
10 Companies Hiring for the Holidays
Turn Holiday Job into Permanent Employment
Current Job Not Relevant to Job Objective

He Got the Job Through LinkedIn

This is a testimonial video about a guy who moved from his private consulting practise to full-time corporate employment. Especially helpful are the screen shots that show how a recruiter might have viewed his LinkedIn profile and then emailed him about the career opportunity.

We're All Project Workers

A job seeker friend once said he no longer thinks in terms of landing a "long-term job." He assumes that his prospective employer is looking for a "project worker." Once the project is completed, my friend will likely be out looking for another job (aka, project).

This isn't what most job seekers want to hear, but maybe it helps to recognize that in this economy, employers are thinking in those terms... and maybe you should be too.

How to Keep Your Job in '09 by Working Like a Freelancer by Karen Burns says freelancers "are basically always looking for a job, and that is where their strength lies." Even though you may not consider yourself a freelancer, you may have to conduct your job search as if you were one.

Here's another way of saying it: "Your job security no longer lies in having a job, it lies in knowing how to work the job market." So once you land your next job, don't put all your job search materials away. Stay plugged into the job search arena, build and maintain your networks, keep your resume up to date, and always be prepared to look for another job. And remember, if you get laid off, it's not because you performed poorly, it's just the new face of employment rearing its head to say, "It's time to move on." Hopefully you'll be ready to do just that!

Resume for Project Work

When the economy tightens up, employers look for ways to trim costs. Aside from laying off workers and downsizing operations, they tend to hire people for whom they don't have to pay benefits (healthcare, social security, retirement, vacation pay... all that good stuff). Here are some examples of consulting resumes. Continue reading...

Job Search Resilience

My colleague, Mareen Nelson, is a career counselor who recently sent this story in a group email. I'm posting it in The Job Lounge with Maureen's permission.

A friend of mine (executive editor for tech/programmers' website) was laid off around Xmas, but just landed a job as community content editor for a different (very well-respected and active) programmers' site. In our conversation, he revealed:

- As soon as he got laid off, he sent an email to everyone in his network, letting them know he was available. One of these was forwarded to the guy who hired him.

- He really did his homwork. He knew about the site beforehand (because he works to stay informed in his field), but particularly before the interview, he scoured the site and learned everything he could about the community that was already there.

- He is passionate about his field and can talk excitedly about any aspect. Plus, he has let his personal niche interest take him in new directions. He has always been intrigued by video editing and programming and has been teaching himself a lot through the years. He said it was one thing that seemed to impress the employer.

- He was flexible and willing to work with the employer. Instead of demanding a permanent position, he is starting as a contractor because the site is in another country and has rules against hiring foreigners. The hiring manager wants to bring him onboard permanently, but he needs to find a way to do that.

One thing I know is true of this individual is that he is always upbeat and has a "can-do" attitude. I knew him 15 years ago when we both got laid off at the same time. He said, "I will have a job in one week," and he did! He dropped that courier job a couple of weeks later for a production editor job that was a much better use of his skills but I was impressed with his determination. My memory of his goal-setting and achievement has never left me. It was such a great example of his character and mindset.

I know his enthusiasm and knowledge comes across in an interview. And he is full of ideas about how to do things better -- save money, generate traffic and revenue, make things easier for users and advertisers. He got laid off right after a personal tragedy in December -- a family member who lived with him died unexpectedly in an accident. Instead of letting either event drag him down, he just picked himself up by his bootstraps and carried on.

My friend had psychological resilience -- the ability to bounce back from adversity and keep putting energy toward his goal. I think this is a big differentiator between job seekers who "make it" and those who burn out on the search and give up.

Thanks for the inspiration, Maureen. Not all of us have such a high level of resilience, which is often needed in a job hunt, especially in this tough job market. In my practice as a professional resume writer, I've found that a high percentage of job seekers are also going through non-job-related transitions such as divorce, death of a loved one, relocation, or disability. Every bit of support and inspiration is appreciated.

Retired and Consulting

Question
I retired August 1, 2006. I have been taking it easy except for one consultation job with the VA (Veterans Administration) in Menlo Park, CA.

Recently I was asked to provide a resume to a U.S. Senator to be a consultant to the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. My objective is part-time consulting.

How should I cover being a recent retiree (August 2006) in a resume? Would I cover being a retiree under experience or in a separate category?

Answer
by Susan Ireland
I suggest you use a chronological resume. The first entry under Professional Experience should be listed like this:

Consultant, Veterans Administration, Menlo Park, CA, Oct. – Nov. 2006 (or whatever the months were)

After writing a few bullet statements about your work as a Consultant to the VA, list the job that you retired from in August. There’s no need to say that you retired; simply state the beginning and final year of your time with that employer. For example:

Manager, ABC Organization, San Francisco, CA, 1990 – 2006

Leave the conversation about retirement to the interview. If you’ve been asked to submit your resume, the Senator probably already knows that you’re retired and so there should be no problem with your discussing it in person.

Best of luck in your after-retirement consulting gig!

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