GREEN BAY (NBC 26) -- For local job seekers, times have changed.
The past few months have made all the difference in the market.
"This was the best job market ever," UW-Green Bay director of career services Linda Peacock-Landrum said.
"Unemployment was so low," Strategic Career Coaching's Paula Christensen said.
Now, fast-forward back to today, and it's a whole new era.
"Really, in the course of just a few weeks, everything flip flopped," Christensen said.
The job seekers market is gone. Experts say going forward, there will be more candidates competing for fewer jobs. How does someone stand out? Start with the resume.
"You're trying to answer questions like how did i make money," Christensen said. "How did i save money? How did i make a process more efficient?"
For an experienced worker, that could be through job duties of the past 10 or so years. Focus on recent and relevant. For new workers and upcoming college graduates, experts said to get creative.
"Team projects in classes, special papers, special research, maybe an independent study that they have done," Peacock-Landrum said. "Those probably need to be highlighted in ways they normally wouldn't have been."
Experts said to remember key words. They'll help you get noticed as employers sort through stacks of resumes. You can also get noticed by networking.
"The best thing they can do is try to maintain connections, and try to establish new connections," Peacock-Landrum said.
One big resource is social media.
"You should be on LinkedIn, and now is a great time to really get more involved," Christensen said. "A lot of companies post their job openings on Facebook and Twitter even, or Instagram, before they do post it on indeed or another job board."
Of course, even after all of that, you're not going to get every job you apply for..especially in this market.
How you handle rejection could be important.
"Stay positive, keep using your network, make small goals for yourself each day," Christensen said. "Maybe it's that you're going to reach out and call three people."
And remember that some places are hiring. It may not be easy, but the opportunities are there.
