Acceptance of demotion is on the up

Once a stigma to the career-minded, the underemployment of their skills is increasingly common according to a
leading career management consultant. Desperate for a pay cheque, a growing number of job hunters are willing
to accept positions for which they are clearly overqualified.

ìPeople coming from depressed fields like financial services, Britain's biggest earner, are facing the harsh reality that they may
never find employment in their industry again,î said David Northwood, UK director of client services at Bernard Haldane Associates,
whose company helps job hunters through 100 offices worldwide, six of them in the UK. Many are looking for a job - any job - just
to pay the bills.

However, even for the underemployed there are do's and don'ts for landing a job, how to explain it on a CV and when to move on.
Experts recommend staying as long as necessary, but not one day longer. It is important to keep networking and job hunting even
after accepting a position.

Taking a step down doesn't have the negative impact it used to, said Mr Northwood. A surprising number of people are in the same boat.
But even without the stigma, people should treat it as an opportunity, using the experience of a stopgap role to find their dream job.

Here are David Northwood's tips for managing career hiccups:

- Look for companies with the opportunity to move up.

- If you have to accept a lesser role, don't change jobs just for the sake of changing. Make your next position a calculated career move.

- If you have to take a step down, use it to gain experience to break into a position you always wanted, but for which you weren't qualified.

- Take a job that teaches you something new, whether it is functional or an industry change.

- Create a dummy CV that highlights the skills applicable to the lower level job you are after. Keep an alternative version for better quality positions.

- Extended searches are so common today that job hunters can omit lower level jobs from their career summaries for nearly a year.

- Another option is to create a CV that is functional rather than chronological.

- Demonstrate why it is worth your while to add your value to the company.

- Allay concerns that you might be after the interviewer's job. Focus on how you can help him look good.

- Communicate that you would be happy in the available position.

- Keep a positive attitude. Success is a pattern. If you excelled in your last job, you will probably excel in the next one and move up quickly.

Never take a job you will hate.