Today’s job market is tight, with lots of applicants, fewer openings, and no real end in sight. Given this, you must keep an open mind when job hunting. Your perfect job might not be available, but you still need to work. You need to realize that you have a broad and diverse set of skills that, if positioned correctly, could suit a wide variety of positions.

Here’s an example:

  • You’ve spent the last 10 years in middle management in an IT department.
  • You’ve been responsible for multiple company-wide initiatives and product deliverables.
  • You have personally managed numerous individual contributors.

You know that middle management has been decimated with cuts in your industry, and companies are restructuring to run leaner. Finding an IT management position may be difficult or might not be what you want to go back to. Restructure your job search to leverage your skillset in a different job title. You could transition to project management or quality assurance, or even a business analyst. Any of these would suit your skills and get you back in the game.

The important take away from this is to open your eyes to the world around you and adapt. You have skills, you have education, you have a great work history. These things do not trap you into one role. They allow freedom to make your own path and take a side road to the career you want.