Conventional wisdom amongst readers who responded is employment in the IT sector is anything but thriving. Overall readers agreed that the jobs posted online don’t present genuine opportunities. Additionally the impact of outsourcing and the hiring of those who have an H-1 visa was a frequent cause for concern.

In search of more accurate data, I spent the better part of the evening searching for data to support one position or the other. Nothing I found had contradicted recent reports of rising unemployment figures in the business and professional sectors. Let alone IT.

While you cannot control the job market, you can control how you manage your career. Below are 5 Tips To Survive a Tough Job Market:

1. Use social networking sites such as LinkedIn to grow your network and locate past employers, colleagues, classmates, vendors, etc.
2. Start your own blog to position yourself as a Subject Matter Expert
3. Arrange to have a 360 Degree Assessment conducted to find out what your team, staff, stakeholders and boss really think of you. Use the results to improve your performance.
4. Offer to mentor to someone who really needs your help.
5. Boost your Optimism Quotient by reading something inspirational or spending time with people whose attitude you admire.