This month’s Career Collective topic revolves around advice to job seekers to make the most out of 2010. I believe that an important strategy for a successful job search in 2010 involves looking at trending industries and going where the growth is. With a little bit of research, cyber-sleuthing, networking, and luck you may be able to land a job in an industry that is trending up for 2010 and beyond. Here are my thoughts on the topic.

1. Research industries and job functions that are trending up. Check out the Occupational Outlook Handbook to learn more about industries and job functions predicted to experience growth over the next decade. Follow other online sources for trending information such as  Indeed.com who reports that last year, four major industries had more job growth than the previous year. Education grew 38%, hospitality grew 20%, retail grew 17%, and real estate grew 4%. The 10 fastest growing opportunities of 2009 were in technology positions for applications such as Twitter, Cloud Computing, iPhone, Facebook. Other positions trending upward were Corporate Social Responsibility Expert, Blogger, Pediatrician, Hospitalist, Social Media Expert, and Speech Language Pathologist. Sites such as Vault, Glassdoor, Salary.com, and Payscale are also excellent resources for tracking trending industries and job functions.
2. Recognize that the new green movement is kind of old. Greentech, Cleantech, and Smart Grid technology are also industries that are trending up, but keep in mind that many traditional industries and job functions are also embracing the green movement and this will facilitate job growth. For example, more and more hotels seek consultants to help them figure out how to make their hotels more eco-friendly and many companies are consciously measuring their carbon footprint and trying to figure out ways to waste less and recycle more. In addition, the President’s stimulus plan will result in 5M new green jobs.
3. Think about jobs that can’t be outsourced. Many health care-related jobs including dental assistant, ultrasound technician, paramedic, home care aide, and nurse cannot be outsourced. You may not be trained for one of these careers, but you can certainly try to make inroads with the organizations that employ these professionals, i.e. hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, hospice care, etc. as a way to get a foothold in an industry that appears to be at less risk for being outsourced.
4. Ponder what types of business problems need to be solved. The financial crisis might have resulted in several lost jobs, but with that comes the opportunity for something new. Expect to see organizations creating greater measures for compliance and stricter auditing procedures, and stricter government control. Does your skill set support any of these needs?
5. Channel your inner Uncle Sam. One of the fastest growing sectors is the federal sector. It is the only sector that will continue to fill jobs regardless of economic conditions. President Obama plans to expand the number of civilians in the executive branch by 140,000 to reach a total of 2M. That’s the highest this number has been since Bill Clinton took office in 1992. In addition, more than 40% of the 1.5M federal employees will retire in the next five years and the government will need some new blood!

For more advice on career strategies for 2010, check out the posts of my esteemed colleagues here.

@KCCareerCoach, Career Chaos, “The Art of Being Gracious: Much Needed in Today’s Job Search,”

@MartinBuckland, Elite Resumes,  Career Trends and Transition 2010

@heathermundell, life@work, Kaizen and the Art of Your Job Search

@barbarasafani, Career Solvers, Looking Into the 2010 Careers Crystal Ball

@resumeservice, Resume Writing Blog, The Resume and Your Social Media Job Search Campaign

@kat_hansen,  Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters Tips Blog, New Year: Time to Assess Yourself and Your Career

@keppie_careers, Keppie Careers, Help for job seekers in a rut

@heatherhuhman, HeatherHuhman.com, Job seekers: 5 tips for making the most of 20

@DawnBugni, The Write Solution, Ya, but

@ErinKennedyCPRW, Professional Resume Services, Advice to Job Seekers in 2010–learn Yoga?

@Chandlee, The Emerging Professional Blog,
Starfish, JobAngels, and Making a Difference

@ValueIntoWords, Career Trend, Is Your Job Search Strategy a Snore?

@debrawheatman, Resumes Done Write, Making the most of a new year

@walterakana, Threshold Consulting, Starting anew – tips for truly managing your career

@careersherpa, Hannah Morgan: Career Sherpa, The Year of the Tiger

@WorkWithIllness, WorkingWithIllness.com, Dogs Can Do It, Can You?

@JobHuntOrg, Job-Hunt.org, Lifelong Learning for Career Security

@AndyInNaples, Career Success, What Are You Getting Better At? Make This the Year You Become the Best You Can Be!

@GLHoffman, What Would Dad Say, A Flash of the Blindly Obvious