... José Caetano Silva, from Talent Search, a executive search company draws attention to an aspect that should be present in the options to be taken at this difficult stage: “In five years' time we are going to analyse any movement in the market in the light of the crisis of 2002.” ...

....“The difficulties are directly proportional to the state of the economy and there are downsizing processes affecting whole sectors”, says José Caetano Silva. “People in middle management, more closely affected by cost control than those in strategic positions, are more nervous and there are many people released into the market with nervous tics”. For this headhunter, if people understand economic cycles, “they will know that recovery will come round”. The problem is knowing when. “Therefore, they should accept that this situation will be more prolonged than expected”, he warns.

Time is a trap that easily catches people unaware. And once more the rationale is based on harsh fact: “Those who say that recovery shall be quick and the return to the market will be sudden are lying. And who take advantage of these lies, are exploiting people’s fragile emotional state”. Distrust any company asking for money to get you a job. Normally it is a company needing executives that hires another company to suggest the best human resources for each position.

... José Caetano Silva stresses this, advising those looking for outplacement “to set up a broad strategy of returning to the market”. In other words: “People should be receptive to changing industry sector and prepared to lower their salary or job level”. And then they should “pay to climb”, which can even be positive in the future, when somebody analyses their duties in 2002 in their CV.

“We must make ourselves available to climb another rope by force. To pay with effort for others to see us. To enter at the bottom in order to follow a new ladder of promotion.” However Caetano Silva is aware that this path is difficult for professionals with high salaries and expectations. “I say this because the situation is serious, very serious”. And he suggests that “each person should assume their situation without shame and start by making personal contacts to announce their availability, aware that this situation is an effect of the economic cycle”.