Handling employment gaps (for job seekers)

A friend of mine lamented on Facebook that it has been difficult to get a job because he has an employment gap (since August) so he (and many others) are stuck in this Catch 22 of not being to get a job because he does not have a job. Was thinking of ways to productively address the gap in a way that would make him more valuable in the job search.
One conventional piece of wisdom that I think needs to be re-addressed is "looking for a job is a full time job".
People hear this and decide they are going to search for jobs and apply plus go to job fairs.
Other courses of action that may be a more effective use of time besides the merry go round of job postings/applications etc is
Think about the last five jobs you got and how you got them. Chances are it did not come from responding to a job (I am doing a poll)

1) Set up a consulting practice related or startup to the job you are looking to get. The people that will hire you would be the same ones that would be possible customers. Domain names, business cards are really cheap. Attend conferences (many conferences have expo only passes which are free)

2) If a networking event exists related to the space you are looking for a job volunteer to help. You meet far more connections as someone working the event than someone simply attending. If one does not exist start one (meetup is a great tool)

3) Take classes or get additional training. The value of education often comes not from the subject matter but rather the connections made in the class (or project)

Marcus
http://www.marcusronaldi.com

Comment by Valentino Martinez on June 14, 2011 at 1:16am: A remedy for such a Catch-22 of having employment gaps is to create a value of yourself during the time-gap time-frame. A good way to do that is to offer your professional expertise to local church, charitable, or not-for-profit organizations that welcome such liaisons with open arms. If your skill is in management, sales, logistics, finance, hr, customer service, etc., you'll find those skills are transferable and in great need.

In this way you are expanding your professional network; putting your skills to good use; and benefiting organizations who are already respected in the business community, e.g., many are United Way affiliates. And putting this "job" on your resume says you did something meaningful during your time between your last job and your next one.

Comment by Valentino Martinez on June 14, 2011 at 1:24am: FYI...the photo is one of a firework burst that I applied "camera movement" to, to get an interesting, and in this case, a fitting visual result.

Comment by Robin Schlinger on June 14, 2011 at 10:19am: Agree. Another key reason to volunteer or set up your own company is to keep your skills current. Employers often avoid hiring folks after a period of unemployment since they perceive (in many cases correctly) that the candidate's skills have atrophied during their time off. In addition, if the time has been long, your skills may also be out of date (especially in fast moving technology areas). If you attend confererences, volunteer or take classes for new skills you will be able to keep up your abilities and show the employer that you have remained current and your skills are current.