Looking for recession-proof jobs?

The Japanese Labour Ministry says more than 2,000 graduates have had their job offers retracted, the figure is twice that of 1998’s (see Record-worst 2,000 graduates see job offers canceled, Japan Times).

According to Amelia Gray, you can secure your career prospects by tailoring and targeting your studies at one of the recession-proof career fields listed  in her Yahoo feature article “Top In-Demand Careers of 2009” for Keller Graduate School of Management.

Among the recession-proof career fields she lists are:

1) business;

2) law – legal careers with specialized training include:

  • Case Clerk
  • Junior Paralegal
  • Legal Receptionist
  • Office Clerk

    • 3) IT (on the rise are these specific jobs):

  • Network administration (LAN, WAN)
  • Windows administration
  • Desktop support
  • Database management

    • 4) Creative careers including:

    • graphic designer
    • desktop publisher
    • motion graphics specialist

    5) Office management personnel including

    • administrative assistants
    • customer service representatives
    • receptionists)

    — and they should come with these skills to ensure their demand:

  • Technical aptitude: Including Microsoft Office as well as accounting, payroll, and human resources applications
  • Multilingual ability: Communicating with culturally diverse consumer groups is the biggest drive behind bilingual and multilingual hiring
  • Continuing education: Hiring managers like to see employees continue their education by securing Certified Professional Secretary (CPS), Microsoft Business Certification, and other training.

    • Read in more detail “Top In-Demand Careers of 2009” at Education Yahoo.

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