The current state of the economy has driven some candidates away from the job boards and back to their current jobs. Now, of course, some level of hesitation here should be expected. However, don't let this get in the way of you finding your dream job because the opportunities are definitely still out there! Learn what is "fact" and what is just plain "fear" when it comes to looking for a new job in a tough market.

Many people feel that you shouldn't look for a job when the economy is down because:

1. ...if you get hired, you will be the first one to be let go if they have to do layoffs. This actually has some validity to it. That is why it is perfectly OK to bring this topic up during the interview. You probably don't want to come right out and ask this question, but rather ask what the "drivers" or catalysts are to hiring for this position. Is it a replacement position? Is it a new growth position? Are they hiring for this based on an assumption of increased future sales or to support existing sales? All of these questions are not only intelligent and expected questions for you to ask during the interview, they also give you the ability to determine this position's "lay-off" factor. Keep in mind that any spot that is a replacement position is typically safer than a new growth position. Also, pay attention to roles whose purpose is necessitated solely by sales because when sales goes down...you might too. If this position is lay off proof, then go-for-it!

2. ...any company you interview with will "low ball" you with the salary they offer you. While this definitely happens, don't assume this is the case with everyone. In fact, many bigger companies have internal salary standards they must follow that are independent of external factors such as the economy. In other words, they aren't "allowed" to low ball you. But even if salary offers are dropping because of a bad economy, the thing to remember is that you are also likely to experience some sort of compensation correction at your current company via low or no bonuses and pay cuts. The message here is that the salary disadvantage will exist either way. And since cash will typically never be the main reason you take a job, you don't want to use it as the sole determinant to consider whether or not you look or accept a new job.

3. ...there are very few jobs to choose from. Well duh...of course this will be the case. However, that doesn't mean there are NO jobs out there. Companies are still hiring. In fact, in some instances, they even use lay offs as an excuse to eliminate undesirable employees and open up a new spot a few months later. So how do you know that the perfect job isn't open right now? If the job market is slower then maybe you don't want to spend a ton of time scouring the job boards everyday. But there are some low effort things you can do to make sure your fishing line remains in the water such as setting up RSS feeds to job boards that syndicate newly opened positions or using sites like www.simplyhired.com or www.indeed.com that spider and index the web for new jobs and aggregate them all into one site. Remember that what matters most is not whether or not there are TONS of open positions for you but whether or not there is ONE.

Bottom line - If you have decided to leave your current company, don't let the fear of a bad job market stop you from doing so. There are good jobs out there for you to pursue.