With the unemployment rate hitting a new 25-year high Friday, many workers and layoff victims in the worst-suffering industries are looking for safer sectors.

    Industries including autos, financial services and retailing have been hit especially hard during the recession, shedding tens of thousands of jobs. Even as the overall job market shows signs of stabilization, companies in some of the worst-hit sectors may recover more slowly, and job-seekers may be better off looking at new industries.

    But making that change can be tough. We asked career coaches and human resource experts how to navigate into a new sector.

    Redeploy your current skills.

    Look for growth industries or less hard-hit ones where you can put your current skills to use. If you're an accountant at General Motors, for instance, look for companies in other industries that need accountants. 'People often don't want to leave their industries, because they're comfortable there, even when they're miserable,' says Trudi Schutz, a Connecticut-based career coach. She suggests job-hunters look for 'careers that use those same skills they love, but in a new way.' She worked with a former car salesman, for instance, who found work within the last six months as a pharmaceutical salesman.

    Which industries to target? Consider employers in healthcare or 'green' technology, which are both experiencing growth, said David Lewin, a management professor at UCLA's Anderson School of Management. Education and government are also stronger than most.

    But, be willing to learn new skills in new locations.

    Adaptable people who are willing to retrain themselves and relocate will be the most attractive to potential employers, says Max Shapiro, chief executive officer of PeopleConnect, a California-based staffing company.

    'Companies want people who can multi-task,' he says.

    Ms. Schutz suggests going back to school or earning certifications to bolster a resume. 'The more senior someone is, the more likely it is that he or she will have to repackage the skills that they already have,' she says.

    Build a network outside your industry.

    Many job seekers have been recruited their entire professional lives, and don't know how to successfully nab a job on their own. Go beyond your usual professional network, says Paula Marks, a career coach and executive recruiter.

    Ms. Schutz suggests making a list of your closest contacts, people who 'you can trust to brainstorm your wildest ideas.' Then, keep talking with people in your network, and asking for them to put you in touch with others. 'Chances are, someone will lead you to someone else who will lead you to someone else,' she says. 'I have a very high success rate when people just talk to every single person they know about opportunities.'

    Utilize social networking sites, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, and join professional organizations, particularly those that don't define focus on just one industry. Consider religious groups too, says Dee Soder, founder of CEO Perspective Group, an executive coaching firm.

    Research other industries in newspapers and online to become familiar with the lingo as you network. 'I tell my clients to spend some time reading articles and learning buzz words and slang for different companies,' Ms. Soder says.

    隨著美國5月31日公布的失業率創出了25年來的新高，在受打擊最為嚴重的行業中，許多工人和裁員的受害者都在尋找更安全的行業。

    在這輪衰退中，汽車、金融服務和零售等行業受到的沖擊尤為嚴重，它們裁減了成千上萬的工作崗位。即使總體就業市場出現了穩定的跡象，但受打擊最為嚴重的行業中的那些企業也可能復蘇的更為緩慢，求職者最好還是考慮一下新的行業。

    但要做出這樣的轉變并不容易。我們就如何進入新的行業詢問了職業顧問和人力資源專家。

    重新調整你目前的技能。

    尋找能夠利用你目前技能的增長型行業或受打擊不太嚴重的行業。比如，如果你是通用汽車（General Motors）的會計，就可以尋找其它行業中需要會計的公司。康涅狄格州職業顧問舒茨（Trudi Schutz）說，即使在不如意的時候，人們通常也不想離開他們的行業，因為他們已經對那個行業習慣了。她建議求職者以新的方式尋找能夠使用他們所熱愛的相同技能的職位。比如，她曾遇到過一位汽車銷售，后來他在過去六個月內找到了一份醫藥銷售代表的工作。

    應將目光鎖定哪些行業呢？加州大學洛杉磯分校安德森商學院管理學教授列文（David Lewin）說，可以考慮一下醫療衛生和"綠色"技術中的雇主，這是兩個正在經歷增長的行業。教育和政府部門的表現也強于大多數行業。

    但是，要有在新的位置學習新技能的意愿。

    加州職業介紹公司PeopleConnect的首席執行長夏皮羅（Max Shapiro）說，對潛在的雇主而言，愿意充電和接受新崗位的人適應性更強，也最受企業的青睞。

    他說，企業對多面手求賢若渴。

    舒茨建議重返學校或考取一些證書充實簡歷。她說，一個人的資歷越老，他或她就可能越需要重新包裝一下已經擁有的技能。

    建立你所處行業之外的圈子。

    許多求職者整個職業生涯一直都在上班，不知道要是靠自己該如何成功找到一份工作。職業顧問、人事主管馬科斯（Paula Marks）說，跳出你通常的職業圈子。

    舒茨建議，列出關系最密切的人，你可以放心大膽向他們傾訴哪怕是最狂野的想法的人。然后，與你圈子里的人交流，請他們帶你接觸其他人。她說，很有可能會有人帶著你認識其他人，而其他人又能帶著你認識別人。當人們只是跟自己認識的所有人談論機會時，我卻有著很高的成功率。

    利用Facebook和LinkedIn等社交網站，加入職業組織，尤其是并不僅限于一個行業的組織。高管人員輔導機構CEO Perspective Group的創始人索德（Dee Soder）說，也可以考慮宗教團體。

    在報刊或網上研究其它行業，在構建圈子時了解一些行話。索德說，我告訴我的客戶要花點時間閱讀文章，了解不同公司的術語和行話。