For job seekers who have been unemployed for a year or longer, taking a survival job may seem more urgent than ever.  But there are few things that every job seeker should consider before taking a survival job:

The ideal survival job will allow the job seeker to learn a new skill or acquire knowledge and experience that will help to advance their efforts at finding a job in their field. 

When looking for a survival job, it’s best to stick with quality companies with strong reputations in their industry. 

Job seekers looking for a survival job should try to find a position that is related to their interests or hobbies if they cannot find one that is directly related to their field.

Understand that your survival job may be someone else’s career, so expect stiff competition, especially in this economy. All of the same guidelines apply when seeking a survival job, make sure you submit a quality resume and  come prepared for the interview.

Make sure that once you take a survival job that you continue your regular job search.  Don’t become complacent and don’t allow your survival job to suck up so much of your time and energy that you have none left to conduct your job search on a daily basis.