Massive financial industry layoffs expected - where to go from here

“Don’t sit on the sidelines and wait for things to get clearer,” John Challenger, CEO of Chicago-based outplacement and career counseling firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, tells Fortune. “Get a fast start on your job hunt.”

But where are the jobs?

• Wealth management and retirement services — Businesses with long time horizons are strong possibilities, as are private equity firms, says Burke St. John, head of the financial services practice at executive-search firm CT Partners.
• Small firms — Boutique broker/dealers are showing strong appeal.
• Government jobs — With the current bailout plan, the Treasury Department will have to go after bankers and hire them, says Clark Beecher, a principal with headhunters Magellan International.
• Consulting — “This crisis hit so fast that many companies really need to call in knowledgeable advisors – and, since they’re trying to run as lean as possible, those companies would rather outsource financial expertise to consultants than take on permanent high-priced talent,” Beecher says.
• Banking and finance industry sectors outside the United States — We’re seeing tremendous demand for banking and finance expertise in Dubai, and also in every Asian country except Japan,” says John Rogan, a managing director at recruiters Russell Reynolds Associates.