Why Job Search Advice is the Same but Different

This post is to support the efforts of Job Action Day, an initiative started by Quintessential Careers. As a member of a new community of resume writers and career coaches called the Career Collective,this post is one of many responses to ideas and concrete steps to secure your future in a changed economy.  I encourage you to visit other members' responses, linked at the end of my post. Please follow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective.

 

We find ourselves in unconventional times.  Never before have any of us experienced economic conditions like today.  As crazy as these times are, the advice to job seekers is the same, NETWORK!  But we have so many more ways to network today, that is the difference.

There are two things we know about the job market:

1. Employers aren't posting jobs
2. Job seekers don't know what to do without job postings

There is absolutely nothing anyone can do to force employers to post their openings when they do have them.  What this has done is force the traditional employee to find new ways to look for work.  And in many cases, there are just not enough jobs to go around so the advice being given is to become more creative and network.

NETWORKING

The C suite (CEOs CFOs, COOs) certainly understand this.  They hardly ever have applied for job postings.  Their jobs have been mostly secured through the power of networking.  There were seldom postings to apply to. 

The majority of job seekers today have not had to look for work in a long time.  They remember when you entered a company lobby, filled out an application and interviewed for the job on the spot.  It also didn't take months for the employer to make a decision.  Back then, the employer also was in contact with the job seeker to let them know what was going on or where the job seeker stood. 

When I recommend networking to this set of job seekers , they don't understand how.  They don't know what to say. And sometimes the flatly refuse to even try.

Then, let's enter social media into the equation.  It is new to most of us.  It is often seen as a waste of time, frivolous, or too high of a hurdle to leap.  Or it becomes an obsession and takes time away from the more critical task of actually meeting with people face to face. Here's a quick summary of what LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook each mean to developing your network.

SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS

LinkedIn has been around since 2001.  This past year there has been a huge demand from the job seekers I've been working with for information on how to use LinkedIn. If you aren't there yet, you should be.  Read why here.

Twitter was founded in 2006.  It is seen as a fad by many.  There are great ways to use Twitter to meet people to network with and even find jobs (check out twitterjobsearch) Do you want to read more about how to grow your network using Twitter, read this post. 

Also quickly emerging into the world of job search is Facebook.  This used to be seen as a kids platform, but it's functionality is proving to work for businesses and professionals too.

MARKETING/SELF PROMOTION

The large number of people looking for their next job makes the market competitive.  This competition is forcing job seekers to be great self-promoters (aka sales people).  Our society has long taught us not to brag and boast.  The majority of job seekers are humble.  What they hear is that they have to "toot their own horns". However, what I am encouraging them to do is to take credit where credit is due.  But this isn't always what they are hearing. 

Today, more than ever before, job search takes project management skills,  marketing savvy, great discipline and incredible perseverance. 

For other insight and advice on job search in 2009, read the posts below contributed by Career Collective's talented experts. 

Katharine Hansen:  His Resume Savvy Helped New Career Rise from Layoff Ashes:  http://resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/2009/11/job-action-day-09-his-resume-s.html

Meg Montford:  Job Action Day: Finding Your “MOJO” After Layoff
 http://coachmeg.typepad.com/career_chaos/2009/10/job-action-day-finding-your-mojo-after-layoff.html

Debra Wheatman: Plan B from outer space; or what do you have in case your first plan doesn’t work out?
http://resumesdonewrite.blogspot.com/2009/10/plan-b-from-outer-space-or-what-do-you.html

Heather Mundell: Green Jobs – What They Are and How to Find Them,http://dbcs.typepad.com/lifeatwork/2009/10/green-jobs-what-they-are-and-how-to-find-them.html

Grace Kutney: Securing Your Career While Navigating the Winds of Changehttp://sweetcareers.blogspot.com/2009/10/securing-your-career-while-navigating.html

Hannah Morgan: Career Sherpa– Why Our Job Search Advice is the Same but Differenthttp://hannahmorgan.typepad.com/hannah_morgan/2009/10/why-our-job-search-advice-is-the-same-but-different.html

Gayle Howard: The Enlightened Jobseeker http://www.theexecutivebrand.com/?p=500

Laurie Berenson: Making lemonade out of lemons: Turn unemployment into entrepreneurshiphttp://blog.sterlingcareerconcepts.com/2009/10/30/making-lemonade-out-of-lemons-turn-unemployment-into-entrepreneurship.aspx

Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter: You Can Thrive In, Not Just Survive, an Economic Slogginghttp://careertrend.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/you-can-thrive-not-just-survive-an-economic-slogging/

Rosalind Joffe: Preparedness: It’s Not Just for Boyscoutshttp://workingwithchronicillness.com/2009/10/preparedness-its-not-just-for-boy-scouts/

Rosa E. Vargas: Are You Evolving Into The In-Demand Professional of Tomorrow? http://resume-writing.typepad.com/resume_writing_and_job_se/2009/10/furture-careers.html

Dawn Bugni: Your network IS your net worth http://thewritesolution.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/your-network-is-your-net-worth/

Miriam Salpeter: Optimize your job hunt for today’s economyhttp://www.keppiecareers.com/2009/10/30/optimize-your-job-hunt-for-todays-ecomony/

GL Hoffman: The Life of An Entrepreneur: Is It for You? http://blogs.jobdig.com/wwds/2009/10/30/the-life-of-an-entrepreneur-is-it-for-you/

Katharine Hansen: Job Action Day 09: His Resume Savvy Helped New Career Rise from Layoff Ashes http://www.resumesandcoverletters.com/tips_blog/job_action_day_09_his_resume_s.html

Martin Buckland: Job Search–The Key to Securing Your Future Career. http://aneliteresume.com/job-search/the-key-to-securing-your-future-career/

Chandlee Bryan: Where the Green Jobs Are: http://emergingprofessional.typepad.com/the_emerging_professional/2009/11/where-the-green-jobs-are.html

Heather R. Huhman, Take Action: 10 Steps for Landing an Entry-Level Job, http://www.heatherhuhman.com/2009/10/take-action/

Barbara Safani: Where the Jobs Are 2009 and Beyond: http://www.careersolvers.com/blog/2009/10/31/where-the-jobs-are-2009-and-beyond/

Comments

[Career Sherpa]

Jim, you are so right. It is hard for most to find out where to find the opportunities. Recruiters and boards shouldn't be dismissed altogether, just de-emphasized in my opinion. Thanks for your comment!

[Jim Edwards]

First you have to know where the jobs are before you mount a strategy to go after them. Most executive job seekers look to executive recruiters and job boards for open positions. The problem with this is recruiters get 15% of all executive searches and fill half of them, and only 1% of anybody ever gets a job from a job board.

[Career Sherpa]



[Jobs in India]

Networking is one of the great tenets that is needed in today's world to reach higher in career.

[Career Sherpa]