September 2003
Nuggets from New York for September
By
President of Workforce Associates
and author of
NetWork: Maximizing Your Career Resources on the Internet
Available online and in print from Author House
September 2003
Nuggets from New York for September
By
President of Workforce Associates
and author of
NetWork: Maximizing Your Career Resources on the Internet
Available online and in print from Author House
Now that you’ve finished celebrating Labor Day and are renewed with energy and creativity to tackle the rest of 2003, let’s return to my favorite topic of networking and resources for the job seeker.
The New York Times on August 7 had a fascinating article re how creative job seekers are becoming during these topsy turvey economic times. Nearly half (49%) of job seekers surveyed in the metropolitan New York area say they have changed their methods of pursuing employment to include more creative tactics, according to a just-released survey conducted for The Times Job Market. The most popular creative job search tactic being used by job seekers is old fashioned, confrontational cold calling prospective employers (72%).
Beta Research Corporation, on behalf of The New York Times Job Market, conducted telephone interviews with 250 hiring managers and 200 job seekers in the New York metropolitan area. Job seekers are defined as those who are currently looking or plan to look for a new job in the next six months.
In addition to cold calling, job seekers say they have used or would consider using one or more of the following tactics in their current job search:
Sending employers a letter of qualification 58% Sending unsolicited resumes to prospective employers 44% Showing up at a company for an interview without an appointment 41% Passing out their resume/business card on the street 26% At least one or more of the above job search tactics 76%
Hiring managers say they have interviewed (53%) or hired (37%) someone who has used one of these creative job search tactics.
The survey also reveals that men more aggressively use some of these creative tactics than women and are more likely to have distributed their resumes/business cards on the street (20% vs. 8%, respectively) or to have shown up at a company without an appointment with the hope of getting a job interview (35% vs. 17%, respectively).
Maybe it’s a signal that their previous jobs did not provide any work/life balance or a peculiarity of the New York job searching scene but I thought that it was interesting that job seekers say they are willing to sacrifice one or more of the following incentives to get a job in the current economy:
Shorter commute 56% Higher salary 54% Opportunity for advancement 40%
Benefits 38% One or more of the above 90%
In lieu of receiving a higher salary in a new position, the New York Times survey reported that job seekers say they are willing to accept one or more of the following incentives to land a job in the current economy:
Good benefits 58% Good company management 52% Less job stress 50% Shorter commute 45% Employer with strong brand identity 41% One or more of the above 92% We’ll all have to keep tabs in coming months re how these creative job searching techniques may benefit these job seekers through lower unemployment rates and/or higher rates of employee loyalty.
Another article in Business Week during the August doldrums stimulated quite a bit of discussion re some new slants and tips about networking. Michael Lasloff reported about his meeting with unemployed New Yorkers who felt that networking had been worked to death and was no longer a useful way to find a new career. Michael took issue with the premature death of networking and suggested these new approaches to networking:
1) Limit your time with the unemployed. Obtaining and giving support, search tips, and job leads to other unemployed people in networking groups can be a fulfilling and important part of the reemployment process. However, beware the unemployed who use these groups for the sole purpose of sharing their misery or railing against the injustice of it all. Such grousing can become a full-time occupation, making a constructive job search more difficult. Be sure to ask before you join a group like this (They can be found at your local church or through the One-Stop Center system) how long the average job seeker stays with the group. If the group I’m most familiar with is any gauge, it should be no longer than 3-4 months maximum.
Another way to test how well a networking group functions is to ask about how often other job-seekers have exchanged active leads with their colleagues. If you discover that they are far more likely to pass on their "leftovers," or old leads -- if they share at all, that is — don’t waste your time with that group. It's better to network with people in the workforce, who often know fresher opportunities. You can find folks who are working through your local professional association. Another creative way to locate kindred spirits is an entrepreneurs club.
2) Drop your false pride. As we all know, the biggest impediment to reemployment lies within. Those who are too embarrassed to face up to their current reality or too mortified to ask for help waste valuable time and energy. This is a peculiar problem that men have. Female job seekers have shorter periods between jobs because they’re more willing to share leads and ask for help! And while almost everyone passes through this phase initially, the most successful job-seekers quickly come to realize that there isn't much of a stigma to unemployment in this economy. There are simply too many people out of work for that to be the case.
3) Start small, think big. When unemployment was 2% to 3% during the late 1990s, a few considered words to the right people opened doors. No more. According to Michael and my own experience, good networking requires not just quality but quantity. Most successful job-seekers speak with more than a hundred people before securing a new position. That sounds like a daunting number, but even the best-connected individuals don't know all the right people at the start of a search. Instead, they approach those in their personal, professional, and community circles to determine who might be helpful. The process often results in multiple referrals, and eventually, a good job opportunity.
4) The race goes to the relentlessly steady. Identifying the best people to advance a job search is one thing. Scheduling meetings with them, preferably in person, is another altogether. Beyond the initial e-mail, phone call, or fax, three or four separate attempts are often required to verify that your request has been received. In many cases, more than a dozen e-mails and phone calls will have been exchanged before a meeting is scheduled and held. Be persistent.
This requires tremendous patience, careful organization, an abundance of courtesy, and an ability to recall that employed people, especially those with some influence, are exceedingly busy. Contrast this with the unemployed who have an immense quantity of time and the potential for frustration becomes apparent. Successful job-seekers, however, find a way to manage their impatience. They may not schedule all the meetings that they would like, but not for lack of tenacity.
5) Ask NOT for what you want. Successful networkers never ask their network contacts for a job because they know that such a request generally doesn't produce the desired result. Most people won't have jobs to dispense at the time of the request and will prefer to avoid a potentially uncomfortable situation by refusing to grant a meeting.
That's why smart job-seekers request an appointment with the avowed intention of seeking advice regarding how to advance their search or seeking new contacts. Such requests are much harder to deny. And having gained access to a potentially valuable contact, good networkers can present their background, goals, and demonstrate their potential value through good conversation and intelligent questions. If the person sitting across the table likes what she hears, she'll make a point of mentioning available opportunities with no prompting whatsoever.
In summary, networking isn't dead, it's just more challenging than used to be, according to Michael. It's still the best way to a suitable new job, and that's why smart job seekers will find ways to make it work.For more information about Michael Laskoff, check out his irreverent website. This site includes lots of effective websites for job searching and unusual political commentary sites as well. Keep a look out for his forthcoming book, Landing On The Right Side Of Your Ass: A Survival Guide For The Recently Unemployed.
Next month we’ll take a hard look at a book that’s been around for a few years but whose message is still as strong as ever. If you have the chance, get a copy of No one is unemployable so you’ll know what I’m talking about.
All the best — Keep those resumes and comments flowing. I deeply appreciate all my cyberspace new friends!
Sincerely,
Jane M. Lommel, Ph.D.
jlommel@WorkforceAssociates.com
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