I love Gail Collins, Charles Blow, Frank Bruni, Paul Krugman, Nicholas Kristoff, Brett Stephens, Tom Friedman, the Editorial Board, the sports section, Arts and Leisure, Real Estate; I could go on. You get the point. Mostly, I admire the integrity of the paper. And that it’s so well written.
But.
There has been a too-frequent gap in quality when it comes to career/employment reporting. This usually happens at the worst possible times – in times of economic dislocation, unemployment, and fear. I’ve personally witnessed these gaps during the 1982 recession, the 1987 stock market crash, the 1991 real estate crash, the 2000 dotcom crash, the 2008/9 economic meltdown, and now, the 2020 pandemic.
Mostly, The Times has reacted with what I think of as hysteria when it comes to employment issues. Frequently inaccurate, misleading, and damaging. The latest was a major front page piece a few days ago, in which the reporter did what many have done in the past – cherrypicked a few people who have had a rough time during the past couple of months, and then globalized those experiences. The conclusions drawn, basically that everything is melting down for everyone, are simply not true. It’s not the case that it’s impossible get or keep a job across the board, or that people are not able to get interviews, let alone jobs, to name a few of the negative conclusions presented.
I remember vividly, in 2008/9, several Times articles repeatedly saying that if people were out of work for long periods of time it would be nearly impossible for them to get a new job, and that they were somehow permanently stigmatized. The only word that comes to mind when I read such pieces is… nonsense. A well-prepared, positive, and non-defensive explanation regarding those time periods is what job seekers need. I’ve rarely met anyone who’s encountered this as a major stumbling block when they’re well-prepared with a response to questions about the period of unemployment. This whole negative way of thinking about periods of unemployment strikes me as very 1950’s.
Yes, there are certain professional areas that have become catastrophic recently, especially hospitality/tourism. And a few others. I recently had a client in a group who announced that he couldn’t possibly find any job in his discipline (hospitality) and at his level (very senior). By the end of the group meetings, he realized that there were alternatives in which he could utilize his considerable skills and experience. There were even alternatives for investment bankers in 2008! But, if those people paid too much attention to The Times’ estimate of their chances, they might have given up.
These articles, because of the trust so many readers have in The Times, can easily derail a search – and have. After all, The Times said so! Unfortunately, the material in these articles is so frequently inaccurate. I have rarely met in my private, corporate, or business school practices any client for whom there wasn’t a solution to a difficult employment period.
The big difference in technique this time is the ability to intelligently use Zoom/Skype/FaceTime as a primary interaction method.
As a matter of fact, I think that this moment is an ideal time to be doing a search. Maybe a combination of “don’t let a crisis go to waste” and get ahead of the competition. Since others believe that there are no jobs available, they drop out. The proactive job seekers see opportunity when others disappear from the market. They can see that chances increase, that it’s easier to get networking meetings, and that in fact there might be less competition for available jobs (but certainly not through postings).
Many of my clients have done well during this period, often landing new situations by never having physically met anyone at their new jobs – and starting the jobs the same way, virtually. They do have one major thing in common, which is that all the bad and frightening news of the past few months has not changed their drive to get the new job. They’ve adjusted to changing markets, changing emphases in their professional areas, and new virtual search techniques.
I’m not saying you should ignore articles in The Times about career transition. Just be careful to not believe everything you read. Read elsewhere, too. Actually, I’ll take this opportunity to suggest you might want to carefully read articles on a daily basis on LinkedIn! You’ll get better information, in general, from people who are directly engaged in career management, and from other news sources as well.
Time to get going!
Volunteering - a good idea for career transition?
There has been much discussion about whether volunteerism is a useful technique in career transition. I remember a Washington Post article about a year and a half ago that cited a study claiming that 27% of volunteer jobs lead to other full-time paying jobs.
I'd like to expand on that idea. I don't think volunteerism is only beneficial to the lower-skilled job seekers mentioned in that piece; I think it's good at any level. Since the article focused on that particular group, I'd like to talk about the others who are more skilled and experienced.
On a purely emotional and practical basis, volunteering is a great idea for building structures into your day. That's always a big problem with people who are out of work all of a sudden - their regular structures, and peers, disappear.
I don't encourage clients and students to seek full-time volunteer positions, though, because it would take them out of their regular, structured search activities, and the loss of momentum is problematic. Go for part-time. Three days a week would be fine. No more, because it won't leave enough time for a reasonable job search, or at least my version of one.
I think finding the right volunteer situation is critical for those who are more educated and skilled. By "right," I mean something that might add a skill necessary for your targeted career goal, or might reinforce an existing one. If you're an events planner, for example, getting involved in fundraising activities for a non-profit would be a great idea. Or if you're in finance, why not offer services in the financial area of a non-profit? Even though it might not be the same as the jobs you've been doing, it's something you can point to when going out on the job market.
There's one part of this most people overlook. If you're going to offer your services for free, you can negotiate! Yes, negotiate. I frequently tell the people I work with that they should discuss a few items up front:
• Ask if you can be called a consultant, rather than a volunteer. Looks better on the resume, and sounds better in networking and interviewing.
• Be sure what the role is, that it won't be a bait and switch situation. For example, you've been told you're going to help them design a new system for membership, and then you find out after you start you're doing data entry. Not useful for you. Don’t do it.
• Ask if they'll provide excellent references for you (calling you a consultant, of course), assuming you do the terrific job that you will.
• Also, if you're going to do that terrific job for them, would they assist you by perhaps providing some help in building new networks?
• And . . . perhaps, if things work out well on both ends, would there be a possible position that might become available (if you're interested, of course)?
I'm not surprised by the 27% number provided in the article. I’ve always thought that volunteering during a search is a no-lose proposition, if set up well.
Ellis
For a quick course on networking, pick up my Ebook, Networking: How to Make the Connections You Need
If you're looking for more in-depth advice on your job search, In Search of the Fun-Forever Job: Career Strategies that Work is available in paperback and Ebook.
Career Transition Mythology - Part Two
The more I think about it, the more career transition myths I come up with, but for the sake of brevity, we’ll keep it to ten – for now. Here are five more to add to the previous list:
1) The myth: If you have a terrific interview, with instantaneous great feedback, the odds are good that you’ll get an offer.
The reality: Think of the interview as just the first part of a process. What happens after the interview is almost as important as the interview itself.
A follow-up email is imperative, within 24 hours. It’s not a matter of etiquette. It’s about marketing, and about solidifying the points you made on the interview. You want to reiterate why you think the position is a great fit (“fit” being one of my favorite job search words). You may want to add something that you may have not had the opportunity to include in the interview. You know how you sometimes leave an interview and all of a sudden realize that you left out a critical element? The follow-up email is the opportunity to fix that.
Keep the email short and business-like, with short paragraphs, or perhaps bullet points. Make it easy to scan, like all business communications. Reiterate your interest in the position.
Another follow-up element is staying in touch. Never let more than five to ten business days elapse without some sort of contact. It should be a low-key voicemail or email, just “checking in” on the status of your candidacy. Maybe if the process drags out (more common than not), you offer to come in again to make their process easier. Maybe that sounds a bit presumptuous, but I think it’s a “why not?” if the process is lagging. Nothing to lose!
2)The myth: Spending a couple of hours a day calling contacts and answering postings should just about do it for allocating time to any job search.
The reality: Time management and prioritization are critical elements of a successful career transition. For the unemployed, it’s a full-time job. Research, building and maintaining a contact database, maintaining accurate records of all activities, reaching out, and aiming for as many as five live meetings a week should create an extremely busy schedule. A truly proactive search is time-consuming.
For employed people, it’s tougher. I highly recommend a quota system for those on a search, i.e., a certain amount of dedicated time per day. Even if it’s just 15 minutes of reading about a targeted area, that’s part of the process. The key is to maintain momentum by aiming for some time every day, whether it’s reading or making a phone call, or trying to get one live meeting per week.
3) The myth: “Networking” means calling everyone you know, and asking for job leads and new contacts.
The reality: Real networking is a process. It’s not a quick introduction, or one meeting. As with sophisticated sales technique, it’s cultivating relationships – over a period of time. It’s also more subtle than just asking friends for leads. Another label for the concept is “indirect marketing.”
Each meeting should have three objectives, which is a good way to measure its effectiveness.
- First, the relationship itself is key; so is maintaining it after the initial contact.
- Second, the meeting should be structured around prepared questions that both reflect your knowledge of the industry, and the self-marketing questions you wanted to ask in the first place.
- Third, what you may have thought the whole thing was about, a chance to expand your network by asking if there’s a possibility of referrals to others who might be helpful.
4) The myth: A great 15-second “elevator pitch” is critical to your success in any career transition.
The reality: The very idea of a 15-second pitch strikes me as ridiculous. Yes, it might be appropriate for that elevator, but who wants to be pitched on an elevator? It also might work well at a social or professional gathering, since you don’t want to corner anyone with a full pitch. Your objective there, after all, is just to get some business cards for future reaching out.
A pitch is a 1 ½ - 2-minute summary of who you are, what your skills and experience have been, something memorable that makes you different from others, a one-sentence job history, and a summary of all of it to cement what you’ve already stated.
A great pitch is one of the hardest aspects in transition and one of the more critical. It’s not only imperative for the “tell me about yourself” question on an interview, but it’s also a great introduction in a networking meeting, a way of establishing yourself on a new job, a good outline for scripting your approach and follow-up emails. In other words, it’s your brand, and you want to use it as the cornerstone of your transition.
5) The myth: Cast a wide net in your search. Apply for everything. Talk with everyone. The numbers are bound to work in your favor.
The reality: Designating clearly defined targets (Plan A, Plan B, and maybe even Plan C) is the critical first phase of any transition. It’s not necessarily what’s available out there; it’s what you want, and what is feasible.
After figuring out what the possible targets will be, it’s important to then research what their markets are. If it’s a target which may have only two or three organizations that might hire into those positions, it’s not a great statistical target – unless the other(s) have more possibilities. Overall, you want a high probability of success, contingent on a large number of possible options in the target.
An unfocused search might work, just by sheer randomness – but not that often. A targeted search will work faster and better, assuming you’ve performed a basic due diligence on the feasibility of those targets first.
Here’s a good philosophy to stick to: The best work situation is one where someone in career transition looks for what fits his/her life, rather than fitting the life to the career. This will add to the necessary focus.
Avoiding these myths will help keep any career transition on track.
Ellis
For a quick course on networking, pick up my Ebook, Networking: How to Make the Connections You Need
If you're looking for more in-depth advice on your job search, In Search of the Fun-Forever Job: Career Strategies that Work is available in paperback and Ebook.