I Need a Job!!!
I meet all types of individuals in job search transition. There are those who have not been in the process for a while, and are eager to learn the process and steps they need to take. There are those frightened by the prospect who need compassion and understanding, along with learning the mechanics of the process. Others actually look at it as a time to pursue something they have always desired, while others realize that it was something that was inevitably coming, and now they are in a position where they must face that fact.
Basically, I know that I can help and work with all these different type of individuals, and other types that I have neglected to mention. However, the one type of person I realize that will be difficult, to nearly impossible to work with is the one that will say to me, “I need a job, and I have no time to waste in finding one.” And, while I realize that the fear of not having a regular paycheck can often be overwhelming, after the initial statement of needing a job, it is often followed with statements such as “And, the job needs to have benefits, and its salary has to be the same or more than I was earning before.” Additional supplemental statements will include, “It needs to be close to my home,” or “It can’t be in this town or that town, etc.” The capper usually is, “I understand from my friend that you are a Career Coach, so you find me a job, right?”
Yes such individuals do exist. And, when you attempt to go onto explain what I actually do, (which is introduce you to the methods, strategies and approaches that are part of a job search), I may get such responses as “I don’t have the time or need for that, perhaps I should find someone else,” or from the more frantic, “Well can you just help me with this one aspect, and I’ll do everything else by myself the rest of the way.”
Employment levels are the highest they have been in the United States in quite some time. There are companies and businesses that are actually searching for workers to meet their needs. Yet even with that, there is still a selectivity to the job search process. Certain roles have a minimum skill requirement, (often leading to shortages in certain hiring situations). Other employers hiring may be looking to manage their business in such a way that they need individuals not only during the traditional daytime working hours, but during non-traditional hours. Even in the best of hiring times, companies and individuals hire you if you can help fill their needs, not just because “YOU NEED A JOB!”
So the message in this week’s blog is simple. If you find yourself either out of work, under employed, not happy with what you are doing, or whatever has you in transition, be prepared to have to WORK FOR WHAT YOU ARE SEEKING TO FIND. That means not just having a resume’ and sending it to people with want ads. It means determining what skills you have at this point of your career, how do they match up for what is being asked, and determining if I need additional training to get those that I lack. It means pursuing multiple approaches to your search, including applying online, possibly using a recruiter or professional, directly writing companies in which you are interested, and the method that has proven to have about an 80% rate of working, NETWORKING. It means realizing while you can look to do your search all by yourself, you are more likely to be successful if you work with others through the process. That can be in the form of job search support groups, alumni associations, professional associations, volunteering, etc. It also means being flexible, and perhaps having to change the way you are communicating what you can offer, if those receiving the message are having difficulty understanding it.
Yes, being without a job, particularly if you live alone or are primarily are responsible for your own support can be frightening. However, no one is entitled to a job, or to have a company hire them. Therefore, in the coming year, examine your conscious as to how you are going about your search and realize while you are right in wanting to have parameters around what you are targeting to do, be prepared to also be able to give of yourself to those who may ultimately want to employ you for your services.
