My blog posting from earlier this week
focused on how one’s attitude was a key in bringing in positive energy into
their life to help move them forward.
Nowhere is that more true when one is in the middle of the job search
process. While there has been much
written about the differences between the four generational groups in our
society today (Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y),
one thing they all face is a job market and employment search process unlike
any other. It is becoming rarer to find
workers who have worked 20 or more years at the same place of employment. Current research and data show the average
individual will be part of four or five different careers in their life, and
will hold about 12 to 13 positions. That
averages out to a new position once every 4 to 5 years.
While the ramifications of these changes could never be covered
adequately in one blog posting, there are certainly a few thoughts I would ask
you to begin considering. Especially if
you are a member of the Baby Boomer or Traditionalist generation, and have no
desire to stop working, methods that may have served you well in the past in
finding a new position will minimally need to be supplemented and in other
cases approached completely different than those of the past. However, for those who are willing to invest
in themselves as part of the job search process, the rewards will be beneficial
both now and for any future job search they were to conduct.
First if you are unemployed and looking for work, accept the fact that
searching for a job is your full time occupation. This means if you are conducting a complete
job search you are spending on average 35 hours a week in job search
activities. Second, you need to begin
targeting your next position. There are
three components to a target. Those
components consist of an industry, a type of job position, and a geographic
area in which you are searching. A fully
active search has one targeting 200 positions at any one time. Those positions may not all currently have
openings, and if for example one of the companies in your geographic area have
10 of the positions you are seeking, then that’s 10 positions in your count of
200. Again, targeting is helping you to
focus on the positions which you are seeking, not just the available openings. If one believes they would be equally happy
in a position if it was in one industry versus another, then they have two
different targets. When targets are
below 200 positions that is a signal your search is too narrow. When they are significantly above 200
positions, it means that the target is too broad, and may require sub-targets. So, for example if your target has 400 to 500
possible positions, you likely will want to narrow your search to size of
company, such as small and medium sized companies in one target search and
large companies in another.
A
third component of a complete job search in today’s market is using all four
methods for getting interviews available to you. Many people are familiar with methods such as
ads and recruiters or using the internet and posting their resume’. However, only 20 percent of the positions
ultimately filled occur through this search method. Networking (which in this instance means
being referred to by one of your contacts to someone whom you would want to
talk to as part of your job search), and direct mailings which mean you
yourself research the individuals you need to contact and write them letters
directly to let them know of your job search, are two far more productive
approaches. An extension of the direct
mailing technique is to target mail, where you pick out the individuals you
really want to talk to, send them a mailing letting them know of your search
and then following up with a phone call looking to set up a meeting to discuss
your interest in their company.
While there are several more specifics on targeting and contacting to
get interviews along with tips on resume’ writing and interviewing in an
intensive job search process that I will not be sharing in this posting, I
would expect one who see by now that job search is a process which requires a great deal of persistence and dedication.
As such, it is one which benefits
the participant to not go alone. Working
with a small group of fellow job hunters under the guidance of a certified
career coach is a boost to your job search for several reasons. The others in your small group provide you
feedback and support. The coach may guide
you to additional thought processes and approaches to your search. You are sharing your search with others, and
they in turn with you, showing you that you are not alone in the process. Sharing may also help you to learn of leads
from those that are taking part in the same process as yourself, (and you in
turn may be able to help).
If as part
of your midlife transition you have decided you are going to continue to work,
whether it is by your own choice or your financial situation has dictated its
necessity, the reality is that the way one searches for job positions in
today’s world has changed dramatically.
Even in a good economy, having a thorough job search strategy helps to
put one in a better position for finding the job they seek and building the
career path that is right for them. In a
bad economy, such as the one that the world is currently in, following a
disciplined methodology becomes essential.
If you are suddenly in job search after many years of not having been,
or if you have been it for a long period of time, consider examining the
approaches you are taking and seeing what is working for you and what is
not.
Tony Calabrese of Absolute Transitions provides suggestions, approaches
and information on how you may want to approach those “midlife
transition issues”, which appear to come along relatively frequently,
particularly between the ages of 45 to 60 years old. http://absolutetransitions.com.
