What Color Is Your Parachute? Part 1

What Color Is Your Parachute?.

Richard N. Bolles.

It was the best of times, It was the worst of times, It was the age of wisdom, It was the age of foolishness, It was the epoch of belief, It was the epoch of incredulity, It was the season of light, It was the season of darkness, It was the spring of hope, It was the winter of despair, We had everything before us, We had nothing before us, We were all going direct to heaven, We were all going direct the other way ...

-Charles d.i.c.kens (18121870).

Chapter 1.

It's a Whole New World for Job-Hunters.

This book is for you if you are out of work.

This book is for you if you've been out of work a long long time, and have been job-hunting in vain.

This book is for you if you're fed up with your job, have decided to "bail out," and wonder what color your parachute is.

This book is for you if you are trying to figure out what you want to do next, with your life.

This book is for you if you're trying to figure out a first career or a new career.

This book is for you if you are trying to understand yourself better.

This book is for you if you are trying to understand how the world of work really works.

This is, as the t.i.tle says, a practical manual for job-hunters and career-changers. Practical means wholly realistic, and realistic means looking-without flinching-at both the good news and the bad news out there. Let's save the good news for the third chapter. We'll start here with the bad.

The Bad News: The Job-Hunt Has Changed Dramatically Since 2008.

If we are out of work, these days, that is bad enough. But add to that a relentless barrage of bad news, day after day, about the global economy, the U.S. job market, unemployment statistics, what the future holds, and-no wonder so many of us are feeling depressed.

But let us begin with the bad news anyway, to rehea.r.s.e what it is we are up against when we go looking for work or looking to choose or change careers.

For I do not want you to think of these things as anything but a series of challenges, since much of the bad news consists of broad generalizations, and there are ways to deal with them, as I'm going to show you.

The Eight Forces We Are Up Against.

Okay, with that background, let's look at what are the changes to the job-hunt since at least 2008, and maybe before: One, a conservative mood is sweeping around the world these days, and the global economy is currently dominated by concern about deficits rather than jobs-with governments opting for austerity rather than growth. It is precisely the right policy at precisely the wrong moment in history. Austerity right after a worldwide recession has unintended consequences. So, government jobs are still disappearing, and hiring by private employers is stalled because of what's happening with banks, with investors, and with uncertain visions of the future. This isn't a problem just in the U.S. It is global. The unemployment rate for the Eurozone is 12%. In all of Europe, 26 million people are currently out of work.1 Two, the length of the average job-hunt has increased dramatically. Many of us have been out of work far longer than we ever dreamed we would be-one year, two years, three years, or more. We feel like the job-hunt has turned into something of a detective mystery, which we are unable to solve. From 1994 through 2008, roughly half of all unemployed job-seekers found jobs within five weeks. After 2008, a far greater proportion spent and are still spending more than a year looking for work.

Three, the culture is affecting how job-hunters go about the job-hunt. If a particular culture values hard work, long hours, persistence, and determination, this will affect how the job-hunt is conducted. In many places, since 2008, the culture does not value these things. It values quick fixes, fast food, selective inattention, mult.i.tasking, TV ads that constantly change their visuals every two and a half seconds, etc. It is difficult to get people to practice their job-hunt in a different way than the culture behaves everywhere else.

Four, the number of the long-term unemployed in the U.S. has increased dramatically. Currently, 30% of all unemployed persons in the U.S. have been out of work a year or more.2 Before 2008 that figure was just 10%.3 Five, many long-term unemployed feel they have become A Lost Generation. Society has written them off. Employers advertise-well, at least, some employers advertise-"people who are out of work need not apply." The media talk as though this were universal-witness such headlines as "The Long-Term Unemployed Are Doomed"4-so we need a little realism here: according to surveys, this is the sentiment of only four out of every one hundred U.S. employers, or at least four who will admit it. On the other hand, forty-four out of every one hundred employers feel this way if we have been unemployed for two years, or more.5 (Bad news for sure, although to look on the bright side, that means 96% of employers don't feel this way just because we're out of work, and 56% don't feel this way even if we've been unemployed for two years or more.) Furthermore, the data doesn't support this prejudice. "Employers often avoid hiring candidates with a history of job-hopping or those who have been unemployed for a while. The past is prologue, companies a.s.sume. There's one problem, though: the data show that it isn't so. An applicant's work history is not a good predictor of future results."6 Six, many employers are holding out for the dream employee. Knowing that there is the biggest pool of applicants they have seen in a long time, many employers are over-screening. They reject candidates they would have hired eight years ago, because they keep thinking, with all those out there who are out of work today, maybe someone better will come along next week. Not all employers think this way; but way too many do.

Seven, job-hunting is increasingly a repet.i.tive activity in the lives of many if not most of us. This is because the length of time a job lasts, on average, has decreased in a number of industries since 2008. For example, some employers in the IT industry7 are increasingly hiring someone just until a project is completed, rather than permanently hiring us. Again, 20% to 30% of those employed by the Fortune 100 now have short-term jobs, either as independent contractors or as temp workers,8 and this figure is predicted to rise to 50% during the next eight years. Even in industries where people are hired allegedly for longer periods, employers are much more ready to cut the size of their workforce just as soon as things start to even begin to look bad. You thought you were being hired for a number of years, they said that, they meant that, but then fortunes change and suddenly you're back out on the street.

Our typical work history now is going to be three careers over our lifetime, and at least eight jobs. So, even when we find a job now, we may be job-hunting again, sooner than we think. We need to become masters of the job-hunt, in its post-2008 incarnation. Speaking of which, we come to: Eight, job-hunting methods that worked before 2008 no longer do. Now, I'm exaggerating here, a bit, of course. The three traditional job-hunting methods since back when dinosaurs were roaming the Earth-resumes, agencies and ads (sending out resumes, answering ads for vacancies, turning to federal-state and private agencies for help)-still work sometimes, and work well. But they are no longer dependable, if ever they were. Their track record has gotten terrible. You've got to have a plan B. And maybe C and D.

If we don't know that, if we think we can go about our job-hunt exactly the way we did it the last time, then we are in for a rude awakening. We will try job-hunting the way we "always did it before," but this time it ... just ... won't ... work. Things have changed dramatically since 2008.

Maybe you've already found that out. You sent out resumes. Everywhere. To everyone. Week after week. That used to work. Now, nothing, nada, zip.

Employers Change, Job-Hunters Don't.

Here's why this happens. Job-hunters tend to hunt in the same way regardless of whether the times are good or bad, but employers don't. Employers often change their hunting behavior dramatically when times are tough. The reason for this is that when times are good, employers often have difficulty filling their vacancies, so they will typically cater to the job-hunter's preferences in such a season. We like resumes, so they will take the trouble to solicit, look at, and read our resumes. We like job-postings, so they will post their vacancies where we can find them: on their own site or on job-boards, typically.

What we are not prepared for, is that during tough times, when employers are finding it much easier to fill a vacancy, many of them will stop reading our resumes and stop posting their vacancies. But we do not change our job-hunting behavior, so we go looking for work the same way we did last year, or four years ago, or ten or thirty, and suddenly find that nothing is working.

We can search until we're blue in the face. We can work like a dog, send out resumes week after week, but ... nothing! Everything that used to work, doesn't work anymore. And we are baffled. It is like turning the key in our faithful car, but for the first time in five years the motor won't start.

We decide, of course, that the reason why nothing is working is that there are no jobs. It never occurs to us that there are jobs, but that employers have changed their behavior.9 And what is particularly depressing is the degree to which some employers are increasingly using the Internet to hide from job-hunters. They ask job-hunters to fill out an online application, then notify them (without ever offering a face-to-face interview), "Sorry, you do not have the qualifications we are looking for." You think you've applied for these jobs, but you never had a chance.

Different Languages: A Foreign Country.

What has gotten worse since 2008 is the fact that employers and job-hunters speak two entirely different languages, using the same words. Take the word "skills." When we're job-hunting, you get turned down because-some employers say-"You don't have the skills we're looking for." You think they're referring to such things as a.n.a.lyzing, researching, communicating, etc. No, they really mean "experience," though they use the word "skills." Sample employer memo: "We're looking for someone who has had five years' experience marketing software products to a demographic that is between the ages of twenty-four and thirty."

You should a.s.sume that the employers' world is like a foreign country; you must learn their language, and their customs, before you visit.

This is an idea from the authors of a book called No One Is Unemployable.10 They suggested that when you approach the world of business for the first time, you should think of it as going to visit a foreign country; you know you're going to have to learn a whole new language, culture, and customs, there. Same with the job-market. When we are out of work we must now start to think like an employer, learn how employers prefer to look for employees, and figure out how to change our own job-hunting strategies so as to conform to theirs. In other words, adapt to the employer's preferences.

So, let's take a look at that world of the employer. Employers don't have all the power in the hiring game, but they do have an impressive amount. This explains why parts of the whole job-hunting system in this country will drive you nuts. It wasn't built for you or me. It was built by and for them. And they live in a world different from yours and mine, in their head. (That's why I said foreign country!) This results in the following five contrasts: 1. You want the job-market to be a hiring game. But the employer regards it as an elimination game-until the very last phase. Larger companies or organizations are looking at that huge stack of resumes on their desk, with a view-first of all-to finding out who they can eliminate. Eventually they want to get it down to the "last person standing."

2. You want the employer to be taking lots of initiative toward finding you, and when they are desperate they will (especially if you have applied math skills!). Some HR departments will spend hours and days combing the Internet looking for the right person. But generally speaking the employer prefers that it be you who takes the initiative, toward finding them.

3. In being considered for a job, you want your solid past performance-summarized on your written resume-to be all that gets weighed, but the employer weighs your whole behavior as they glimpse it from their first interaction with you.

4. You want the employer to acknowledge receipt of your resume-particularly if you post it right on their website-but the employer generally feels too swamped with other things to have time to do that, so only 45% do. A majority of employers, 55%, do not. Now that you know this, don't take it personally.

5. You want employers to save your job-hunt by increasing their hiring, and you want the government to give them incentives to do so. Unhappily, employers tend to wait to hire until they see an increased demand for their products or services. In the meantime, most do not much care for government incentives to hire, because they know such incentives always have a time limit, and once they expire, that employer will be on the hook to continue the subsidy out of their own pocket.

Another example of the fact that the employer's world is increasingly a foreign country to job-hunters, lies in the very different core values of each of us. During the job-hunt, we want strategies that will enable us to cover as much of the job-market as possible. So, our value is: coverage. Our chosen vehicle is our resume.

The employer's chief value, on the other hand, concerns risk. The employer wants to hire with the lowest risk possible. I mean the risk that this won't work out.

These very different values explain the chart below.

To download a printable PDF of this image, please visit http://rhlink.com/para14001.

Job-Hunting Has Moved More and More Online Since 2008.

From the earliest days of the Internet there have been employment websites, commonly called "job-boards." The earliest ones were NetStart Inc. and The Monster Board (TMP), both launching in 1994. Netstart Inc. changed its name to CareerBuilder in 1998, and TMP changed to Monster.com in 1999.11 So, online job-hunting has been around a long time.

But job-hunting has moved more and more online ever since, and dramatically so, since 2008. As social media and other famous sites have become more and more popular-LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, Skype, YouTube, etc.-job-hunters and employers alike have figured out how to use them in the job-hunt. Now, ever larger portions of the job-hunt can be done online.

That's a big change since 1994!

If you are out of work for any length of time, and you do not have the skills of knowing how to use a computer or how to access the Internet, you will be wise beyond your years if you go take some computer courses at your local community college or adult school or your nearest CareerOneStop center (now called American Job Centers).12 Any job-hunter working online these days will want to pay large attention to the social media sites I just mentioned. Here are some extended comments about them, plus a few other web sites or online activities, such as texting, blogging, and online universities, that I think are worth mentioning: LinkedIn.

URL: www.linkedin.com.

Background: This is "the Swiss army knife" of job-sites; it is a multi-tool. It is used (at this writing) by at least 200 million people worldwide. Employers from around the world who are searching for prospective employees are among them.

General Description: LinkedIn gives you a "profile" page on which you can write anything about yourself and your history that you want to, using the standardized format or template that LinkedIn provides.

Usefulness to Job-Hunters: If you have contacted a particular employer, most of them now search to see what there is about you on LinkedIn (and on the Internet in general, anywhere and everywhere) before inviting you in, or deciding to hire you.

Ways to Make It More Effective:13 Remember, this is a professional site. If you are looking for work, don't post anything here that isn't related to your professional goal. (Need I say, leave out parties, dating, summer vacations, etc.) Make your profile page really stand out from others' profile pages, when employers go browsing. There are ways to do this. Here are some hints: 1. A PHOTO is mandatory. Every survey has revealed that not having your photo posted there is a turnoff for most employers. Make it a shot just of your head and shoulders, in fact, fill the frame with just your head and shoulders. Make it sharply focused and well lit, even if taken with an iPhone. Dress up for this one. And smile.

2. In the section called JOB t.i.tLE, if you aren't searching for a career-change, and you like what you've been doing, but the t.i.tle they gave you aren't the words that a hiring manager would normally use to search for someone who does what you do, put in a slash mark, then add the t.i.tle they would use. Alternatively, if you are looking for a change, after you list your current job t.i.tle in this t.i.tle section, enter a slash and then add the industry you want to find a job in (so that an employer's search engine will pick you up).

3. In describing your PAST JOBS OR EXPERIENCE, don't just make a list of tasks or achievements. LinkedIn gives you enough s.p.a.ce to tell a story, so tell a story. Summarize some major achievement of yours, in that job, and then tell a story of how you did it, and what the measurable results were (time or money saved, or the profit created, etc.).

4. In the SUMMARY be sure to state whatever it is you think gives you a compet.i.tive advantage in your field, i.e. what makes you a better hire than nineteen other people who might compete for the kind of job you want. This is a place to highlight what makes you the best (or, for the modest, what makes you a better) choice for that kind of job.

5. Under SPECIALTIES list every keyword you can think of, that would lead a search engine to find you for the job you want. If you don't know what keywords to list, find someone on LinkedIn who already has a job like the one you want, and see what keywords they listed. Copy the ones that seem relevant in your case.

6. LIST any hobbies, interests, education, training, community service, a.s.sociations you belong to, etc.

7. ADD LINKS TO ANY WEBSITE you feel would help you stand out: your blog? (if you have one, and posts there are solely devoted to your area of expertise); your Twitter account? (if you have one, and if you've only been posting tweets that manifest your expertise in your field); your Facebook page? (doubtful, unless it looks very focused and professional-if it's sloppy, real personal, and all over the map in its content, it is unlikely to help you get hired, and may in fact hinder you). Consider filming a video of you discussing some area of your expertise (with numbers if possible), post it on YouTube, and link to it on your profile page here. If you don't know how to shoot and upload the video, there are loads of free instructions (even on YouTube) telling you step by step how to do this.

8. JOIN one or more LinkedIn groups, related to your expertise. Post sparingly but regularly, when they are discussing something you are an expert on. You want to get a name and reputation, in your field. "Groups" are in the bar across the top of your home page. Once you've filled out your profile completely, click on "Groups" and then on the subheading "Groups You May Like." It will make suggestions, based on your profile, with information about each group, as to whether it is Very Active, Active, or very neglected. Join ones, related to your expertise, which are at least Active. Be aware, if you join a group and then don't ever contribute, LinkedIn has a cute little habit of summarily removing you from that group without any advance warning. Just a nice brief note after the fact, saying "We removed you" due to your inactivity there. (And you thought they weren't paying attention! Oh yes, they do. They are. They will.) 9. You can use LinkedIn to DESCRIBE a project you're proud of, post a photo, or report on a recent professional event. To post this also on Twitter, always begin not with Twitter but with LinkedIn. Write your update here, check the box with the Twitter icon, and then click "Share."

LinkUp.

URL: http://linkup.com.

Background: This is a job-search engine, not to be confused with LinkedIn.

General Description: This site pulls job openings only from employers' websites (24,378 at current count).

Usefulness to Job-Hunters: If you live in areas covered by LinkUp, you may find a job opening here.

Facebook.

URL: www.facebook.com.

Background: Hugely popular; more than 1.11 billion users worldwide.

General Description: The world's largest social media site (but you probably already knew that).

Usefulness to Job-Hunters: 1. Facebook lets you sign up on pages devoted to job-hunting and careers. For example, www.facebook.com/jobhunting.

2. Facebook has an app that enables you to hunt for people who work at a particular company or organization, or who share a particular interest of yours: www.facebook.com/profilesearch.

3. Facebook has an app that enables you to see where your friends work, and helps you build a professional network, plus discover job openings: http://apps.facebook.com/careeramp.

4. Facebook has an app that enables you to network, find friends of friends, and search millions of job listings: http://branchout.com.

Twitter.

URL: http://twitter.com.

Background: A social networking and micro-blogging site; 500 million users; 8% of Internet users are on Twitter.

General Description: Allows you to send micro-messages using 140 characters or fewer.

Usefulness to Job-Hunters:.

1. Twitter will take a background. When you are out of work, you can convey your status in that background (tastefully, professionally). For a tutorial on how to do this, go to Social Media Examiner, found at http://tinyurl.com/25apzgo.

2. Twitter will take a bio. Mention what you're looking for, there. You have 140 characters, so practice the art of succinctness. Put a link to an online resume in your bio.

3. Twitter will take an avatar. Make it professional looking.