Navigate the New Job Market

This month, I’ve been writing about ways to improve your career, manage work/life balance (and understand how to identify your personal definition of the term), and explore how your hobbies can enhance your work. 

Today, let’s consider ways to help support others who might be struggling with a job search. Many of us have friends or family members whose education levels or skillsets may not be advanced or up-to-date. Job seekers with limited or outdated skills face extremely difficult blocks to overcome when looking for employment. Without a current resume (both electronic and hard copies), the ability to navigate the internet, and a savvy approach to interviewing, your loved one may never get a second look. Below is a brief overview of some of the scenarios lower-skilled workers may be in and how they might affect them. 

When going through the list remember that lack of advanced education, high-level skills, or technical competencies do not equate to “lacking intelligence” or “unemployable.” Sometimes the skillset is small yet specialized, and your loved one may very well have the chops that are sought after in his or her field—it just may be a matter of packing them in a more effective and up-to-date way, or a slight attitude adjustment might be necessary when it comes to their interactions with employers. 

Below are some of the issues that might be playing a role in the job seeker’s job search, as well as some tips outlining how you can help. As an added bonus, I’ve included ways to apply the suggestions to your own professional development: 

Skills are limited to one type of work and are not easily transferable to an alternative career path.

Delivery drivers, forklift operators, assemblers, or line cooks may find difficulty illustrating how their skills and job functions can be applicable to other careers. For job seekers who have been doing mainly one type of work, it can be difficult to find jobs beyond or outside of that area without additional training.

If they want to venture into a new career area, it will be imperative for them to develop and showcase their skills in the field they’d like to work in next. If they are interested in sales or marketing, for example, it’s a good idea to create a means for developing skills related to those job functions. Some ways to start developing those skills include working on a child’s (or grandchild’s) school bake sale, participating in a community fundraiser, or signing on as a distributor for a favorite direct sales brand (such as Avon, Stella & Dot, Tupperware, or Man Cave). 

How you can help: 

Suggest ideas that will allow them to start building their skills. Also work with them to identify any responsibilities that may relate to other types of employment. For instance, if they drove a delivery truck but had regular face-to-face interaction with customers, they can use it to demonstrate customer service experience on their resume.  If they have been recognized for having great rapport with customers, they can include this too. 

Apply it to your own professional development:

Assess your own skillset. Are you lacking any skills that would be beneficial in your own job or a desired promotion? Discover ways you can practice the skills you’ll need, whether at work or in your professional life. 

Lacking knowledge of current hiring practices.

Do you know of any job seekers whose last interviews were 20 years ago, or are accustomed to hand-delivering a resume and receiving an on-the-spot interview? Perhaps their resume is the same one they created on an electric typewriter. 

The organizations that allow for unannounced visits are few and far between, and most require job seekers to apply through their automated online system. This can prevent challenges for job seekers without access to computers or the internet, or who don’t have the savvy to navigate through the online application process. 

Job seekers who have not been on interviews in a couple of decades will probably be surprised at how intense the process has become at many companies. Gone are the days of an interview being “just a formality”. 

How you can help: 

Let the job seeker know that the resume does not get them the job, but the interview. Share with them that even the jobs that appear to be lower on the totem pole require enthusiasm, interest in the company, and demonstrated commitment and a positive work ethic. If they do not demonstrate this during their interviews, there are 50+ other candidates in line behind them waiting for the chance.

Apply it to your own professional development: 

Take a moment to review trends in hiring at your own organization or in your industry as a whole. Perhaps there is a trend toward group interviews or case assignments that will be used to evaluate you. Also take the opportunity to review the skills needed for the job one steps above yours. Do you have the skills and how you will demonstrate this on an interview or at your next performance review? 

Salary expectations.

When you’ve been doing the same job for a couple of decades and are forced to put yourself back in the applicant pool, you may be surprised and angry that you can’t command the same salary you had at your last job. Salaries or hourly rates do not necessarily follow you to the next company, especially if your skillset is not up to par. 

In some cases, a job may now require additional skills or expertise that they do not have. If for example, a driver at a technologically progressive distribution or delivery company is required to have computer proficiencies that the job seeker does not have they probably cannot command a higher-range salary or hourly rate. It is important that they don’t make this frustration evident during or after their interviews. 

How you can help:

Work out the numbers with them. Would taking a job at a lower hourly rate for six months put more money in their pockets than if they made no money because they were not employed that time? Does the job offer benefits that can help support the job seeker? Encourage them to identify ways in which to fast-track their wage increases once they are hired. Also show the current starting salaries for the job so that know they aren’t being cheated.  

Apply it to your own professional development: 

Take a look at starting salaries and skills needed for jobs like yours. Have you recently participated in a training or certification program? Is your own salary still on par or is it time to negotiate for a raise? 

Attitude issues.

A propensity towards negativity comes with the territory when someone is out of a job. It’s a vicious cycle: you’re unfamiliar with the new “rules of the job search” and your skills are not current, so you’re confused, insecure, and already feel inferior. This prevents you from doing well on your interview, which means you don’t get the job, further increasing your lack of confidence. 

How you can help:

Be empathetic to the job seeker’s struggles but also offer practical recommendations for the right. Remind them that it’s not all about their needs but rather the hiring company’s. While they don’t have to take a job if the environment appears to be abusive, share with them that their emotions can cloud their impressions of the situation. Strive to help them get a realistic look at the situation. 

Apply it to your own professional development:

You’re not off the hook on this one—how’s your attitude been lately? Have you been secretly wanting to kick the ever-living daylights out of one of your coworkers, or been frustrated about working for “the man”? If you’ve been feeling aggravated by your work responsibilities or quick to make judgements, you might want to entertain the idea of an attitude adjustment yourself! 

—Victoria Crispo, July 2015 Career Coach