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1ST STEPS IN THE HUNT
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Temp Facts
April 15, 1999
How many people in the US work part-time, as temps, or as independent contractors? Figures vary, of course, depending on your source. The National Association of Temporary Staffing puts the number at roughly 26 million, which would represent nearly twenty percent of the work force. Employers are the driving force behind the move away from traditional employment patterns, though some workers are eager for differing modes of employment so that they can pursue other interests in time of their own choosing. There are a few advantages for Employees in working as a temp - you can check out a company to see if it's a good fit for your personality and career goals. Part-time work frees up precious time for Employees to turn their hobby into a small business. There are millions of ideas for small businesses swirling around in the US, trapped in the heads of people who have neither the time nor money to pursue them. Contract work or short-term engagements may allow you to start work on something you really love doing. Employers increasingly want to know what they're getting when they hire someone without getting caught in bind if they want to fire them. Most Jobs generally are 'employment at will', that is, either the employee or the employer can terminate the contract whenever they want. But the guidelines are vague enough that Employers don't want to risk a wrongful termination lawsuit, so the path of least resistance leads them to find better and better ways to 'test' Employees before any oaths of fealty are exchanged. Temp & contract/contingency work resembles a couple who decides to live together before tying the knot. It's just that in this case the Employer is usually the one with the dowry to protect, and the Employee has the freedom to end the relationship at any time without penalty. "According to a recent study by the Conference Board, a business research group, only 12 percent of companies surveyed used contingent workers for at least 10 percent of their work force in 1990. By the year 2000, 35 percent are expected to do so. And half the companies surveyed use contingent workers long term." This tidbit and several other sources of information about the changing nature of employment are at http://www.contingent.com/links.html. Other interesting temp facts: 70% of temp workers are women, and the nearly half of all temp Jobs last less than 10 weeks.
Keep Active
April 14, 1999
The fastest growing sector of the Job Market is in the Service Industries, and has been for nearly two decades. While some Jobhunters shun these industries for a variety of reasons (low pay, lack of prestige, etc.), sometimes the best way to move forward in your work-life is to take action of any kind. Jobhunting is pretty demoralizing, and daily doses of rejection can lead to paralysis.
While few career counselors will recommend jumping on the first Job opportunity that rears its ugly head in the form of a 'help wanted' sign at your local greasy diner, the fact remains that work begets more work. For Jobhunters several months into an intensive Job search, part-time employment helps get you back into the routine work flow. Have you seen JIST Works Inc.? It has a myriad of sources for short term employment. Even a volunteer stint can boost your morale, and help others as well.
Another advantage to taking a seemingly dead end Job for a short while is it increases your circle of acquaintances (read: Network). Jobhunters have an unfortunate tendency to isolate themselves from the rest of the world, reflecting the common misperception that self worth is no more than net worth. And to all too many people, net worth is the product of one's weekly salary. If someone tells you they're making $80,000/yr in their first few years out of school, you'll probably start asking exactly what it is they do and how you can go about doing it too.
Jobhunting is work, and needs to be treated like work. Discipline yourself (or get someone else to do it!) to get up at your usual time just as if you had a regular eight hour shift to complete. Budget time for lunch, and celebrate your 'free' time and weekends as special. So often Jobhunters spiral downwards after the first month or two of frustration and rejection.
Life is about the stories we create, and working is a substantial part of our lives. Therefore couching your Interview time with potential Employers in terms of a series of memorable stories makes for a much more vivid impression than merely chronicling your educational or work history. Weave together anecdotes that show your character and 'can do' attitude in work and non-work environments. Hiring Managers are using more behavioral questions these days, so practicing your 'story' until it suits you is one way to leave a lasting impression.
Some quick reminders that should go on your bulletin board:
- Be open to new opportunities - most Jobs come from small companies you've never heard of before.
- Employers want to know about your future, not your past "What can you do for my company tomorrow?" rather than "What have you done for other companies in the past?"
- Spell correctly, dress appropriately, look 'em in the eyes, use positive body language, and ask for the Job!
- Don't BS too heavily when asked "What's your greatest weakness?" Answers like "I tend to put in too much voluntary unpaid overtime", or "My unrelenting pursuit of Quality" are simply not credible, and weaken the rest of your otherwise honest answers.
EPI-Center
April 13, 1999
You've probably seen the headlines: Unemployment Rate Drops Again!
The real question is: Should you care?
Well, yes and no. Propaganda, er I mean, Government Information shapes the perceptions of both Jobhunters and Employers as well. Employers know from the responses they're getting to Job Ads what the Economy and Unemployment Rate is doing, be it expansion or contraction, increase or decrease. And what matters to you, on a personal and professional level, is your personal Unemployment Rate. And it is either 100% or 0%, depending on if you have a Job or not.
Understanding the general market conditions in the field for which you are applying for a position can give you an edge during negotiations for an acceptable salary. The Economic Policy Institute is one of the best sources on the Net for analysis of what's going on in the US Economy. Their views of the last drop in Unemployment Rates?
"According to the April report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment as reported in the nonfarm payroll survey expanded only slightly (46,000) and was essentially unchanged in the household survey. Since it is this latter survey that determines the unemployment rate, it appears that the decline in unemployment was generated not by the addition of net new jobs but rather by a 0.3 percentage-point drop in the labor force participation rate."
The substantial 'churn' in the Economy that produces new Jobs while eliminating old ones is beginning to stagnate a little bit, and this does not bode well for Jobhunters. If you entered the workforce in the 90's, you may have experienced an actual loss in buying power relative to your inflation-adjusted paycheck. Men, in particular, witnessed a nearly 7% drop in 'real median wages' over the last decade. Simply put, the poor continue to
get poorer.Much of this is due to the increase in low wage Jobs that are replacing higher paying manufacturing Jobs. Fortunately the wage differences between the historically low-level service sectors (including retail) and manufacturing are disappearing. Waitressing may be a low status Job with demanding hours and weekend work, but the pay levels are comparable to many of the median level manufacturing Jobs.
It pays to know what's going on in the world around you, from the world down to market conditions for your particular field of interest, to your target company. Talk to insiders, chat with potential colleagues, and do some research!
Career Tests
April 12, 1999
Do you feel that your career is on the right track? If you think you might be headed in the wrong direction, now may be the time to reassess who you are and what you really like to do. Sometimes you need to take a step backward before you can take two steps forward. Some of the best tools available on the Net that can help with this are career tests.
Career assessment tests measure many things, from skills and interests, to value systems and preferences. While some guidance may be free (typically community centers, college testing centers, unemployment offices), there are certainly a few wolves in sheepskin counseling jackets that are stalking desperate Job candidates, eager to separate them from their money.
You can avoid many of these traps by looking at some of the sites listed below. RHETI is similar to the popular Enneagram diagram, and is available at no cost. The Keirsey Character Sorter parallels the Myers-Briggs test, and is also free of charge. The Personality Questionnaire also mimics the Myers-Briggs test, but costs $3.
Yahoo! has a number of
career tests available (one helps you determine whether you are a freak), and for the proverbial 'nominal fee' there are a dozen or so additional tests at Metadevelopment. John Holland's self-directed search tools are so popular that they have spawned a number of imitators, like Career Key and The Career Interests Game.Of course, career tests are not the end all and be all of Jobhunting. And the results from one test taken one time should not leave you pigeonholed careerwise for the rest of your life. Our mental, emotional, and psychological states change throughout our lives, so even if you feel that the results from several of these tests are pointing you in one direction, it doesn't mean that this will always be the best career path to take.
Take these tests with friends and family, and compare your results not only with eachother, but also with your previously held notions of yourself and others. I don't like some of the forced choice questions, and often skip them until the end of the test. Generally at that point I have forgotten how much the question bothered me philosophically, and I answer it without hesitation.
To get a Job doing what you like and want, you may need to reassess who you are. Career tests are one tool that can help make the early part of the Jobsearch manageable, and set you on a shorter path to you ultimate goals.
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