Job Search Strategies for the 21st Century Labor Market

Dane M. Partridge, Ph.D.Associate Professor of ManagementUniversity of Southern IndianaPresentation for CareerFest, EvansvilleJanuary 2007

Job Search Strategies for the 21st Century Labor Market

Presentation Overview Generational Perspectives To what extent are strategies and tactics

required today different from yesteryear? New Rules? Old Rules? No Rules?

Implications of Internet

Tarr & Palmer (2007)

64+ 47-64 27-47 <27

“Retiring boomer wave might be trickle”

Labor-force participation rates for men 65+: 1870 84% (but note life expectancy)

1950 46% 1990 16% 2005 20%

Source: Evansville Courier & Press, 1/28/07

Increased LFPR good for solvency of Social Security system, less good for job opportunities for Gen X…

Millennials in the Workplace

Millennials want meaningful work, opportunity to learn, work/life balance “We want to make money but not by working 80 hours a

week” Perception is shifting, but generally thought to be

skeptical of authority As well as pragmatic, adaptive, teamwork-oriented

Creativity, competence, community Source: Eckel and Willeman (2007); see

www.generationsatwork.net

What is attitude toward value of experience, ‘paying dues’?

Entrepreneurial mindset? Understanding of competition?

Old Rules (that still have value)

It's hard to break through Hiring managers are busy people (yes!) Getting them to even look at your resume can

be a issue (maybe…) Job seekers need their message to be creative

and unique to catch manager’s eye (hmm…) www.secretsofthejobhunt.com

Creative and unique may be helpful, but runs the risk of being perceived as odd/goofy (e.g., Yale student’s video posted to YouTube) Safer strategy is to focus on fit between org’s needs

and your skills and abilities, and be clear about that fit!

Old Rules (that still have value)

Job hunting = marketing Branding yourself as one who adds value

to any employer should be your goal Anything else on your résumé that does

not meet this criterion is irrelevant www.secretsofthejobhunt.com

Old Rules (that still have value)

Your competition is stiff For any job you apply to there are usually dozens, if not

hundreds of other applicants Average Internet job posting produces response of 50-300

resumes The only way to rise above them will be to differentiate

yourself www.secretsofthejobhunt.com

But, Ers plan to hire 17% more graduates from Class of ’07 than they did from Class of ’06

Source: National Association of Colleges and Employers, as reported by Wall Street Journal, 1/23/07

Old Rules (that still have value)

To be effective in your job search you need a focused goal (as opposed to being ‘open-minded’) To Er, ‘open-minded’ = going fishing From Er’s standpoint, it’s better to hire someone who is

good at something (demonstrated competence) than someone who wants to be good at something

Focused goals include job title, department, function Unfocused goals include working with people,

solving problems, using college degree Lindgren, St. Paul Pioneer Press, 8/13/06

Old Rules (that still have value)

Effective job search requires honest, complete assessment of strengths and weaknesses, w/ strategy that enables search for position that most values and requires your strengths

Source: Price, Lowell (Mass.) Sun, 12/9/05

Inherent exaggeration of abilities re: “people skills”?

Survey of HS seniors 70% believed they were above average in leadership

ability; 2% believed they were below average 100% believed they were above average in ability to get

along with others, 60% believed they were in top 10%, 25% believed they were in top 1%

Source: Ruggiero (2001) More generalizable phenomenon, re: self-ratings?

Survey of 92 engineers (Meyer, 1980) Asked to self-rate relative to peer group, 0-100 (percentile) Mean: 78th percentile Only two of 92 rated themselves below 50th percentile (45)

New Rules?

Job hunting is more difficult than ever Internet has made finding a job a more

challenging and time consuming process Days of simply responding to newspaper

ad with cover letter and résumé are gone

www.secretsofthejobhunt.com

But, Internet is also a valuable tool

New Rules?

Most people fail to maximize their search Only browse a few job boards and only apply to

jobs they see online Should not rely solely on Internet (!!!)

Follow all possible avenues (e.g., networking, “pounding the pavement”)

www.secretsofthejobhunt.com See also www.rileyguide.com/jobsrch.html (great

source of job search info!) New social networking opportunities, e.g.,

LinkedIn.com Informational interviews

New Rules!

Electronic resume is the first choice, unless Er indicates otherwise

Source: Gene Whorl, Career Associates, as reported in Evansville Courier & Press, 1/14/07

Your traditional printed resume must be supplemented with version compatible with e-mail and Internet and database search technologies Changing the content of your resume

Keywords in your resume - increase your resume's searchability in applicant tracking systems and web job sites

Changing the format of your resume ASCII text and HTML

Source: www.job-hunt.org Turn off “track changes” (“accept all”)

Resume Screening (an Old Rule…)

“Why I cut 48 resumes from a stack of 62” OD consultant did first pass for client Took two hours (< 2 minutes per resume) 14 made cut (< 25%)

8 had no chance Other 40 could have made cut, but applicants

sabotaged their chances

Resume Screening (an Old Rule…)

Why the might be’s became no’s Objective didn’t fit position

Be sure objective aligns with available job May be better to leave off resume, address in cover letter

Overly favorable representation of themselves “good communication skills” good, “extraordinarily skilled

communicator” may be overboard Resume lacked sufficient information as to kind of work

done previously Job titles wo/responsibilities problematic

Typographical errors Source: Roanoke Times & World News, 7/18/02

More resume advice

Speak in terms of outcomes and responsibilities, not simply activities and functions

Be sure to answer the question: Why should Er hire you?

www.careerjournal.com

New Rules?

New Tools for Recruiters Software mfg had operations mngt position to fill

Posted help-wanted ad to several online job boards, directing candidates to apply at Co’s internal careers site, which uses applicant-tracking software

Used separate program to search job sites for resumes of candidates who met general criteria for job but hadn’t applied Process yielded ~700 resumes – 150 from direct applicants and

rest from scouring job boards Using applicant-tracking software, Co was able to identify top 10

candidates in ~20 minutes After telephone interviews, top two candidates were brought in

for interviews, one of whom was hired Whole process took 15 days, cf. 8-12 weeks

Source: Wall Street Journal Report: Technology, 10/23/06

Source: Wall Street Journal Online, 12/7/06

Aleksey Vayner in his video, shown brushing up on his ballroom dancing.

Source: Wall Street Journal Online, 10/18/06

New Tools?

Video clip can serve to emphasize ‘aces,’ another version of ‘elevator talk’

Ers at this point have mixed feelings Some like initiative, differentiation Others concerned about legal liability, as

with photograph attached to resume

Old Rules (that still have value)

Example Positioning Statement for a Technical Support Specialist "My value to [insert company name] is my five

years of information technology experience. I am adept at technical support and troubleshooting computer problems. My technical knowledge will help reduce call waiting times and improve the efficiency of your technical support center."

www.secretsofthejobhunt.com

Job Searching and the Internet

Internet has transformed how U.S. Ers find and hire Ees – Internet produced about half of all new hires in 2005 (includes Er’s web site, general job boards, etc.)

Source: HRNews Online, 2/21/06

Job Searching and the Internet

“I submitted my resume online but how do I know it was received?” “Chances are you won't”

Perhaps biggest gripe jobseekers have today about applying online

Important to try and follow up with the company if possible

“If the date posted on a job is more than a few weeks old should I still apply for it?” “Absolutely yes! There is no way to tell if the job has been

filled … When in doubt, always apply” www.secretsofthejobhunt.com

Online Job Search Mistakes

Posting your resume without worrying about privacy

Using only the big name Web job sites Using the "fire-ready-aim" method of

distributing your resume Compromises customization

Applying for jobs without meeting the minimum qualifications

Source: www.job-hunt.org

“For Some, Online Persona Undermines Resume”

When small Chicago consulting Co was looking to hire summer intern, Co president went online to check on promising candidate who had just graduated from U of Illinois At Facebook, found web page that described candidate’s interests

as “smokin’ blunts,” shooting people, and obsessive sex, all described in vivid slang Candidate was toast

“What kind of judgment does this person have?” Orgs looking for ‘red flags’

Source: New York Times, 6/11/06 At local university, student’s Facebook picture showed student

holding a beer with two beer cans balanced on her head Interests: “going to bars, drinking beer, drinking whiskey,

drinking any alcohol, partying with my friends, beer pong, beer bonging, drinking games with cards or any we make up randomly, so pretty much anything that involves drinking”

Protecting Your Online Persona

Don’t post anything on social networking sites that you wouldn’t want prospective Er to see

If your network offers the option, consider setting your profile to “private” Since you can’t control what other people say on your site,

consider using the “block comments” feature Check your profile regularly to see what comments

have been posted Use a search engine to look for online records of yourself

to see what is out there And if you find detrimental info, see about getting it removed

Source: CareerBuilder, as reported by National Public Radio, 11/15/06

Protecting Your Online Persona

35 percent of executive recruiters who used the Internet to research candidates in 2006 eliminated someone from consideration based on information found online Up from 26 percent in 2005

Source: HRNews Online, 1/2/07

Re-entrants

Strategies consultants offer for mothers planning to return to work Present your volunteer work with active business

words Never apologize for the time off Convey that you’re truly committed to working

again While you’re out of work:

Be strategic about volunteer work you do Keep abreast of your field

Source: Wall Street Journal, 5/6/04

“How Older Applicants Can Put Together a Savvy Job Search”

“Ers ignore a prospect’s age if s/he is impeccably professional and technologically current” (CEO of recruiting co) Prepare resume emphasizing strengths rather than chronology

Although lack of dates problematic Change “Education” section to “Education and Training” and put

most recent training first, to show that skills are up-to-date Be selective re: employment listed, focusing on those most

relevant to job being sought (but be cautious about gaps) Limit resume to no more than two pages

Speed search using Internet tools Enlarge network and follow up feelers promptly Polish pitch by soliciting feedback

Videotape mock interviews Wall Street Journal, 6/6/06;

www.job-hunt.org/onlinejobsearchguide/article_over-40-job-search.shtml

Job Search Strategies for the 21st Century Labor Market

Many old rules are still good rules Not so much new rules as new tools Importance of practical mindset

Er is looking for candidate whose KSAs best meet needs of firm, candidate whose demonstrated competencies will add value You may not be able to assert that you are the best fit

of all ‘n’ candidates, but you must be able to persuasively demonstrate that you are ‘a’ fit

GOOD LUCK!!!