Lessons for us all. Part II

Welcome back all. In Part I of this series we discussed some of the rigors of job hunting and we took a close look at a day in the life of a Recruiter. We did this to not only entertain (which of course is my primary reason for writing) but also to give the average Joe at home and idea of why Recruiters do the things they do (or don't do as the case may be).

Day in a Life of a Job Hunter

Now, I promised that in this edition we would turn our little blame finger around and take a close look at a day in the life of many Job Hunters. It's not going to be a pretty site I can promise you that, but I hope that by the time you've finished it, you will identify something in your daily grind that you can change to help everyone out in this game we call Employment.

Part II.

All right, now that we've bashed Recruiters for a good page or so, it's time now to turn our attention to you job hunters. It's the Recruiters turn to say, "Yeah, that's right, it's not just us!" Recruiters, if you suddenly start feeling superior, simply re-read this page for grounding.

I think that we shall look in on our good friend Ron (and no, this isn't me). Ron was a software engineer who was laid off of his job recently. He had a nice deal going; telecommute, travel about 40% of the time. His jobs were usually only a few days long, so he was always home by early Friday night. He's single, so he reports only to himself. Sadly, Ron is now without a job for the first time in his professional career and doesn't really know what to do with himself. He's tried golf, the bar, surfing the Internet, even fishing. Problem is, he always has to come home to the fact that he doesn't have to get up in the morning and go to work. While that may sound great to some (for instance, retirees), for most of us, it's a real blow to our ego, not to mention our bank accounts.

Ron's doing O.K. for now though. He received a fairly decent severance from his last employer and if worse comes to worse, he can cash in all or part of his 401K to get his through the rut.

The Job Hunters Story (Let's call him Ron)

Ron was up late last night watching "Conan O'Brien" on TV so it's not surprising that when the rest of the business world is sitting in gridlock on the interstate, Ron is still lying in bed. When he does finally get up, it's only to stumble to the coffeepot and the toaster for a pastry. By 10 a.m., Ron has awakened enough to sit at the computer and begin a rather hasty job search. Ron is pretty technology savvy so to save precious time, he's set up several "search agents" at the top recruiting boards. He checks his email and scrolls through the list of jobs that were sent to him. Most of these jobs have been online for over a month now and Ron has a hard time believing that they haven't been filled. Ron hasn't kept a log of the jobs he's applied to, instead he relies on his memory and a search of his "sent" email to make sure he hasn't applied to the same job more than twice, and even then, only if it's been several weeks since his initial mailing. Just to be safe though, Ron reapplies to a couple of really promising jobs. He usually follows up on his email with a phone call just to make sure the Recruiter received it. Due to the numerous times that he's talked to Recruiters who claim they never received his resume, he finds telephone call follow-ups prudent. Generally, when he does call the phone number listed (if there is one) it is done with the belief that he is really calling a generic mailbox cleverly disguised as a real persons. Today he leaves messages with "Kim," "Mark," and the "HR Manager" at ACME. He really has no confidence that they'll call him back, but he feels that he has to try regardless.

Having done his morning "job search" duty which only yielded 2 new listings in the 2 hours that he spent searching for jobs and writing cover letters for the two that he applied for, Ron figures that he's earned some gaming time on the internet. He logs on and puts in a coupe of hours playing his favorite RPG game with the other unemployed (or school skipping) gamers.

 

Having lost all track of time, Ron is caught quite off guard when the telephone rings and it is not, in fact, a telemarketer. Hark, it is a Recruiter calling him back about a resume he sent. Ron scrambles quietly to find some information about the job that the Recruiter is asking him questions about. As usual, Ron is asked to repeat basically what is already written on his resume ("Why can't they just read it?") but he does so because he believes that if he can sufficiently sell his talents to the Recruiter, then he might just have a chance. Having hastily sketched his last 6 years worth of experience, the Recruiter tell Ron that he will further review his resume and if he's one of the top candidates, he'll be calling him to set up an interview. Of course the Recruiter can't tell Ron just WHEN that might be, but he'll be sure to call him. Mollified, but uncertain, Ron thanks him and hangs up the phone silently kicking himself for not mentioning all that experience he has with xxxx software, or the fact that he's provided xxxx for the last 6 years. There's always something that he forgets, but such is the nature of the beast. Placated for the moment that he's done all he can, Ron brings back up his Internet connection and continues his killing spree online.

 

Are you as depressed as I am after reading that? As you can see, being unemployed is no picnic on your bank account or your mental well being. I hope you picked up on several things here that Ron and job hunters across the grid can/should do to both help themselves, as well as help others help them.

Let's recap and see how many of them that you caught:

Personal Dignity - I'm bad about this as well, so I'm preaching to the choir here. When you get up for the morning, brush your hair, your teeth. Put on some decent clothes. It's understandable that you'll get in a rut every now and then, but you have to pull yourself up by your belt loops and make yourself presentable, if for no one else but yourself. If you're feeling cramped up, get out. Go to the park and walk around. Just do something to get yourself around other people. Happiness is infectious; maybe their mood will rub off on you. That way, when you do talk to a Recruiter or manager, you're more confident and you come across as someone who isn't worried or afraid about your situation.

Keep records - This is essential. Don't waste your time and Recruiters time by re-applying to a position several times in a week. Most company's don't just use one Recruiter or firm, they use several. Often times, they place the ad on the Internet themselves. Problem with that is that many unscrupulous job boards, "mine" (fancy word for steal) job listing off others. So just because a job is listed on several places, doesn't mean 4 different firms are representing it. Conversely, if you do apply to several firms running the same ad, if two of them apply you for the job and the company likes you, you may find yourself in the middle of a fight between the two over who submitted you first. Of course, you'll be oblivious to this. All you will know is that you had a meeting set up and now everyone is dragging their feet.

If you feel that you must call a Recruiter to follow up on an email you sent, try to do so when it's most convenient for them. Don't call at the following times: Monday morning or Friday afternoon OR 30 minutes before or after lunchtime.

Be organized - Keep a notebook and pen (and of course the telephone) handy with you at all times so that when a Recruiter or manager does call, you are ready to take down any information they give you. Last thing you want to do is sound flighty while an employer is giving you their name and number.

One last thing that Ron wasn't guilty of but that so many others are - Don't apply to jobs you obviously aren't qualified for. I'm not talking about applying for a job that list a BS degree as a requirement when all you hold is an Associates, or none at all. Good HR managers know that someone with loads of experience will usually run circles around a college graduate. This is not to say that every position is suited for someone with out a degree because there are many positions where it is almost essential to be college educated. No, what I'm talking about are primarily career changers. These are the people who apply to a senior level job that they would LIKE to have, even though they have no experience or their experience is in a totally different field who's skills do not necessarily transfer well. Not only does this make you look bad and cause you to end up being ignored, but you also hurt the qualified applicants by plugging up the application process.

 

So there we go. Did you learn anything? I hope so. Like everything else, recruiting and job hunting is just like supply and demand. If your skills are in demand and there's not much of a supply, expect to be treated like a king. On the other hand, if your skills are in demand but there are also a bunch of you, OR your skills aren't really cutting edge or classic needs (like finance, insurance, etc.) don't expect the royal treatment from everyone you meet.

PARTING THOUGHT (no, I didn't steal that from Springer)

Recruiters need to remember that job hunters are people too. Not everyone looking for a job is doing so because they are lazy or unfit for a corporate position. There are some fine workers being laid off left and right. Were it not for the booming economy we've had for the last few years, there wouldn't be a need for as many people who do what you do. Recruiting is just like any other market in that you have clients. Those clients have certain expectations such as competence, being given respect, someone who genuinely cares about their needs (or at least is good a pretending that they care). Whether you are a Recruiter or a Job Hunter, remember and apply the Golden Rule. You'll find your day is so much more pleasant.

Good luck and God Bless

Christopher Souther

 

Chris Souther may be contacted at http://AtlantaCopywriting.webalias.com csouther@mindspring.com. Click here to view more of their articles.
Christopher Souther is a Copywriter and Freelance Writer in Atlanta, Ga. On the side he has published articles on a variety of topics including, Children's Education and today's Job Market. He is currently revising his free Online Guide to Job-Hunting for publishing as well as working on another Non-Fiction book dealing with Adoption.