High Unemployment

There is a pile of economic information and unemployment metrics all over the internet, news stations and radio. The information can be overwhelming and a little depressing. Two articles that stand out for me both tell the readers that high unemployment may be around for sometime.

In Joshua Cooper Ramo’s article, Jobless in America: Is Double-Digit Unemployment Here to Stay?, Joshua asks the question, “Will double-digit unemployment persist even after we emerge from this recession?”. In other words are we looking at another jobless recovery? Joshua also mentions that “From December 2007 to August 2009, the economy jettisoned nearly 7 million jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.” In addition he writes, “The funding for job creation in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was based on an assumed 8.9% unemployment rate. Now 15% is a realistic possibility.”

Tom Raum’s article, Higher jobless rates could be new normal, Tom states similar fears. He writes, “…the unemployment rate is currently at a 26-year high of 9.8 percent — and likely to top 10 percent soon and stay there a while”.

In the last recession, we learned that a recovery would not necessarily bring with it new jobs. We learned the term “jobless recovery”. And much of what I read points to this recession as a jobless recovery too. I would estimate that 20% of people I personally know that lost jobs in the last recession switched careers because of the lack of jobs in their profession. So without government assistance, how do you find a job and where are the jobs?

The answer to the first part of the question is easy. You must have…

• A better than average résumé: If you are still using the same résumé you used in your last job search and just keep updating it with every new job, then I bet your résumé is not your best effort. Start over.
• A strong network: It is key to know people across multiple industries and to let these people know you are in the job market. A network that is not used is useless.
• Practiced and polished interviewing skills: You need to practice and you need to anticipate questions and practice your answers.
• Outstanding soft skills: Be professional but smile and be personal too.
• Expert technical skills needed for the job: If you are a SOX expert and apply for a GAAP position then you may get over looked. The same goes for a COBOL expert applying for a J2EE position. Apply to jobs that are reasonable fits to your background and experience.
• Reasonable salary expectations: There are plenty of resources out there who will do the job for less. So do not demand high salaries in a recession and take what is offered.

The answer to the second part of the question is harder. Jobs will be found in the following areas…

• Temporary or contract positions: These positions may increase before permanent jobs are created. It has been a year since the economy hit a wall and companies that have survived have work that has piled up and needs to be done. (We are currently seeing this trend with our clients.)
• Replacement positions: As companies become leaner they may decide some resources are not performing as required and will look to replace those resources. In addition some resources may flee a company for greener pastures creating a vacancy.
• Government positions: The federal government created the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to create jobs and stimulate the economy. Some of these jobs will be with the federal government but some of the money will be sent to the states and it will be the states responsibility to use the funding to create jobs for needed projects.
• Too many laid-off: There are companies that have laid-off too many and offered to many “packages” to their staff to leave. These companies are running leaner than planned and these companies may be in need to start filling positions soon. Target some of the companies with the biggest layoffs in your area.
• New positions: There will be companies creating new positions. Some of these positions will be in healthcare, collections, small business and start ups. Some new positions will result from companies that have realized they have “survived”, are cash flow positive and ready to add staff. The best ways to find these jobs is through your network and know about the job before it is posted.

In any case, no one is going to hand you a job. So you must be active in the process. Although higher unemployment rates may be around for a few years, you can still find a job but you will have to work harder. With that in mind job seekers need to be better prepared and come up with a competitive advantages to others in the job market. If you are not getting interviews, take a look at your résumé first and then ask yourself are you applying for jobs that meet your skills.

Sources and Suggested Reading:

• Joshua Cooper Ramo’s article, Jobless in America: Is Double-Digit Unemployment Here to Stay? - www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1921439-1,00.html
• Tom Raum’s article, Higher jobless rates could be new normal - news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091019/ap_on_bi_ge/us_vanishing_jobs

If you like what you are reading and want to read more, check out my eBook at www.blackholesresumesjobs.com/

For my free Résumé Template go to www.blackholesresumesjobs.com/Downloads.html

If you are an IT professional and want to send me your résumé, please feel free to email your résumé to me at chas.bollow@triad-corp.com.

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Working with Human Resources vs Recruiters. Lessons Learned.

A month ago I talked to a candidate about a contract position with a company I will call XYZ Corporation. I explained to him that the position was a 6 month contract position. He was very interested in the position and decided he would send me an updated résumé. I got busy and realized it had been a few days and the résumé never showed up. I then email the candidate but still no résumé or reply. I decide to call the candidate since at the time of our initial conversation he was very interested in the position.

Let’s call the candidate Bob. The call went something like this…

“Chas thanks, but after you told me the name of the client I decide to check out their website and the job you mentioned was on the website, so I decided to apply. So I figured why waste your time.”

“Bob, that is great but the position I have is a contract position and the position you applied was a permanent position.”

“But Chas the permanent position must report to the same manager? It’s all the same.”

“Actually Bob, permanent positions with this client go through Human Resources and contract positions go through procurement. They are two different areas and in this case two separate managers.”

What Bob didn’t know was the CFO and VP of Finance of XYZ Corporation was interested in hiring a contractor for their financial organization. The VP of Finance needed a resource for a 6 month SOX project and some important financial reporting. The IT organization was trying to fill the permanent position on an employee that left the company. I was told that human resources received well over 100 résumés for their permanent position. The manager in procurement received 11 résumés for the 4 vendors they use for contract positions.

By the time I submitted Bob, the VP had already started interviewing. Although I felt Bob was the better resource the VP decide on my other candidate after interviewing four of the eleven candidates. Bob did not get an interview. The permanent position was filled by a referral to the hiring manager.

Bob could have increased his chances by apply for the permanent positions as well as the contract position. Not to mention, if Bob would have gotten the contract position he would have made some valuable internal references for other permanent positions with XYZ corp. In any case, Bob did not get back to me and never sent me updated résumé until a week after out initial conversation. By then it was too late.

If you like what you are reading and want to read more, check out my eBook at www.blackholesresumesjobs.com/


For my free Résumé Template go to www.blackholesresumesjobs.com/Downloads.html


If you are an IT professional and want to send me your résumé, please feel free to email your résumé to me at chas.bollow@triad-corp.com.

The “Finding a Job” Process

Define your wants and a way to obtain those wants

A process begins with a ‘need’ or ‘want’ and ends with the ‘need’ or ‘want’ fulfilled. It is best to have formal processes for business needs, project management and just about every other ‘need’ or ‘want’. Processes are used to guide us through a workflow that is not second nature to us. We typically do not need a process to buy groceries or put gas in the car as they are second nature to most of us. However imagine you are from another country and there are no cars in that country. Putting gas in the car would not be second nature to you and thus you would need to consult a process, or directions, on how to put gas in a car.

McDonalds and Pizza Hut and Subway have basic simple processes to create a burger, pizza and subs. As time goes on those processes become second nature to the fast-food employee. If you don’t believe that, then ask anyone who has worked at any of these establishments. I bet they remember those processes to this day. I do!

With that in mind, we have to follow a process to find a job. Your old process of looking on Monster, Dice, want ads and company websites for a job, applying to the job and then waiting for a phone call is not a formal process. It is actually a poor way to find a job!


The “Finding a Job” Process

1. Desired Job: Define what you want in a job. Determine your desired job responsibilities, desired job title, desired salary and so on. Determine how much, if any, travel is acceptable. You can also determine a location and industry if you desire. Keep your desired job expectations realistic.

2. Target companies: Look for companies that fit your desired job. Create a list of target companies you want to work for in your new position.

3. Update Résumé: This needs to be done before you even look for a job. Make sure your résumé is up-to-date and edited.

4. Network: Reach out to those in your network. Where are they working and where have they worked? Do any of your contacts work at companies on your target list? If they do, reach out ASAP!

5. Apply to job openings: Apply to jobs on your target list. If there are no jobs posted on your target list, then send your résumé to key individuals at these target companies. You can also apply to other jobs you may come across that fit your ‘desired job’.

6. Did you get an interview? If not Repeat steps 1 through 5 until you get an interview. You may add or subtract target companies, then go back to Step 2. You may need to modify your résumé. If the old résumé is not working, start over at Step 3. You many need more or better contacts. Thus Network better! Back to step 4.

7. Prepare for Phone Interview

8. Phone Interview

9. Prepare for Face-To-Face interview

10. Face-To-Face Interview

11. Important: After the interview ask yourself, "Does the company and position match my ‘Desired Job’ as defined in Step 1?" If not you have a decision to make should an offer come your way. At this point you may want to go back to Step 1.

12. No Offer: Repeat steps 1 through 5

13. Offer - Accept or Decline: If you get an offer, then you will need to Accept or Decline or Counter. Note that ‘Counter’ is step that will eventually take you to Accept or Decline. Decline: Repeat steps 1 through 5. Accept: Start your new job.

14. Review Period: 30 to 90 days into your new job, repeat steps 1 through 3 on a regular basis.


Your “Finding a Job” Process begins with your want to find a satisfying and good paying job. Your “Finding a Job” Process ends with you finding and accepting that satisfying and good paying job. However if you don’t adhere to a process, then you will miss key step and you won’t find the job you want or it could take you a long time to find that job. Without a process, you are playing a game of hit and miss and hope. So when you are serious about looking for a job, I suggest you define your wants and a process to obtain those wants.

So when is the best time to update your résumé?

The answer is simple; right now today. Regardless of the economy it is good to be proactive rather than waiting until the day you need an updated résumé. There are critical times you need a résumé and the most important is when someone un-expectantly asks you for your résumé.

Most people wait till the day they are laid off. If this is you, then you are already one day late. People often think the best time to look for a job is when they need a job. (That is, the day after they were laid off or have been given notice or have had enough of their current job.) These same people also think the best time to update their résumé is the day after they have been laid off, have been give notice of a lay off or have found a job that they want to apply to and thus these candidates are unprepared.

A good general rule is to review and update your résumé 2 to 4 times a year. That may seem excessive but ‘things’ in your current job change. How many times in a year do your job responsibilities change, roles change, software change and other tools change? Thus because of these changes, it is important to update your résumé often. Always update your résumé after you have completed a major accomplishment for your employer such as reducing cost, saving money, increasing sales exceeding quotas.

A smart candidate, that is currently working, keeps their résumé updated often. When a Headhunter calls them, they are ready. They are also ready for when a friend calls with a good job lead. They are also ready for when their current employer posts a job internally. These smart candidates can act instantly because they are ready. They have updated their résumé in advance and have spent good quality time on their résumé. They have good business smarts! And let’s face it these are the type of people that employers want to hire!

I worked for a manager that kept her updated résumé in the top drawer of her office desk. Let me give you some background on her. She was one of the most dedicated employees the company has ever had and she lived and breathed this company. Yet she wanted to move up to the next level which was a director level position. So she wanted to be ready for the day the director position opened. She was prepared, her résumé was updated often. She was not going to waste time updating her résumé at the last minute. And yes, the director position eventually opened up and she got that job!

If you find yourself in the middle of this recession without a job and looking for a new job, then spend some time on your résumé. As a matter of fact spend a couple of hours a week on the content of your résumé until you land a job. Spelling and grammar are important and it is best to have someone edit your work. Ask yourself, “Does my résumé read well? Does my résumé properly describe who I am and the success I had in previous jobs?” If you can not answer yes, then go back to the computer and start again.

If you are employed and not really looking I suggest you mark one day a quarter on your calendar, organizer or Outlook as ‘résumé review’ time. This is the time to update your responsibilities, roles, titles and tools. Reread your résumé and ask yourself, “Would I hire this person?”

Crafting a good résumé takes time. Therefore if you are updating a few hours or even a day before you need one then I can guess it is not your best work. How many times have you used the same version of a résumé when someone pointed out an error in dates or spelling? Your résumé is the first thing an employer or hiring manager sees. Your résumé represents you. It may be the single most important tool in your job search. Shouldn’t you spend more than a few hours on your résumé?