Promise Rising

Walks with the pooch now begin with coaxing her off the front steps. She’s wary of the fog enshrouding our neighborhood, just as she is of the shadows in our hallway. Her eyesight is not as sharp as it once was, so I can only imagine how she’s interpreting the indiscernible darkness I pull her into every day.

But since this weekend, whiffs of green have been inching up from bulbs beneath the soil. Cardinals pierce the fog in song and color, a welcome avian change from the decapitated pigeons we were dodging on previous mornings. Spring is surely on its way and I hope for the sake of the pooch that she can smell it in the air.

Unless Miss Fortune steps in to turn my luck a different direction, this will be my last Spring in northern Illinois. I intend to note every new leaf and bud and irritating squirrel and hawk repast I encounter. Of course, I do this every year. But this season I want to commit it all to memory, to take with me wherever I’m headed next.

Spring never lasts long enough in this part of the world, but it’s weighted with renewal and hope—two keys to the future of the jobless. Cling to these and don’t let go, my fellow job-seekers. As the landscape alters, so will we.

[Pic by Kevin Bolton from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.]

We Could All Use A Little “Circular Helping”

We no longer purchase the Chicago Tribune. This is due in part to its cost and our cost-cutting, but it’s also a result of the downsizing of the paper—both in dimensions and in content. Periodically I pick up the Tribune’s free outreach rag geared toward Millennials. My husband enjoys scanning it and then adding it to our growing stack of papers intended for use in our pending move.

One of these free papers was lying about the other day and I leafed through it. In the blog column roundup was a recruiter’s comment to “Get a Job in Chicago: 10 Tips from Local Recruiters,” an article and slide show posted by Katie Rogers on her BrokeAss blog. Here’s the tip:

Stay positive.
“We all want the job market to improve. We are all a bit beaten down by the economy. But the people who only look forward and bring a positive attitude will outshine those who have grown frustrated and jaded.”

Okay. I can agree with that. But here’s how the recruiter responds:

“As a recruiter I could not agree more with the statement of ‘Staying positive.’ All too often I interview people or read resumes about people’s poor luck recently. Yes, we all experience hard times, but if you cannot stay positive during a tough time then how would you handle a difficult situation/customer if I were to place you in the job itself?”

Excuse me? Since when did handling a tough customer or situation in the workplace become equivalent to worrying about whether you’re going to be able to keep a roof over your head and looking a bit glum about it? Are interviews going to start including questions about our survival skills during the First Great Recession of the 21st Century? Do you ever hear a “poor luck” tale and feel a twinge of compassion?

I believe this recruiter meant well. She provides three more tips for the job-hunter in her comments and closes with this paragraph:

“I hope this helps, and I interview people all day long, so if anyone every needs tips please let me know :)”

(Note: I didn’t retype that. Nor did I add the emoticon, which is what leads me to believe she meant well.)

In a wonderfully synchronous moment, I opened management expert Dale Dauten’s Laughing Warriors: How to Enjoy Killing the Status Quo to this wisdom:

“Hiring is circular helping—the goal is to find the person who will contribute the most AND benefit the most.”

The caps are Dauten’s. The idea is golden. Of course it’s unwise to hire people only because you feel sorry for them. But if they really could be of value to your organization and they will benefit from your job offer, isn’t that a best-case scenario? The cliché Win-Win?

A Look at Unemployment from the Other Side of the Résumé

I don’t remember what I was searching for the other day on the Internet, but I came across an article from Workforce Management, a magazine I once (when I had a job) relied on for source material. The pub is written for HR folk, and I thought a few of the remarks quoted in the article might be of interest to Lull’s unemployed readers.

The second graf frames the seriousness of our situation:
“The most conservative official estimates indicate that 15 million unemployed workers are now chasing 2.5 million jobs [sic] openings. A more realistic estimate would show that there are 10 unemployed workers for every open job.” The boldface emphasis is mine.

Note that this does not say there are 10 unemployed people applying for each job. No, no, no! There are 10 people for each job opening. This does not take into account anyone’s match for the job, nor does it represent how many actual candidates apply for the job.

According to John Younger, CEO of recruiting firm Accolo, “The average number of applicants across the board, including applicants for executive positions, is more than 200 per job. In the first hour that we looked to fill an executive assistant position, we received 500 applications and shut down the search.”

500? You can hardly blame them for shutting down the search. But the more frustrating number reported here is 1. Our window of opportunity to be considered for some jobs is ONE HOUR. This means that we need to be sitting at our computers at just the right moment, viewing just the right job board in just the right category and be able to write a customized cover letter on the spot.

What’s worse, though, is that Younger continues with this tidbit:
“A lot of companies are afraid to use broad distributions, so they don’t even post jobs and go only to one networking site—for example, the hiring manager’s alumni association.”

Again, this is perfectly understandable from where the hiring manager sits, but it further narrows the opportunity for applicants. I recently applied for a job that I found out later from an insider was probably already promised to someone before the job ad even got posted. The ad was merely a formality.

This is what we’re up against, my friends. But the worst? Younger says employed candidates are preferable to unemployed ones. In fact, he says, “[S]ome employers are vehemently opposed to hiring anyone who is unemployed … .”

Well, isn’t that peachy?

Granted, this is not an investigative report; I’ve given you only one perspective from one publication. But I think it’s worth knowing, if only to use the next time someone asks you what’s taking so long for you to land a job.

On one hand, this information can make us feel hopeless. But on the other, it can give us the courage to go out on a limb—to try unusual tactics, to apply for positions we’re not perfectly qualified for, to not try so hard to write whatever it is we think some HR person is looking for. Our chances of winning a job are about as good as winning the lottery. The important thing is to stay in the game.

Job-Hunting by Numbers

Today I happened upon a job board that had two unusual features. Each ad included these two figures:
1. The number of people who have applied so far for the position
2. The number of times the ad has been viewed

Is this useful information for job-seekers?

Perhaps. In some cases.

In my case? Well, 270 people have already applied for the job, and the ad had been viewed 13,421 times before I saw it.

So how would those numbers make you feel? Happy for the competition? Or discouraged by the odds? Eager to apply? Or ready to throw in the towel (or the keyboard)?

Of course, if you were the one to actually get the job, these numbers would sweeten your victory.

Again, the fact that the mainstream press continues to cite 6 as the average number of applicants per job annoys me—first, because reporters take it as gospel, and second, because it paints an inaccurate picture of the plight of the unemployed.

Last night while walking with the pooch, I saw something that looked like a shooting star. (My husband said it was more likely aliens.) I'm hoping it was a sign of good things to come for us—on this planet or another.


[Photo courtesy of Tony Cook.]

The State of Unenjoyment

Did you hear him? It's official. Our president stated what my mother refuses to believe: America's jobless send out one cover letter after another and never hear a peep from the prospective employer.

I feel vindicated.

But it's too late for writer Neal Hirschfeld. He already suffered a meltdown over the lack of response and plotted his revenge. Read his dramatic(ally humorous) tale on the New York Times site for a chuckle and maybe a plan of your own.

[Thank you to the Lull reader who pointed this out to me.]

In Which Lill Reminds Managers of Their Humanity

This week my sister applied for a marketing position at an upscale food market. She spent a great deal of time customizing her cover letter and résumé because she was genuinely excited about the job. She WANTED the job. She NEEDED the job.

She hand-delivered her bid for the position to the manager of the market. And he personally accepted her envelope. It's unusual for managers and HR folk to meet candidates in person at this stage of the hiring process. So he gets points for showing his face.

But his face was hardly welcoming. Never cracking a smile, he warned my sister that he's received more than 100 applications already (a few more than the 6 the press tells us about) and he'd only be contacting the cream of the crop.

I'm sure what he said is true. And perhaps he meant well. But with a dour disposition, he dashed every hope my sister had for the job. He could have conveyed the same information with a smile and a caring tone in his voice.

Dear Managers and HR professionals,

Who made you the Royal Guard of the company? Who said you have to maintain a poker face and act like a bloody robot to protect the company? Who do you think IS the company?

It's the people, of which you are one.

Job candidates aren't the enemy; employees aren't the enemy. So why treat them as if they are?

Obviously you know what the job market is like. You're the one who has to sift through hundreds of résumés. Now imagine, for a moment, what it's like to be the person represented by said résumé. Imagine a person whose unemployment benefits have run out, a person who is relying on the kindness of friends for shelter, a person who still has financial obligations and no way to meet them.

Or forget the hard-luck scenario. Just see people as people. Your first goal is to Do No Harm, regardless of how you may feel.

Respectfully,
Lill

I can say this because it used to be my job to advise managers and HR folk on how to communicate and behave with employees and colleagues in the workplace. I can say this because I used to be a manager and I understand the difficulties of the role.

So I hereby decree that anyone involved in the hiring process of an organization take a deep breath and summon a little warmth into their "game face." It's not an indicator of the job candidate's chances. But it does make you a better ambassador for your organization. And a better member of society.

Unemployed Laze About While Taking Money from Our Government

I've been noticing the number 6 lately in the news. It's the estimated number of people who apply for each job opening. And it riles me every time I see it. So I thought I'd address my concerns with a letter to one of the writers perpetuating this mythical number.


Dear Ms. Easton,

I'm not certain whether your recent article for Time magazine, "A Limit to Compassion," was meant to be commentary or a report. But for as many stats as you paraded along with their origins, there's one that stands out as highly suspect:
"With an estimated six people applying for every job available, there's plenty of merit to that argument."

I'm surprised you didn't use this estimate as proof that the unemployed aren't trying hard enough to get jobs. Heck, I had more competition in high school for my seat in the orchestra.

Though you don't say where this estimate comes from or how it was tabulated (and why don't you?), I suspect it's from Juju.com—a job board search engine that arrived at that number merely by dividing the number of unemployed with the number of job openings. The estimate has gotten a lot of mainstream press coverage.

A Reality Check
First, Americans should understand that job openings are open to everyone—not just to the unemployed. And Juju.com's estimate doesn't include the number of employed people who are applying for positions alongside their unemployed former colleagues.

Second, share that estimate with any unemployed person or HR staff member receiving résumés right now and I think you'd get a different story. Granted, some positions require such unusual skills that few people qualify to apply. And some positions are in locations that few people want to brave the weather or the distance or the local culture to take. But especially in industries that are hemorrhaging (e.g., publishing and car manufacturing), competition for jobs is fierce.

I don't doubt that lots of people (myself included) will run through all their unemployment benefits. But the economists tell only a partial tale.

The Story Behind the Story
While I'm on the dole, I'm looking for a job. And I'm applying for jobs—across the nation. And I know I'm not alone in this.

No, I've not applied to be the bagger at my local grocery store yet (though I have offered to give them a seminar on the art of bagging, something that clearly eludes the staff where I shop). No, I've not tried to get freelance work. That will be the first thing I do when my unemployment benefits run out. Actually, I'm gearing up for it already—making lists of contacts, software and equipment needed, organizations to join, seed money needed. But ideally I'd like a full-time job that uses the skills I have and offers some challenges to boot. Or just uses the skills I have. And here's where Juju.com's math gets wonky.

I applied to some job openings months and months ago that are STILL OPEN. Some employers have outrageous expectations of the skills candidates should have. That's their prerogative. But it doesn't get the positions filled. And then those positions remain in the job vacancy rate.

Unlike many job-seekers I know, I don't lie about my abilities. So if a job ad says I need to have extensive knowledge of astronomy, I bypass it. And I DO apply for jobs in my industry that are rungs and rungs beneath the height I'd reached. I don't have a problem with downward mobility, but many HR people do. They think I'll resent the low salary once on the job and become a problem employee, or that I'll not be able to take direction from anyone since I used to run the show, or that I'll not be able to accept a supervisor younger than myself, or that I'll want to move up too fast, or that I'll be too set in my ways to adapt to a new set of rules and processes. These are valid concerns. So I try to address them in my cover letters.

Yes, these are desperate times. But job-seekers have to be careful: The job needs to pay enough to live on (which is why I've abandoned hope for a job in NYC). And the job needs to be in a location that serves their family's needs (e.g., my husband requires medical care that's typically found only near large medical facilities and research universities).

There are thousands of people who could never meet the expectations of the jobs I'm applying for, but could be fine receptionists, accountants, or personal assistants. If I fill the receptionist opening, I will have reduced the options for those people. While I have unemployment benefits coming in, I'm choosing to avoid this scenario. Without unemployment benefits, I may have to acquiesce.

The Outlook on Job Reform
The job market needs more than new jobs. It needs a drastically transformed mindset on the part of managers, HR specialists, and recruiters. It needs application systems that work for the applicants as well as the companies. It needs internships and apprenticeships that are open to noncollege candidates. It needs CEOs who understand the value of training and the value of making every employee broadly employable rather than trained only for one niche in one company.

Ugh. I could go on. But time is precious and my job-hunting awaits. I will be applying for three positions this weekend, and I can assure you that I will have to best many, many more than 5 competitors for each one.

Respectfully,
Lill


[Art attributed to Gabriel Metsu.]

Escaping the Island of Misfit Toys

If you've watched any network telly lately, you've probably glimpsed the Island of Misfit Toys—a no-man's land where imperfect toys from Santa's workshop are exiled, never to be loved by a child or placed in a home. This make-believe world from the creators of the animated Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is also airing as a commercial blasting the poor cellphone service of a major provider and we see the coveted iPhone dumped among unwanted toys from previous generations.

Misfit toys and unemployed people have much in common: We're useful (though perhaps not in the way our previous employers expected or understood), we want to be recognized as such (even an autoreply saying "Thanks for applying" would suffice), and we yearn for a sense of belonging.

I came across this sentence in a book this morning:

"Place is the true core of the universal."

I don't know the original context in which poet and physician William Carlos Williams wrote it, but it certainly speaks to me in my present predicament—as I think it does for great numbers of people on this planet for a host of reasons. How much despair has bewildered us—how many graceless acts have been committed because someone had no sense of place or belonging?

Finding your place isn't always easy. It requires time, honesty, introspection, perseverance, intuition, and careful deliberation. As poet Anne Sexton wrote, you have to…

"Put your ear down next to your soul and listen hard."

Sometimes we're forced into exploring our souls, as I was earlier this year. When the possibility arose that I might lose my sight, or a portion of it, I had to rethink my dream career of being a book editor.

What else can I do? What else do I want to do? What parts of me have I ignored all these years? What do I care about?

As author Susan Chernak McElroy wrote in "Other Angels: One Woman's Bible":

"I pressed on with my goal to make my outer life look more like my most genuine inner life, whatever that was. … Gathering, even defining, a genuine life for myself out of the old was the task of my lifetime."

Indeed. No one is going to rescue me from the Island of Unenjoyment. I have to do it myself. I have to rediscover where my place is and then map out a way to get there.

On the other hand, if Rudolph happens by to show me the way, you can bet I'll follow.

Need A Layoff Chuckle?

Recently communications consultant Steve Crescenzo offered some tongue-in-cheek advice to a job-seeker (and mutual friend) on his blog, Corporate Hallucinations. Look for the July 23rd article: "Some job interview advice for a friend."