5 THINGS EVERY UNEMPLOYED PERSON SHOULD DO

...At Least Once

It seems that everyone, everywhere has advise to share with the thousands and thousands of unemployed people (interesting that most of the advice givers are all employed, many with great paying jobs) like myself who are doing everything possible to find work.

From what's wrong with our resumes to how we just blew that last job interview because we didn't have on the "right" watch, there is no shortage of advice from these wise sages.

While I might not have the brilliance of these employment gurus, being unemployed for such a long time has taught me a thing or two that I would like to share. 

Please allow me to present my list of the top 5 things that every unemployed person should do - at least once.  I'm not saying that any of these things will get you the employment that you seek, still they're worth a try.  Let's start:

NUMBER 5 - Prepare a daily list of things to do that will GET you a job.

NUMBER 4 - Read every (and I mean every) book on the market covering how to not be unemployed by very successful, employed people.

NUMBER 3 - Attend as many seminars as you possibly can to learn everything that you are doing wrong and why being unemployed is 100% your fault.

NUMBER 2 - Update your resume every week, for every interview, for every application to keep it current and fresh AND you employable.

NUMBER 1 - Use every ounce of energy (when you're not updating your resume for the umpteenth time) to get on a game show.  Since it would appear that in this current job market, our chances of getting on a game show and winning are better than finding a job.

There is no guarantee that any of the 5 above listed items will get you employed but at least job hunting will take on an interesting twist.

The game continues ...

ONLINE JOB APPLICATIONS: 

A NEW FORM OF DISCRIMINATION?

I have now been unemployed for one year.  I have sent out a countless number of resumes (95% of them to faceless, nameless online recipients), yet I haven't received one job offer and have sadly had very few interviews.

I have attended seminars to find out the best ways to present myself (something that I didn't feel I was doing so poorly prior to becoming unemployed), taken classes on freshening up and super-improving my resume, upgraded my computer skills and even dyed my hair to cover the grey that was showing.

Still nothing!

I have taken the current job market into consideration and know that there is no logical reason why I (and the millions of capable Americans who are also out of work) should not have good jobs (this includes employment that is fulfilling in all ways not just financially).  So I put on my detective hat and started doing a little snooping in between job hunting.  

I have discovered the following things - some of which I am still "investigating":

As many of us know, the way to apply for 99.9% of the jobs available is by way of online applications.  Most jobs are listed in the careers section on a company's website.  

I've sent out most of my applications this way and have now found out that I possibly have wasted my time doing so.  Several HR directors have informed me that many companies prefer to promote from within.  However, they still must list the open position for "legal" reasons.  Wow!  What a mind blower.

The next shocker came when I was informed that most online applications use the same program (that's why so many of them look the same and ask for the same information).  Makes sense to me, especially with the amount of responses that company's must receive to even one posting.  The shocker came when I was told that there are sub-sections in the programs that not only seek out education and experience, but also age, race and other items that can help in eliminating you from the job pool.

The final heart stopper recently came when an Asian friend asked me how my job search was going.  When I informed her that I was still unemployed, she commented that she wasn't surprised (not because of my skills) given my approach to job hunting.  I of course asked her to elaborate since at this point any information can be helpful.  My friend informed me that three things: my name, address and age were keeping me from breaking through the online application stage and heading straight to the in-person interview stage.  Wow!  Another mind blower.

So the question I am putting out there is if this information correct, then how will I ever find a job?  I have enough common and business sense to know that one way to get and lose a job fast is to lie on your job application.  Something that I have never done and don't choose to do now.

I will continue to "play" the game but will also search for better ways to get past those darn online applications.

Multicultural shot courtesy of www.dreamstime.com

THE BIG “O” WORD: OVERQUALIFIED

Today, many companies are reporting that their number one constraint on growth is the inability to hire workers with the necessary skills.

- William J. Clinton

Overqualification is the state of being skilled or educated beyond what is necessary for a job.

- Wikipedia

I’ve been out of work since January of this year; it’s now October!  I’ve put every ounce of energy that I have into my job search.  I’ve freshened up my resume, sharpened my skills by taking computer and other seminars, networked, Linkedin and out, and of course applied for work via any and all mediums available. 

I received quite a few interviews during my first couple of months of being unemployed.  And even though I wasn’t offered any positions, I was still very optimistic that the perfect job for me was right around the corner.  Why wouldn’t it be?  I’ve got years of experience, top-notched computer skills, a very good education and a winning personality.  Potential employers will be beating my door down.  It may just take a little more time.  Or so I thought.

One failed interview (I say failed because it didn’t yield a call back or a job offer) introduced a term that has been following me ever since: Overqualified.  If I had a dollar for every time a human resource director or recruiter told me that I was overqualified, I wouldn’t need a job because I’d be rich!

Now given former President Clinton’s statement above, I would say that no one should ever hear that he or she is overqualified.  Companies should just hire the person and reap the extra benefits they’ll bring using those additional skills.  But that’s my thinking, which doesn’t seem to be the norm.

I started to wonder if overqualified was a new code word for something else.  I needed to do some research.  Things have changed drastically since I first started job-hunting so many years ago.  It’s a totally different ballgame now.  My tools back in the day were the New York Times’ Sunday and Wednesday help wanted ad sections, a telephone and a resume (but it was okay if you didn’t have one – however, you did have to fill out an application).  You could also just randomly drop by a building, look at the companies listed in the lobby and then drop a resume off or ask to fill out an application.  Bam, you had job!  I’m realistic.  I know that those days are long gone, probably never ever to return again except in a time period movie.  I’m okay with that.

What I’m not okay with is with some HR jargon that diminishes my years of experience and hard work down to zip.

My research led me to several reasons this term is used.  The most frequent and honest is that a job applicant is truly overqualified.  For example, you have a Ph.D and have been laid off from your college professor position.  You’ve applied to every position you heard about in your field.  You’ve searched and searched with no results, so you finally start sending out applications for administrative assistant.  Guess what? You’re overqualified.  And the chances of a company seeking to fill the position of an administrative assistant hiring you are slim to none.  The company’s thinking: The minute something better comes along, this person is gone like the wind!  And that would probably be a correct assessment.

Still, people take jobs every day with the thought of I’m out of here the minute something better comes along.  I personally know of someone who was hired as an assistant in March, got some contacts through her boss’ Outlook and quit in August to work for one of his former colleagues.  Well don’t hate the player, hate the game, right?

Another reason given was that your skills might out match those of the person you’d be working for.  The first thought that will go through that person’s mind is that you could do his or her job.  Nobody wants to hire their own replacement, especially if they are not planning on leaving their current position.

So what’s a highly skilled, unemployed person to do when faced with this dilemma?  A 2010 SmartMoney article by Anne Kadet gives some really good tips (please take an opportunity to read the article in the link below).  One major one that she states is that it’s important to turn one’s experience into an asset not a liability.

I also think that companies have a responsibility to start considering an overqualified candidate.  Companies should also understand the difference between someone being overqualified and being over-experienced since they are two different things.

Not everyone is looking to jump ship after being hired.  Many people would be happy to stay with a company with hopes that their experience will enable them to move up the ladder faster.  Do employers really expect that the fresh-out-of-college new employee with some internship and one real job under his or her belt is going to retire at their organization?  Of course they don’t.  So why attach these unrealistic thoughts to candidates deemed overqualified?  Not fair, not fair at all.

I personally have been given a variety of ways to combat the problem.  From “dumbing down” my resume to simply outright lying about my experience - something that I am not only uncomfortable with but that I simply refuse to do.  My experience is what it is.  I’m proud of it.  I worked hard to get the education that I have and I also have worked extremely hard at each and every position that I’ve held over the years.

Overqualified?  Really?  My response: Hey, I’m not overqualified to eat and live indoors!

 http://www.smartmoney.com/plan/careers/avoiding-the-overqualified-label/

THE GAME'S AFOOT
“It’s a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it’s a depression when you lose yours.”
- Harry S. Truman

Even though I've had many jobs and held various positions, writing has always been close to my heart.  This is one of the main reasons that I've started this blog.

I've been unemployed since January of this year.  Not working doesn't sit well with me at all!

I've worked since I was in high school (not because I had to but because I wanted my own money and working was the way to get it).  I come from a family of people who know the value of working.  No matter the job, our family motto is that you always do your best.

Sadly, I guess my best wasn't good enough for my last employer otherwise I would still be working.  LOL.

I started this blog (and it's Twitter sister: https://twitter.com/adventuresinue) for the following reasons:

• To keep a record of my experiences while I'm unemployed (which I hope won't be much longer)
• To assist in keeping me sane since I have been eating, drinking and sleeping nothing but looking for work.  It's all that I know.  It's become an obsession.  Find a job.  Find a job.  Find a job.  I don't intend for the blog to be a distraction, just something to document my thoughts and experiences during this rather interesting yet difficult time.
• To share information that other unemployed friends and former colleagues have shared with me, which I hope will help not only me but any readers of this blog
• To have a little fun

If all goes well, this blog will turn into ADVENTURES IN EMPLOYMENT!

Find A Job Image courtesy of www.thepsychologyoflife.com