by Karla Williams
Earlier today I found an article in Business Week regarding everyone's pressing concern - unemployment.
Apparently there is another wrinkle that may derail the dreams of the unemployed - many of the jobs that are being eliminated may not come back.
You see, apparently there is a mismatch between the skills of many of the people that are displaced and the needs of hiring companies. What does this mean for the future? I'm not sure anyone really knows, but one thing is for sure - if you think it is hard to get a job today - it is going to be even harder in the future.
According to this article, there are over 3 million jobs available right now - problem is companies say they can't find qualified workers to fill these jobs. There are many reasons.
1. Location of the job - people don't want to move. They are established in their communities and are loathe to start over somewhere else.
2. The skills the employer needs are not available in the available work force. Employers typically will only make a hire when they find an employee that has a minimum of 90% of the skills that they seek. Today many of the candidates they find only have 50% of the skill that they seek.
Combine that with the fact that people who are unemployed are perceived, with very few exceptions as damaged goods and the problem is magnified even more than the author in the article believes. And as I write to members of my group, "Get a job - Keep a job" perception is reality.
Now as a recruiter, I have opinions on how this disparity can be solved, but that will not make me popular with my clients so I will keep them to myself. As a Search consultant, I advise you to take a look at the skills that you have and the work experience that you have and to do the following:
1. Make certain that your skills are current - one example - just a few years ago Project Managers did not need to have the PMP certification - now it is all but mandatory to find a new job as a Project Manager.
2. Use a job board aggregator such as Indeed.com to keep an eye on whether or not anyone is hiring for the position that you have. And if they are, what are the requirements for someone to get that same job today.
3. Be prepared to take a lot less money if you are not a perfect fit for what companies look for. Even the loftiest organizations will SOMETIMES (rarely, but it happens) make an exception and hire an otherwise competent person that has some of what they are looking for if the "price" is right.
4. Get retrained while you still have a job. It is likely that you will either want to make a change at some point or that a job change will be forced upon you by circumstances like the economy.
5. Stay current- do whatever you have to do to get experience that makes your experience relevant, even cutting edge. One candidate that I spoke to last week had volunteered at his local hospital to help them with an implementation of a new healthcare Information system so that he could put this experience on his resume. Smart move to do that particularly in an area that is backed by the current stimulus initiatives and that is growing in most areas - even the most depressed.
To read the full article that started this train of thought.
To learn more about how to insulate yourself in this market and receive invitations to workshops and webinars on how to conduct an active job search campaign, join my groupsite, Get a Job - Keep A Job.
