Thanks to Linsey Levine for sharing this.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: LinZlev@aol.com
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2012 09:47:26 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: "The New Normal" Job world
To: linzlev@aol.com
Worth reading and passing along - and then thinking hard and seriously
about changing your personal strategies and tactics. Next ExecuNet Parsippany
meeting: Friday, October 19.
_How "The New Normal" Affects Your Job Search_
(http://www.recareered.com/blog/2012/10/09/how-the-new-normal-affects-your-job-search/)
by _Phil Rosenberg_ (http://recareered.com/)
(http://www.recareered.com/files/2012/10/The-New-Normal-Creative-Commons.jpg)
Today's job market is fundamentally different than the job market pre-2007.
Welcome to the "New Normal" job market of job shortages.
The mass changes in today's job market weren't caused by unsustainable
real-estate prices, the underlying flaws in the banking system nor the
resulting stock market crash. These were just the straws that broke
the camel's
back.
It won't matter who wins November's elections, the president can't change
these economic forces enough to bring the job market back to the good old
days of candidate shortages, making it easy to find jobs. Even if there were
no government deficits, the government simply can't create enough jobs to
bring things back to the way they were.
Obama can't change it, Romney can't change it, Congress can't change the
transformations in the job market. Thinking that government can create a
large enough effect to fix the job market is like believing that government
can stop a tsunami. The changes effecting today's job market are similar to a
giant wave, but this wave is reaching every part of America, Europe and it'
s starting to hit emerging economies in Asia. This isn't a problem
legislation can change … even if it could, it shouldn't try to change
the wave of
productivity causing the revolution taking place within employers.
This isn't just an American problem. The same mass changes are occurring
throughout the industrialized world.
What's going on in the job market is the after-effect of decades of
progress.
No one wants to reverse this progress, we just want to ease the negative
aspects of change.
The "New Normal" job market had been forming for many years, caused by
global competition and technology that continues to shift industrialized
nations from a manufacturing-based economy to an economy based on
technology and
services.
This should be no surprise … we've all seen it coming for years. We've had
40+ non-stop years of technological innovation, most of it geared towards
making business more productive (translation: doing more with fewer
employees). Most of today's corporate earnings aren't driven by
record demand for
goods/services – in most companies profits are being generated by "doing
more with less" … increased productivity.
When manufacturers invest in robotic manufacturing and computerized design,
you just don't need as many bodies to build a car. When computers and the
web allow employers to shifting repetitive work to low cost labor areas
(both inside and outside the US), global competitive markets force this to
happen.
Employers have to adapt or die … so do you.
We're at a crossroads globally, like the US was in the 1930′s, when
improved farming technology greatly reduced the need for farm labor –
it caused a
10 year long great depression while the majority of the workforce shifted
from agriculture to manufacturing. I'm not ready to say that we're headed
towards a repeat, only that there are bigger forces than politics shaping
the job market.
The best way to ease the negative effects of the fundamental changes that
have taken place in today's job market is to understand, anticipate and
adapt.
There are four basic ways to succeed in today's job market of job
shortages:
1. Restructure Your Job Search: Employers don't make the same hiring
decisions in today's job market as they did pre-2007. If you can't
understand how employer hiring decisions and processes have
drastically changed,
then you won't see the need to change how you search. The old random job
search methods no longer work in a job market of job shortages, ATS
pre-screening and mass competition.
Thinking that you've already adapted? If you're using the same resume,
mass emailing, random networking, once-size-fits-all, generalist branding,
waiting for jobs to be advertised or finding most of your opportunities on job
boards/company web sites, then you haven't yet adapted to the "New Normal
".
2. Hire Yourself: The "New Normal" features fewer employees, but more
independent consultants. Employers fearing loss of expertise owned talent
by hiring full-time employees. Today's employer realizes that Google is our
collective memory, so it's less important to own talent. Instead,
employers rent talent by increasing reliance on consultants,
freelancers and temps
to handle peak workflows and special projects.
According to Seth Godin, " When everyone has a laptop and connection to the
world, then everyone owns a factory. Instead of coming together
physically, we have the ability to come together virtually, to earn
attention, to
connect labor and resources, to deliver value." (from " The forever recession
(and the coming revolution)" at
_http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/09/the-forever-recession.html_
(http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/09/the-forever-recession.html) ).
3. Do Something Different: It's difficult to convince an employer to
take a chance on you changing careers. If you're unable to convince an
employer to teach you a new career, just do it yourself. You'll find it
difficult starting out, like all startups are difficult. It may mean you won't
earn anything for a few months. Then again, no one's paying you to search for
a job, are they?
If you're considering bootstrapping yourself into a new job, there are a
few things in your favor. There's never been lower start-up expenses for
bootstrapped businesses. You don't need an office, you don't need a phone, you
don't need advertising. All you need is a laptop and an internet
connection.
4. Blame Yourself: Blaming government, politicians, CEOs, employers,
the economy or blaming anyone else is pointless. If you're expecting anyone
to change things back to the "good old days" of candidate shortages and
easy job searches, you're dreaming. But the good news is that the same
internet that increased productivity also gave you dozens of tools
you can use to
change your job search and differentiate yourself from the masses.
Start blaming yourself … transform your job search, set aggressive goals
and get mad at yourself if you don't meet them. Re-examine your job search
strategies and don't be afraid to throw out tradition, replacing it with job
search innovation.
Seth Godin, a bit later in his article shared: "This means we may need to
change our expectations, change our training and change how we engage with
the future. Still, it's better than fighting for a status quo that is no
longer. The good news is clear: every forever recession is followed by a
lifetime of growth from the next thing …
… No one is demanding that we like the change, but the sooner we see it and
set out to become an irreplaceable linchpin, the faster the pain will
fade, as we get down to the work that needs to be (and now can be) done.
This revolution is at least as big as the last one, and the last one
changed everything." (from " The forever recession (and the coming
revolution)"
at
_http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/09/the-forever-recession.html_
(http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/09/the-forever-recession.html) ).
Linsey Levine, MS
CareerCounsel
Creating Conscious Career Paths & Connections
Home Office Phone: 914-923-9233
LinZlev@gmail.com _www.linseylevine.com_ (http://www.linseylevine.com/)
I help people in career pain, career limbo, or career depression
Get Unstuck: Get Clear, Get Focused, Get Moving
SEEKING A GREEN CAREER?: Many people ask me where to find resources to
help them figure out their green career path. I belong to a site called
GreenCareerCentral.com. Find out more about them at:
_http://tinyurl.com/c7d2lq_
(http://tinyurl.com/c7d2lq)
"To love what you do and feel that it matters -
how could anything be more fun?" Katherine Graham
"Work that matters, time to play."
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