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Defy The Economy

How to overcome the hurdles in the career search by a leading Career Coach

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tasivog1
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18 views

Defy The Economy

How to overcome the hurdles in the career search by a leading Career Coach

Uploaded by

tasivog1
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Defy the Economy

You have the degree, you have experience, you are a hard worker, you've tapped
into all the job search sites, you're on LinkedIn and Facebook, your resume has been
edited by a professional, and here you are three months into the ranks of the
unemployed. You are getting discouraged.

It's not surprising there are so many discouraged workers when you think of all the
discouraging media attention. Every week you read, see and hear of new layoffs, pay
cuts, plummeting consumer confidence and then, more of less.

The alarmist message: unemployment is like a low-pressure weather system on the


way to becoming a very dangerous hurricane.

A fair interpretation? For some, yes.

A belief from which to generate new work opportunities? For you, No!

When you live with discouragement for long it becomes self-fulfilling. Economic
negatives are easily, and glibly, held as a persuasive explanation for people’s
inability to find or create productive work situations.

I believe you can defy the dismal refrain of “there are no jobs out there” with your
natural courage and intelligence.

Consider:

There is no inherent scarcity of work. A job is an opportunity to solve a


problem and I don't need to convince you about the abundance of problems,
real and imagined, facing us. What there is a scarcity of, is the belief and
systematic approach to the principle that real work and jobs can come from
the ground up, from you into the economy rather than from the economy
down to you.

From a personal point of view the unemployment rate is meaningless; if it


drops 2% or improves by 2% it won't necessarily mean anything to your
employment status. If you have a job the unemployment rate is zero, and if
you don't, the unemployment rate is 100%.

You are not your job title! You are a person with talent, capability, skills and
creativity. Due to the dim-witted dumbing-down of jobs by employers
determined to siphon as much money away from their employees up to their
shareholders, plus expanded automation and outsourcing, the job you had is
probably history, and the work you can get hired and paid well for is waiting
to be defined and crafted. Job creation starts with you.
You are not your degree or education. What you have to work with is your
“know-how” those strengths you can put to work to create value for others:
employers, customers, community, neighborhood and potential work
partners. Educational monopolies will sell you an obsolescent or
depreciating degree for $75,000 without a guarantee that it actually does
something for you in the real world, but learning is different, and the ability
to learn on the fly–quickly embracing the knowledge, skills and capabilities
that link to contemporary needs and problems- is the essential talent for an
individual career creator like you.

Try this:

Work with friends, family and consultants to forge your skills and experience into
new strengths that are detailed to fit recognized and immediate needs. Dig deep
with this: new assumptions, new language, new buzzwords, new answers to the
question “why should I hire you?” Be sure to include your personal qualities
(persistence, responsibility, fast learner, committed, not afraid of risk, self
expressive, imaginative etc.) in the equation.

Wean yourself away from the job market slot machines and, instead, work from the
assumption that at least 75% of the available work openings are not advertised.
Perhaps not even named yet. Don't look for job listings, look for problems and
challenges that need and want attention. Dig deep.

Decide on three or four self-created job targets: work directions you are willing to
put time and energy into uncovering or creating. Each job target will have at least a
dozen or more potential employers. Combine your strengths, values and interests in
these.

Target your resume specifically to those targets, each custom tailored to


communicate your ability and know-how to make something valuable happen for
that enterprise.

Look everywhere in the economy, culture, markets and emerging technologies, to


find where needs and demands for know how are being generated fastest and
longest. Network that play, its important.

Learn how to speak of yourself as a solution generator and problem solver. Practice
this in role-plays and day to day interactions with others.

Remember that the critical success factor in any job search looks like this: No, no,
no, no, no, no, no, no, Yes!

Love yourself and have fun.

Tom Jackson
www.thebostoncareercoach.com

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