Work in the Market Compared to Jobs in the Market

Chris:     Kevin, you said something I found very interesting yesterday. You said, “There’s more work out there than jobs. People in transition should think about finding work, then figuring out how to make it pay.”
Kevin:    Chris, there is more work than there are jobs.  Work may not be in its final structure.  It may not have a title or a level.  It may be important stuff that needs to be done but the right person isn’t there to do it.  Jobs are structured.  Jobs have been packaged in a “box.”  There is more work out there, which organizations are willing to pay for, than there are jobs.
Chris:    Okay, so let me make sure I’m following your thinking here. As organizations shed jobs, they aren’t necessarily shedding the work. If that’s your thinking, I totally concur. So if we embark from that as a starting point, this means “work” is there, it’s still needed, but organizations, and therefore people, might benefit from thinking a little differently about “jobs” and “work.”
Kevin:     Think of your business.  Are there projects waiting for resources to complete them?  We tend to focus on top priorities and that means there are meaningful work projects that need to be done but people can’t get to them.  A company may not pay a year’s salary to complete these projects.  But the company may pay 1/3rd to ½ of a salary to advance these projects.
Chris:    So the challenge for a person looking for a “job” might be two fold. First, people might be well-advised to look for “work” that will pay. Second, these people need to be able to market themselves effectively to organizations that might need what they can offer. This might require a really different approach to “job” hunting than many people are currently taking.
Kevin:    I think you are on track but maybe they really need to lead with the second point.  They need to identify the unmet needs that exist in the organization and show how they can address these needs in a timely and cost-effective way.  Networking discussions move away from the focus on “jobs” to key needs that are not being addressed or may need more attention.
Chris:    That’s an interesting point. By doing that – focus on key needs that are not being met or addressed – it puts the person in “search mode” into a totally different frame of mind. Instead of focusing on their job search needs, they are looking at how they might help others. That strikes me as a great way to ensure networking meetings are mutually beneficial, which in turn ought to lead to more meetings.
Kevin:    It is the “Me, Inc.” concept.  Each one of us is our own enterprise.  We have skills, knowledge, abilities, and experience.  We must look for markets – customers – who need the services we offer.  Like any good business we must identify key needs of an organization and “sell” our ability and track record in addressing such needs.
Chris:    It certainly follows, therefore, that some of these needs that are now unmet could be filled in a variety of ways. While most people’s goal is to land a full-time, permanent position, that traditional approach might not be the optimum approach in this market. Contract positions or even part-time work might be a shorter path to “employment.”
Kevin:    Right, many contract or project positions are not “dead end” assignments.  Doing the work well, producing value and fitting in often lead to other projects or even full-time employment.  Flexibility and career agility can lead to good employment outcomes in a market like this.

Creativity & Success

I am reading a terrific book called, “A Whole New Mind, Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future,” by Daniel H. Pink. Pink makes a compelling an wonderful case about why people who think broadly and expansively will have tremendous advantages in what he describes as the “Conceptual Age.” As I’ve been reading this great book, I’ve been thinking about my own pursuits and my own interest in creativity and innovation as business drivers.

I am absolutely convinced that this recession will open doors for organizations that can step up and actually allow creativity and innovation to prosper. In a word – innovation is THE key to not only surviving the recession, but also the key to thriving during the recession.

We can find numerous articles offering advice on what steps to take for your organization to make it through the recession. Some examples of advice include increase marketing efforts, improve brand awareness, solidify customer bases, cut less profitable operations, slash payroll, buy weakened competitors, etc. Each suggestion can be supported by anecdotal evidence and data. So? Nearly every writer that offers these valid suggestions just skips over the more fundamental question of – “how do we determine our best chance of success?” The answer is – to nurture the creative spirit of your people and foster a culture of innovation.

This means doing a lot of what Daniel Pink says is important in the conceptual age. And THAT means letting go of business models that are tied to the Information Age. It means finding PEOPLE who can think broadly, see connections and develop interesting ways to look at problems and challenges, and these are things most companies are really bad at doing.

Hopefully, we’ll see more and more organizations shedding out-moded thinking models and finding people who can thrive in this whole new world where concepts and ideas are the currency of success. I love a story Pink relates at p. 143. He quotes Sidney Harman, the co-founder of Harman/Kardon Electronics who said he didn’t see much value in hiring MBA’s. He wanted poets.David G. Myers, in “Intuition: Its Powers and Perils” (Yale University Press, 2002, p. 46) quoted Harman. ”Poets are our original systems thinkers. They contemplate the world in which we live and feel obliged to interpret and give expression to it in a way that makes the reader understand how the world turns. Poets, those unheralded systems thinkers, are our original digital thinkers. It is from their midst that I believe we will draw tomorrow’s business leaders.”

This “big picture” world view, seeing connections where other miss them and a deep, innate sense of curiosity are the benchmarks that will, in my opinion, separate sucessful business leaders from the rest of the pack as the world economy turns around.

New Year – New Challenges & A New Market

If all anyone did was read newspapers, magazines or watch televised news programs, you’d believe there are no jobs to be found and the economy won’t recover for 10-15 years. The truth of the matter isn’t nearly that bleak. It’s not great, but it’s not all doom and gloom, either.

First – it looks like many employers are, indeed, planning to cut jobs in 2009. But – 14% or so of employers are planning to ADD employees. About 25% or so plan no headcount changes (meaning replacement hiring will continue), and 13% are uncertain about staffing plans for 2009. These numbers are according to CareerBuilder.com. So – we can expect more big job cut announcements – and most of these cuts will be in large, brand name companies.

Second – there are still segments of the economy that are growing and hiring. Current forecasts look promising in health care, IT, “green” technology organizations and in some segments of the telecommunications industry. Government hiring will also continue, and depending upon the success of the stimulus package before Congress, we might see an increase in some construction oriented jobs.

Third – the market is highly competitive, and traditional search tactics will simply not work. If you don’t have an effective on-line presence, you’re missing the boat. Get a solid profile on one of the better social networking sites like Plaxo or Linked In, and – if you are up to it – blog. Regardless of how you do it, you simply must have a compelling web presence.

I am not convinced the job market will be as dismal as many forecasters are stating. So much of the economy is tied to emotions, and emotions are high and negative. As the new administration and Congress begin to take affirmative steps to help move the economy out of this recession, I believe people’s emotions will calm, and we’ll start to see some real movement during the summer. (I am NOT an economist, nor am I an expert – so take that belief for what it’s worth.)

It’s not scientific, but anecdotal information suggests, and I am sensing more movement and activity among my transition clients. More clients are interviewing, more offers are coming and more people are landing than in the last part of 2008. I can’t say it’s been a hot market, but my clients ARE landing, and landing solid jobs. The differences are:

• longer searches
• more competition
• high reliance upon contacts
• use of Internet based networking sites
• more success with smaller employers

So – it’s a new year, with new challenges and – I believe – a reason for hope and optimism.

GOOD LUCK!