It's not just your imagination. For a variety of reasons, there now are more people than ever competing for the same jobs. In part, this can be traced to business trends of recent years. As the economy slumped in the late '80s and early '90s, businesses cut expenses by laying off huge numbers of workers. Rampant corporate mergers and acquisitions put many other workers on the street.
Additionally, people are job-hopping more than in years past. It once was common for employees to spend all their working years at one company. Today, the average worker puts in only a few years before searching for different pastures. It's not purely a case of boredom; changing employers is often the only route to career advancement.
To say that the job market is crowded is an understatement. If you are in a highly technical or relatively new field, such as environmental engineering, the competition may be less intense. But in most cases, the career highway is jammed, backed up for miles with job- seekers just like you.
Before you get discouraged, however, remember that in every competition, there is a winner. In some cases, the people who win the employment playoffs do so because of pure luck, but more often, it's because they have a better understanding of the game.
Over the past 10 to 15 years, that game has been radically altered. The field is different, the playing conditions are different. And because of these changes, most of the tactics that job-seekers relied upon in the past simply do not work now. Sadly, most people ignore this fact, preferring to stick with old and comfortable job-search routines. As a result, they make their job hunt more difficult and prolonged than it need be.
If you want to join the ranks of the winners, it's crucial that you learn how the employment game is played today. So here are the new rules-and new strategies for winning.
Rule 1: Don't depend on the classified ads
Perhaps you, like many people, believe that the way to a good job is through the classified ads. Every Sunday, you scour the "Help Wanted" section of the newspaper. When you find a job that sounds promising, you send your resume or apply in person. Whether this worked in years gone by-and that's a subject of debate-there's no question that it is not an effective practice today. The odds against you are just too great.
Employment experts estimate that an advertisement for a single position typically generates 300 to 400 responses. Out of those hundreds of applicants, only a few will get an interview. Furthermore, most jobs are never advertised! According to researchers, only about 15 to 20 percent of the available jobs in America are filled via the classifieds.
Of course, that means that some people do get jobs as a result of answering classified ads, so we're not suggesting that you avoid them completely. But unless you like long-shot odds, you shouldn't base your entire job search on this very narrow, employment avenue.
Rule 2: Mass mailings waste time and money
Many people take a mass mailing approach to job-hunting, sending resumes to hundreds of potential employers. The logic is this: The more resume lines you cast, the better your chances of some employer taking the bait.
The logic is sound. So why does this method have such a low success rate? The problem is in the way that most job-seekers execute it. They write one generic cover letter they can send to all prospective employers. They address the letter to "Personnel Department," begin their plea for employment with "Dear Sir or Madam" or "To whom it may concern," and ask to be considered for "any position for which I am qualified."
Assuming that such a letter makes its way through the personnel department to someone in charge of hiring it creates a negative impression. It tells the employer that the applicant: 1) either doesn't know anything about the company or doesn't care enough to write a personalized letter; and 2) doesn't have any clear career goals in mind. Both of these indicate a less-than-motivated, undirected individual.
Mailings can be effective, but only if they are handled properly. A majority of job-seekers, however, take the "form letter" approach just described-and make strategically several other errors as well. In the end, they accomplish nothing more than wasting a lot of paper and postage.
Rule 3: Look beyond the personnel department
When you apply for a job at a small company-say 20 or fewer employees-you most likely will deal directly with the person who has final hiring responsibility. Larger companies, however, generally have a personnel department-also known as Human Resources, or HR- acting as an intermediary in the employment process.
Final hiring decisions are rarely made by HR alone; this responsibility is usually given to a manager or supervisor in the department where the new employee will work. (For discussion purposes, well refer to these managers and supervisors as direct hiring managers.) The task of HR is to do initial applicant screening and refer a small percentage of candidates to the direct hiring managers, who then interview the chosen few.
By handling the administrative aspects of hiring, the HR staff frees direct hiring managers to perform other tasks. However, although HR staffers may serve the company well, the system certainly is not designed to make it easier for you to get a job!
A day in the life of HR
Here's a typical HR scenario. Susan, direct hiring manager of the telemarketing department, notifies the HR department that she needs a new supervisor. She is told to provide a job description and a list of necessary qualifications to Diane, an entry-level HR assistant.
Susan and Diane decide that it won't be necessary to advertise the position; because the company's telemarketing department is known as a good place to work, there already are hundreds of resumes on file from would-be supervisors. Diane will review those resumes and provide Susan with the names of the top 15 candidates.
This is only one of Diane's many assignments, so she can spend an average of just 30 seconds looking at each resume. Not much time for an applicant to make an impression! But the really scary part is that the 15 people Diane delivers to Susan may not, in fact, be the most qualified for the job. Diane, you see, is not very well-equipped to evaluate the applicants.
First of all, she doesn't have any telemarketing experience. So when she reads a candidate's resume, she doesn't fully appreciate the information it contains. She looks at an applicant's job history, but she's not sure what the technical statements and terms mean. And she doesn't know whether that experience relates to the position in question.
So what does Diane do? She refers to a list of buzzwords-industry lingo and terms-that Susan has provided. She scans a resume, and if she doesn't see any of the specified words, she assumes that the candidate is not qualified. Many candidates she rejects are, in fact, perfectly qualified; their mistake was to describe their experience without using Susan's specified buzzwords.
Any excuse will do
Diane also discards resumes from candidates who appear to be more than qualified. This is on the orders of her superiors, who believe that overqualified employees quickly become dissatisfied employees.
Some candidates mention salary requirements that are far below or way above what the company is willing to pay, and Diane rejects these folks as well. No matter that the candidate may have been quite happy to work for the established rate. Diane's focus, remember, is to screen and eliminate the hundreds of resumes in her stack, and any excuse will do. Sometimes, Diane doesn't even need an excuse, other than her own personal prejudices. It may be that the photo on the resume reminds Diane of her ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend. Or it could be any of countless other reasons that have nothing whatsoever to do with the job at hand.
One way or another, Diane reduces a stack of hundreds of resumes to the requisite 15 by the end of the day. Out of those 15, she expects that Susan will call eight or 10 for an interview. And of course, only one will get the job.
You now can see why the experts recommend that in most cases, you must look beyond the personnel department when you're job- hunting. A far more effective strategy is to find out who is the direct hiring manager and approach that person on your own. You have a much better chance of making it to the interview stage, assuming, of course, that you are well-qualified for the position.
Mind you, you still may fall victim to personal prejudices or some other out-of-your-control screening quirk. In fact, experts say that once you move out of the HR department, that's more likely to happen.
Direct hiring managers are not as well-trained in interviewing skills and may not ask the right questions. They also tend to be much more subjective than HR departments. Perhaps it's easier to be objective when you don't have to work with someone every day!
But you'll have to deal with that subjectivity whether you set up the interview directly or struggle through the HR obstacle course. So why add more people to the chain-especially when the primary job of those people is to eliminate the majority of candidates applying for work?
A word of caution
Although contacting the direct hiring manager is usually your best inroad to a job, you can't afford to ignore the HR department entirely. In recent years, the HR department has become a much more powerful and more important arm of the corporation, especially in larger companies. Sometimes, the HR department is so influential that a "no" vote from the HR manager or specialist can cost you the job, even if the direct hiring manager thinks you're the cream of the crop. So you must take care not to offend or alienate the HR department in your efforts to make a connection with the direct hiring manager.
When you send a resume or cover letter to a direct hiring manager, be sure to forward a copy of the correspondence to the HR department as well. And if someone from the HR department is involved in the interview process, don't act as if the interview is less important than your meetings with the direct hiring manager. Be as professional, respectful and enthusiastic as you would if you were interviewing with the president of the company.
Rule 4: Create a network of job contacts
No matter what type of job you are seeking, the old adage, "It's not what you know, it's who you know" applies. Far and away, the best way to find a job is through personal and professional contacts. It may not be fair, but most jobs are filled by the "somebody knows somebody who'd be great for the job" system.
The system works like this: Suppose the Brown Company needs a middle-level accounting manager. The word is passed around the accounting department. Sarah, a supervisor in the division, thinks that her friend Tom, an accounting manager who works for a competitor, would be perfect for the job. Sarah sets up a meeting between Tom and the department head. Two weeks later, Tom has the job. The position is never advertised, and no other candidates are considered. The personnel department isn't even part of the picture until it's time for Tom to get his employee name badge.
When you think about it, this system is only natural. An employer feels more confident about a candidate who comes recommended by a respected employee. And the hiring process is made so much easier. The employer doesn't have to go to the expense or trouble of advertising the position and evaluating hundreds of applicants. Many companies encourage this hiring process by rewarding employees who refer qualified applicants.
You can make this system work to your advantage by cultivating as many contacts as possible in your chosen field and at companies that interest you. Realize that it is the best-and perhaps only-way for you to tap the so-called "hidden" market of un- advertised job opportunities.
Rule 5: Become a master at marketing
According to career experts the best job-search tips are the same as the methods that successful businesses use to sell their products.
Some job-search counselors object to this parallel. They consider it demeaning for people to treat themselves like products for sale. But you are trying to find a buyer for your skills and services, and intelligent marketing strategies can boost your selling power dramatically.
In fact, employing a marketing approach to your job search is absolutely essential in this day and age. It will help you rise above fierce competition. It will help you win the job you want in less time.
Here's a brief introduction to the primary marketing concepts.
Employers buy solutions
Years of research have been dedicated to the study of what motivates people to buy things. Because of this research, we know that people buy a product or service only when:
- They believe they have a need.
- They believe the product offers the best way to meet that need.
A woman buys a particular brand of perfume because she believes it makes her more attractive to her husband. She buys a certain make of car because it answers her need to display social status. She chooses one brand of peanut butter over another because it answers her family's budgetary and nutritional needs.
Employers are no different from any other consumers. They decide to "buy-to offer a salary to a prospective employee-because they believe that person to be the best solution to their needs. Why would they do otherwise? Is for charity or is to give you the break you deserve?
Remember employers, like all consumers, buy solutions to needs. If you want them to buy your product, you must 1) determine what problems they need to solve and 2) convince them that you are the best solution to that need. If you fail to do these two things, you will not be hired.
Target your market
Marketers know that it is a waste of time and money to try to sell to people who don't have a need for their product. They concentrate their sales efforts on a "target market"-a fancy name for the people who are most likely to need and therefore buy their product.
Unless you want to waste your time and money, you must do the same. You must concentrate your efforts on employers who have a need that you can fill. Of course, this requires some up-front research time on your part. You need to do some digging to find out which companies belong in your target market. But in the long run, it will shorten your job search and save you lots of frustration.
Accomplishments make the sale
As humans, we'd like to consider ourselves unselfish creatures. But when it comes to making a purchase-whether it be a can of tuna or a condominium-we have one overriding concern: "What's in it for me?"
While employers often demonstrate altruistic tendencies-they may donate to local charities or provide a nice employee cafeteria, for example-when it comes to hiring, they are driven by the same self- centered motives as every consumer. They are only concerned with what you can do for them.
You, then, must convince prospective employers that if they hire you, there indeed will be something in it for them-something big, in fact. And the way to do this is to emphasize your accomplishments.
Consider your resume, for example. It should tell the employer what tasks you were asked to perform at previous jobs. But a job description by itself has little sales impact. It doesn't prove that you were any good at your job! It doesn't prove that you were a benefit to your employer.
If a program you initiated saved your employer money, say so on your resume-and specify how much your effort returned to the company coffers. If you sold more widgets than anybody else in your department, state exactly how much additional revenue you generated. Explain in no uncertain terms how you increased profits, cut costs, improved efficiency or made other valuable contributions.
You must use this same approach throughout your entire "marketing campaign." Your resume, cover letters and interview responses should all focus on your accomplishments. This is the only way to ensure that prospective employers understand exactly what you did for others-and what you can do for them.
And there's more to come!
If all of this seems a little fuzzy right now, that's okay. You should know up front, however, that the marketing-oriented approach you're about to learn requires a lot of thought and effort. But if you follow the steps suggested, you will increase your selling power on the job market.
This marketing approach to job hunting is not just a gimmick or a fad. The principles of effective marketing have been proven through research studies time and time again. Just as surely as they help corporations market their wares, they will help you find a "buyer" for your skills and experience, no matter how crowded the marketplace, how strong the competition. And because amazingly few job-seekers employ these marketing strategies, they'll be doubly effective for you!
To say that the job market is crowded is an understatement. If you are in a highly technical or relatively new field, such as environmental engineering, the competition may be less intense. But in most cases, the career highway is jammed, backed up for miles with job- seekers just like you.
Before you get discouraged, however, remember that in every competition, there is a winner. In some cases, the people who win the employment playoffs do so because of pure luck, but more often, it's because they have a better understanding of the game.
Over the past 10 to 15 years, that game has been radically altered. The field is different, the playing conditions are different. And because of these changes, most of the tactics that job-seekers relied upon in the past simply do not work now. Sadly, most people ignore this fact, preferring to stick with old and comfortable job-search routines. As a result, they make their job hunt more difficult and prolonged than it needs to be.
If you want to join the ranks of the winners, it's crucial that you learn how the employment game is played today. So here are the new rules-and new strategies for winning.
