The most common cry I am hearing from job-hunters

There are no jobs out there to apply for

That is simply not true. Less jobs to apply for? Yes. Less easy to spot jobs? Yes. No jobs to apply for? No.

The job market is like a still glass of water. No apparent activity, and nothing visible to hunt after …

No matter how deep a recession bites, millions of people are still getting out of bed and going to work.

MILLIONS In any group encompassing MILLIONS of people, on any given day, think how many of them are going to be:

Retiring

Quitting

Injured Perfect railing for skateboard tricks

Injured Perfect railing for skateboard tricks Perfect spot for crushing testicles

Fired

Advised not to go for that promotion

Or kidnapped by aliens?

Hundreds per day. Maybe thousands.

Even in a market where you can’t see any movement, there is movement going on. It’s called:

Churn

What does that mean for job-hunting efforts?

Churn

=

So why does it always feel like there is someone standing in the way?

This comes down to clarity and control

You are a clear-headed, and rational person, right?

So what percentage of your time are you spending on what effort to what effect?

Come back to clarity and control. What methods of finding jobs actually work these days?

Brace yourself, because here comes a 4-quadrant grid …

And ladies and gentlemen, brace yourselves again, because those blogs, books and gurus …

ARE RIGHT

Drum roll …

55%

55% More than half of job-hunters will find their next job by talking to people who know them, respect them or trust them.

This is common sense. It is also human nature.

Human beings don’t like strangers

55% You can verify this number for your local market by talking to outplacement and career management companies.

NB: You will never hear this figure from anyone in the recruitment business as it would be the equivalent of …

… a turkey voting for Christmas.

… a turkey voting for Christmas. I love Christmas! All the excitement and presents and stuffing … and stuffing.

55%

This is common sense. It also makes economic sense.

Dick Bolles illustrates the logic of this in his seminal work

© Richard Nelson Bolles What Color Is Your Parachute?

© Richard Nelson Bolles What Color Is Your Parachute?

© Richard Nelson Bolles What Color Is Your Parachute?

© Richard Nelson Bolles What Color Is Your Parachute?

Once you get past entry level and graduate jobs, employers will fill vacancies in as cheap, quick, and risk-averse a way as they can find.

This is common sense. This is human nature. It makes economic sense. It is also animal nature. animal

You hunt where the prey are

So what percentage of your time are you spending on what effort to what effect?

Maybe it’s time to redraw the pie?

Job-hunting in a tight market You only find oil if you drill wells ( ) Job-hunting in a tight market

by Rowan Manahan Rowan Manahan http: //fortifyservices . blogspot .com Job-hunting in a tight market

Picture credits http://www.flickr.com/photos/dhammza/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/scornish/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/kiwi2/