Gold Nugget Coaching

(Continued from previous post.)

Obviously, most people use online job search methods and tools like monster.com, CareerBuilders.com, and others to find a job. These resources (and the others that I’ll talk about in this series) can be incredibly useful if used the right way.

And I have, in fact, seen many people be very successful in finding a job using these tools. But, unfortunately, there are others who, even after much time and effort, are unable to find a good job “match” and end up very disappointed. The disappointment often turns to frustration and then to resignation. And then they stop looking all together.

The process of online job searching can feel like the lottery: sometimes you win, but most times you don’t. Regardless, it practically always feels as though it’s all outside of your control. And, frankly, in large measure it is.

But there are strategies that can help put you in the driver’s seat. So let’s begin exploring what underlies being successful with online job searches. . . .

Of course, there are many factors that contribute to a successful online job search. But there’s one I want to address here that is often overlooked: “the market.” A major factor in any job search is the condition of the employment market in your field and your community. If the market is strong with lots of hiring going on, your chances of landing a job are simply much better than if there are few or no jobs.

Obvious, right? But you’d be amazed at how many people forget this very important underlying factor. In fact, they take it very personally if there’s little or no response to their online resume postings or job applications. I’ve even seen some people go so far as to start thinking that their career is over, past, done with.

But consider this recent example involving market conditions. Take the IT industry in many parts of the country. Prior to 2001, an online search for programmer positions may have yielded tens if not hundreds of results. But by 2004, it was almost impossible to find an IT position as a programmer, project manager, or other specialty. And proactively posting a resume on careerbuilders.com or monster.com usually met with no response at all. Extremely talented and highly skilled people were out of work—through absolutely no fault of their own. And the future looked grim indeed.

By 2006, this had all turned around. Jobs became plentiful again and most people were finding work in their chosen field.

So the lesson here is important: You don’t exist in a vacuum. You live and work in communities and a world in which market forces are at work, in which the job market goes up and down depending on many factors that are totally out of your control.

So, all things being equal (like you really do have the credentials and experience, and you really do have an effective resume), don’t take it personally if you don’t get a lot of responses in an online job search.

However, it’s definitely in your best interest to understand the market that exists for what you have to offer, and then to design your actions strategically, just like a company designs its marketing strategy.

To think and design strategically, you can start by asking yourself these questions:

• Am I called to a Professional’s Path or a Service Path?
  (If you don’t know what I mean by this you can start with the first post in this series by clicking here.)

• What is the current market for what I have to offer?

• What do I have to offer that this market values?
  Here you want to resist stopping at the obvious answer, for example, “I’m a Java programmer.” What other value do you bring? How about helping a team work well together, solving complex problems quickly, or keeping customers happy?

• Looking one to two years, then five years, and even ten years down the road, what are the trends in my market?
  If, for example, you see the market going off-shore, are you willing to go with it? If not, what preparations do you need to make so that “when the day comes” you can say, as Rhett Butler said to Scarlett O’Hara, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”

• What skills and talents does (and will) the market value that I don’t currently possess? Then which of these will I commit to becoming competent in?

Many of these questions will require some research on your part. The job search engines can be an excellent starting place—although they certainly shouldn’t be the only resource you use.

So think about the questions above. Do research. Begin to gather this critical information about the job market in your field and in your community.

Next time we’ll examine where else CareerBuilders can get help in answering these and other questions.

 © 2006 Gold Nugget Coaching

Technorati Tags: career, job, work, career coaching, career advice, career path