Job Tips Archives Today's Job Market

Today's job market is very different from that of even 10 years ago. Many businesses are having trouble just "treading water" to stay afloat. There are many more job seekers than advertised positions which translates into tough competition for the jobs available. Employers are wanting more experience and willing to pay less for that experience. Additionally, you may have had a job 2 years ago and been fully qualified ... but today that job function has disappeared. Unfortunately, it does not look like the job market will become more stable in the near future. In addition to all of these problems, an individual with a physical, mental, emotional or learning disability is put in a position where they are at a serious disadvantage in the middle of this job market revolution. All is not hopeless! Every week something new will be posted to this page to help with job searches in general. The previous week's information will then be transferred to archives and be available for review. It is the goal of New Start to help provide information to those who need employment about alternative ways of achieving their goals.

Today we are going to look at nine popular beliefs about searching for jobs. 1. The "job market" ... You have heard many statements about the "job market" being tight, not having openings, etc. What happens with these statements is that artificial walls are built which set the job seeker up to believe they cannot succeed. In reality, the "job market" as we have been traditionally taught, does NOT exist. There are NO boundaries, rules, regulations or prerequisites about who can or cannot be successfully employed. 2. Organizations control ... you can't buck the "system," it is impossible to change company policies and procedures, you can't fight "city hall." In reality, organizations were started by REAL people, having great courage and desire to CHANGE their status quo. At some point they made a choice to step out in faith and offer a new product or service to the public. By becoming aware of all of the substructures that all organizations have, we can learn to use those substructures to our advantage. 3. Organizations make sense ... If they made so much sense, why do 80% of new businesses fail within the first 5 years? Why is there such a heavy staff turnover in many organizations? In reality, imperfect people (human beings!) make up imperfect organizations. You should not become discouraged if an organization has never utilized someone with your skills and resources. If you feel that you have something positive to offer an organization, you can influence future policies by appearing to those making decisions today. 4. The "decision maker" has to be tackled ... Is there really a key person in every organization that job seekers must convince before they are hired? Actually, there are four separate decisions to be made before anyone is hired. a) Is there a need to hire someone? b) How will the applicants be screened and interviewed? c) How are the applicants going to be recruited? and d) Who will be hired? Rarely are all four of these questions answered by one person (except in sole proprietorships!). If you can become informed about these decisions, and learn how to influence any of the decisions, employment can be just a matter of the right opportunity at the right time. It is important to remember that a "no" from one person in a company is not necessarily the company's answer. 5. Employers are experts at hiring ... If they were such experts, why do so many employers hire the wrong people for their positions? Most employers do NOT have the expertise of hiring, screening, recruiting or interviewing. Their strengths are what they normally do for a living ... their company's product or service. This is one reason why job placement specialists and job coaches have an advantage ... they are experts in this field! 6. Jobs are defined by the duties and qualifications necessary to perform the jobs ... Usually employers take a 3-step process to create a job description and qualifications necessary for a particular job. a) Identify a need or problem in the company to be solved. b) Consider what will it take to do the job. c) Apply minimum qualifications equation ... describe the job in objective, measurable terms + decrease the risk of getting the wrong person + cut down the number of applicants = minimum qualifications. In reality the person best qualified is the one who can meet item "a)" above ... meet the need or problem in the company. A job is just an opportunity to meet a need successfully. 7. Unemployment rate reflects lack of job opportunities ... What makes up "unemployment rate"? There are five different kinds of "unemployment" but usually only three are discussed. a) demand deficiency unemployment -- too few jobs; b) structural unemployment -- mismatches in the economy for the jobs available and the qualifications of the unemployed workers; c) frictional unemployment -- appropriate jobs exist and are available, but the worker and those openings have not come together yet; d) discriminative unemployment -- factors other than the applicant's abilities to do the job do not give them a fair opportunity to be considered for openings; and e) attitudinal unemployment -- this would include all the victims who accept that there are only so many jobs to go around and there will always be people who are unemployed. In reality, more than 2 million new jobs are created every year, several million retire every year, lots of people change jobs every year, and the new millennium offers a diversity of jobs greater than has ever been offered before. 8. The challenge of job seekers is to identify existing job openings which best match skills and abilities ... Openings mean three things to those with disabilities: a) minimum qualifications that you either do not meet or are over-qualified; b) competition from job seekers who do not face the same kind of barriers; and c) preconceived notions on the part of employers about job duties; rate of pay; and what it will take to get the job done. In reality, opportunities are much more interesting and promising ... there's a hidden job market. 9. Job searching is reactive rather than proactive ... Just because that's the way job searching has been "traditionally done" doesn't make it the best way. Today we are starting to realize that it is not enough to hire workers and give them work to be done. The most successful businesses do not rely on only the hands, eyes and backs of their employees, but also their hearts, minds and spirit. Human beings are by nature versatile and innovative, changing and growing every day. Our relationship to the world of work and employment must accept, support, encourage, and celebrate our potential and the special contributions WE can make to our world.

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