Visible jobs, Invisible Jobs and Hidden Opportunities

How do you look for a job?

Did you know…

…that 200 million people go to monster.com each year?

…that over 40,000 new resumes are posted every day??!

…that according to a study by Forrester Research, only 4% of people find jobs via the internet.

…that only about 20% of jobs filled are ever advertised? (And that’s in a good market. It’s probably substantially less in these days of mass layoffs.)

Don’t lose heart. That means that 80% or more of the jobs that get filled happen in some other way. And if you are putting your focus on looking for a job in the “traditional” ways, there is huge opportunity just waiting to be tapped.

I see three categories of ways jobs get filled:

1. Visible jobs. These are the ones that get posted. Usually they get posted because the company can’t fill them in any other way. These are, therefore, the worst of jobs.

2. Hidden Jobs. This happens when an employer knows there’s a need and is able to fill it without advertising.

Example: Michael Kraus from Stamford, CT emailed me that while between jobs due to a reorganization last May, he decided to set up his own company. His first client came as the result of a networking contact from his prior job. While providing service to them, it came to his attention that their Chief Compliance Officer was moving to another firm. He expressed interest and is now acting as the new CCO.

3. Hidden opportunities. These are the opportunities that even an employer doesn’t know exists. Yet.

Example: When I worked in the advertising business, I had an art director partner who could walk into almost any agency, right in the middle of a recession, as they were freezing increases and cutting lose freelancers, and he would time after time walk out having created a position for himself. He had a gift for being able to identify what need the agency had in that moment and demonstrating to them how he could fill it for far less than the income opportunities he could generate for them.

So, very quickly, the benefits of being aware of and going after the invisible jobs and hidden opportunities:

1. The opportunities are better

2. There are far more of them

3. There is significantly less—or NO—competition

4. The jobs/opportunities are tailored for you by you…much greater chance for happiness, satisfaction and fit.

To survive in a new economy, we need to become new ourselves.

The one thing we can count on is change, both in the economy and in ourselves. Watch this powerful video on the current state of change (researched by Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod, and Jeff Bronman) if you have any doubts that we are living in a new world with new possibilities available to us every day, both awe and fear-inspiring.

There is more opportunity out there than ever before. There is more need out there than ever before. And to leverage it, we need to become new ourselves.

We need to update our presentations, our experience, our skills—and especially our thinking.

Does this sound exciting to you? Or scary?

It may not be as difficult as it sounds. And while it does involve some hard work, can be a LOT of fun.

“In a time of crisis we all have the potential to morph 
up to a new level and do things we never thought possible.”
— Stuart Wilde

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” Walt Disney

The best remedy for layoff survivor guilt

Kathie M. emailed me that survivor guilt “never occurred to me until I suddenly noticed that no one was visiting my office or calling me after my layoff was announced.”

After being laid off, have you been treated like you had a communicable disease? Or if you weren’t laid off, did you find yourself avoiding those who were given their pink slips?

How do you deal when you’ve been laid off when you’ve been with the company longer than some who survived? How does it feel to survive when those with more tenure were cut loose?

What Kathie did was to decide that if her co-workers wouldn’t visit her, she’d visit them, which she did as often as possible. When appropriate, she asked for referrals. She noticed that they felt a bit better when they felt they were helping.

My thought: be human about this. Have compassion, whichever side you’re on. This is tough on everyone. Don’t be afraid to reach out. It may make more of a difference to the other person…and to you…than you can imagine.

daily inspiration — friday 2/6/09

I am unwritten, can’t read my mind, I’m undefined
I’m just beginning, the pen’s in my hand, ending unplanned

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

I break tradition, sometimes my tries, are outside the lines
We’ve been conditioned to not make mistakes, but I can’t live that way

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
The rest is still unwritten
The rest is still unwritten

30 years of recruiting wisdom: how to get a job

Spent a good amount of time on the phone with tech recruiter extraordinaire, Alan Elmont with RGA Tech in West Los Angeles (and San Francisco). He says he’s been telling job seekers the foolproof way to get a job for over 30 years. But he says very few actually follow through.

What I love about this recipe is that it corroborates my opinion that most jobs are not found in want ads or through recruiters or the internet but through real-time relationship.

Here’s his recipe:

1. Make a list of 100 most desirable companies, who have in their corporate structure the role you perform.

2. Research them using Hoovers or ZoomInfo to find the appropriate manager and get their contact info.

3. Call each one and introduce yourself. Tell them that you’re calling because you’ve been doing research on their company. You’ve been in [fill in your field here] for [how long]. And you’d like to come sit down with them to discuss employment opportunities. Then you ask “When do you have time on your calendar that I could meet with you?”

4. Always make the call expecting to succeed. But don’t be surprised or depressed if they ask you to send a resume or get in touch with human resources. If so, say “Great” and do it.

5. Give it a few days then follow up. Call them back and let them know that you have [fill in the blanks with whatever actions they suggested] and ask if you can talk to them about a position.

6. Put them on your calendar to touch base with either by email or phone (alternating) every 3-6 weeks.

7. Keep your list at 100 companies. As you reach one, replace it with a new one.

Alan says this will result in a job. He says that the average employer will say “No” five times before she says “yes.” He also says that only 4% of the population can hang tough and hear “No” five times. Most take it personally and give up long before they succeed.

So, my question to you: What do you need to put in place to support yourself in hanging tough?

Injured and Laid Off. What’s a job seeker to do?

Jonathan Y. emailed me that he fell and ruptured his quadriceps tendon, had knee surgery and three days later was included as part of a layoff of 10% of the company. He’s in one of those hip-to-ankle braces until late February and is unable to drive. He’s using a walker and can only be in a car when absolutely essential.  He is ineligible for unemployment until he is able to work again.

Although Jonathan’s situation is fairly extreme, he’s certainly not alone in having extenuating health (or other) circumstances that could get in the way of finding employment after being laid off. So what do you do when that’s your situation?

First of all, get into acceptance. When in an impossible situation, fighting it and thinking it should be different and you should be able to do things that you have no control over, only makes it worse. Make a list of what you CAN NOT do and give yourself full permission to not do it. You might as well.  It isn’t going to happen anyway. Then make a list of what you CAN do. This is where to put your focus.  Be creative. List your accomplishments as you achieve them and celebrate that you were able to move forward even under these constraints.

Give yourself a break in terms of responsibility to family, as well. How about giving yourself the same compassion you’d give to someone else in your situation.

If you’re dealing with a temporary disability, like Jonathan, your job right now is to take the best possible care of yourself so that you can heal fully and be prepared to look for work and perform well once you find a job. This may not be the best time to attempt to interview. Putting too much pressure on yourself to perform may actually lengthen the time it takes you to heal…and therefore the time until you are employable. If you do choose to interview during this time, think carefully about the way you are presenting yourself.  It’s possible to leave an impression of focus, dedication, strength and will…it’s also possible to leave them feeling that you are desperate and needy. Keep in mind that first impressions can be hard to undo later.

A great use of this time (in between self care) is preparing yourself for the day you are well enough to start searching actively. One thing you CAN do right now is to create the conditions that will result in work (another blog on this to come shortly). Get clear about what you’re looking for. Research potential employers. Polish your presentation.

On the practical side, it’s going to be even more important for you than for the average job seeker to prioritize. On the list of things you CAN do, evaluate the amount of effort each wil take against the likely rewards. Choose the actions that will produce the greatest results with the least amount of effort.

I wish Jonathan (and everyone else in similar circumstances) a speedy recovery,  physically, emotionally, and financially.

Starting your own business. How about a franchise?

The other day, I was talking with my dear friend, Chellie Campbell, author of Zero to Zillionaire and The Wealthy Spirit. This year she started franchising her financial stress reduction seminars. What perfect timing! The need for financial stress reduction has certainly never been higher. The overhead is low…an investment in training and a reasonable monthly fee for unlimited support. The biggest cost is your time. And whatever you choose to spend on supplies, networking and marketing, much of which can be done very inexpensively. Does it take hard work? Absolutely. But it’s also great fun and a great service to those who are freaking out about money. With one good seminar you can repay the cost of the training. With focus and hard work, it’s a business that can generate a 6-figure income.

Does this seem risky in a recession? Click here to read this bnet article from the 1992 recession “Franchise owners claim success despite recession.” It tells that 94% of nearly 1000 franchisers who were interviewed remained successful during the economic downturn.

What other franchise opportunities exist out there? Google franchise opportunities and take a look. Google recession-proof franchises and see what you can find. Think about where there is need, even or especially during a recession.

10 ways to keep your sanity in the face of layoff news.

Yahoo Article: Tens of thousands more layoffs are announced

Lots of bad scary news today. Pretty much everyday,these days. We may not be able to choose the news, but we can choose how we respond to it. As Holocaust survivor, Viktor Frankl famously said:“The one thing you can’t take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me.” He also said, “When we are no longer able to change a situation – we are challenged to change ourselves.”

How you respond to what’s happening is a choice. And the choice you make will impact what comes next for you. Here are a few suggestions of alternate choices that might serve you better than panic and tears:

1. Check in with yourself to see if you are okay right now. In this moment do you have a place to live? Have you eaten? Do you have money in your wallet?

2. Remember that we can not know what the future will bring. Have you ever been certain that doom was coming before only to have the reality be much less awful than your expectation?

3. Get in touch with what you really have and what you really need. We get all caught up in how much we’ve lost and forget to notice how much we have. We actually need far less than we think we need…and we need far less than we have. Make lists to remind yourself. It helps!

4. Don’t forget that all you need to find is one job. Numbers like 68,000 can make us feel that one is impossible. One is not impossible. One is all that’s possible. And there are many things you can do to increase the odds of getting that one.

5. Get support. Friends. Family. Others who’ve been laid off. There are plenty of professional coaches, career counselors and advisors ready to support people who’ve been laid off. (Don’t forget www.layoffbounceback.com)

6. Laugh. Find humor in what’s happening (there is always humor). Or just laugh because it feels good. Email someone a joke. It makes a difference.

7. Give yourself a treat that doesn’t cost any money. Take a walk and really enjoy being outside. Take a nap. Ask someone special for a massage. Listen to a piece of music. Draw. Remind yourself that it is possible for you to have fun without money.

8. Trust in yourself. Have you figured it out up until now? Chances are good that you can figure it out this time, too.

9. Make a plan. Okay, let’s just say that your worst imaginings of the future come true. What will you do. How will you respond. What resources are available to you. What if your worst imaginings don’t come true. Then what will you do?

10. Get into action. Do something to move yourself forward. You can make a difference in your own life. And in others lives. Do it now.

Changing careers. Check out 30 of the fastest growing occupations.

How can you turn what’s happening into a positive? Imagine the you of 5-10 years from now. Looking back you can see that being laid off forced you to rethink what you were doing. It gave you the time to look at what you are best at and what you wanted to be doing. It gave you the space to repackage yourself. It gave you the freedom to start over. Maybe just making a few little tweaks in your direction. Or maybe a 180 degree turnaround. And looking back you can attribute your new happiness and satisfaction, the improvements in your work and life to this period of time happening right now, layoffs and all, and the way that you choose to make it work.

Start now. Click here for a Boston Globe article that may stimulate some thought. It predicts where the opportunities will be in the future…and gives you some basic sense of what it would take for you to make the change…and what you might expect in terms of payoff. Keep in mind that the dollars will vary from market to market.

Why organizations should use outplacement services

More and more businesses are using outplacement services

In The New York Times Business Section, Brian Stelter says that layoffs are the business to be in in 2009.

Check out the article here.

Mr. Stelter says that “outplacement advisors say that the services lower the chance of public disputes, employee theft or even people harming themselves.” True enough. And the reasons an organization might want to use outplacement go much deeper and farther.

Here are just a few of the benefits to organizations in offering meaningful outplacement support:

• People who get outplacement support find work faster

• The separation process is smoother, litigation is less likely

• When times improve, the organization may want to rehire those same people—compassionate outplacement makes that possible.

• The way layoffs are handled is noted by clients, stockholders and the public. This is a PR issue.

• The way layoffs are handled impacts the employees who remain behind…affecting retention and productivity.