Re-entering the Job Market? Here’s What You’ve Missed

Lately, I have been fortunate enough to work with several clients who find themselves re-entering the job market after 5, 10, 15 or 20 years of working for one company. These folks haven’t searched or interviewed for a job in decades. Think about that, the last time some of them looked for a job George Bush or Bill Clinton was President and many of the people in the workforce today were in High School

10 years ago.

In the past 10 years or so, if you haven’t had to look for a job, here’s what has changed. You missed the rise of social media in recruiting and job searching. For example, a decade ago, companies did not use Facebook to recruit or verify you and your activity. There was no Twitter or LinkedIn ten years but there was the internet which helped introduce job boards and electronic applications. But the most important thing is that 10 years our economy started to implode. Unemployment rate was high (over 9%), job competition was intense, employers cut costs (wages and hiring), the real estate market was a mess and jobs were being lost and outsourced, which translated to some pretty desperate people doing pretty desperate things.

5 years ago.

In the past 5 years or so, the economy has rebounded. Companies and individuals have embraced technology. They say 25-35% of all jobs today were even around 10 years ago. Social media is a monster now; Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and job boards are used over 95% of the time to recruit and or verify candidates. Today recruiters are somewhat suspicious if you do not have a social media account – at least professionally. I can tell you as a guy who speaks to job seekers all over the country that I often advise them to clean up their social media activities and join LinkedIn.

Also in the last 5 years people have gone back to school in larger numbers to be more marketable and employable. Companies have developed a “what have you done for me lately” recruiting/talent acquisition strategy which means they are not overly concerned or impressed with your 10, 15, 20 or 25 years of previous experience for a company that has likely laid you off, gone out of business, filed bankrupt or has been bought-out. Employers do not want rigid employees who rely on the past more than being open to the future because THINGS CHANGE.  We do not do anything the same way today as we did 10 years ago – except process industrial poisons!

Also there are more business owners today; with consumer confidence up and trust in ecommerce (online shopping) people are starting online businesses. There also lots of new companies and small tech companies know as “start-ups” . Don’t be afraid to try either.

Recruiters now versus then.

With Facebook and LinkedIn everyone thinks they are a recruiter now. Just because someone knows how to stalk someone online does not make them a good recruiter. It’s more to it than that. What about talent evaluation? How about compliance laws? Title VII? (Are you using social to discriminate or recruit?) And then the analysis of full-cycle recruiting?

There are more Recruiters and Sourcers now than ever. Recruiting has become more about relationships, stories and feelings rather than skills, education, experience and ability.

The job search has indeed changed; the one constant is a powerful network. If you have a power network, you will be fine. But, networks get old, people retire, get sick, move on and your once viable network can dry up quickly.

Give yourself the best start – get some help. I’m not the only resume writer but I strive to be the best.

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