Back in the early 1930s, according to film critic Robert Osborne, Hollywood studio executive Darryl Zanuck brought together famed film director William Wellman and silver-screen star Ruth Chatterton to shoot the film Frisco Jenny. Wellman and Chapman had never collaborated, and neither was thrilled about the prospect. Each regarded the other as—in Osborne’s words—“high-maintenance.” Zanuck told his two talents, they better get used to the idea of teamwork, or: “… you’re both going to look for jobs elsewhere … jobs won’t be easy to find when I start making some calls.”
Sounds downright sinister, doesn’t it? Well, today’s job world rivals those dark days. People crave job security. They’re scared and rightly so. But there’s a difference. Back in the 1930s, lifetime employment was almost everyone’s goal. Hang around for the gold watch. No more. Most modern folks are realists. They know the next downsizing might well string them up by their own watch chain.
It’s no longer about getting just one job in the hopes it will be the last one you’ll ever need to find. Instead you have to be constantly prepared to get a next job with another employer.
In 2007, Time magazine reported a Gallup poll saying “about 77 percent of people hated their jobs.” The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the average person will have at least three to five career changes and 10 to 14 different jobs by age 38. Downsizing and re-engineering are inescapable realities. Individuals can expect to be routinely caught in the employment meat grinder.
On The Hunt
The result? People will now live their entire lives in a perpetual job search. That demands an expanded tool box. Relentless and effective networking coupled with lifetime learning are the foremost survival skills.
In this volatile world, employers have ratcheted up their expectations too. More than ever before, firms are banking on new hires to deliver payback plus. They want reliable results fast.
For any management job today, you can expect a psychological evaluation. Today’s “shrink test” shouldn’t spook you, but expect it to be thorough. Companies have neither the time nor the money to risk on newcomers who can’t or won’t adapt to their culture.
Be credible. If you say you’re willing to take a haircut in salary and status, show how you’re adjusting your lifestyle or career plan.
Emphasize your teamwork skills. Why are they important? One reason is that there are a lot fewer employees around. There are also a lot fewer bosses to manage them. Natural teamwork players are easier to supervise and contribute to higher productivity.
Today’s savvy career planner is one step ahead of the game. He or she is always on the lookout for the next opportunity. That philosophy only freezes up when companies shut down hiring altogether.
So, when will companies start hiring again? Truth of the matter: they already are. And that includes some of the very best. An April Fortune magazine article announced some Fortune 100 employers had at least 150 openings. They included Walmart, Hewlett-Packard and State Farm Insurance.
Maybe you’re one of those success stories who have been hired during this downtown. This is a chance to help others who are still pounding the pavement. Send me your story at info@harveymackay.com. I’d love to hear from you and learn more about how people across the map are handling these tough times. • What was unique about how you presented your “value proposition” to a new employer? • Were you able to call on your personal network of references in an unusual way? • Did you make a special promise that you would be able to make a big difference to the firm’s performance short term and how did you deliver on it?
Perhaps you’re a returning veteran. Maybe you were in the cratered finance or automotive sector and had to switch industries. It could be your career had been sidelined for several years as a stay-at-home mom or dad. How do people in these straits claw their way back into a job?
The more innovative people we can help get back to work, the faster this economy will be pumping iron again.
Mackay’s Moral: They’re not not hiring . . . they’re just not hiring like they used to.
