Today’s employee wants more vacation time, more overall freedom on the job, less supervision, a greater piece of the corporate pie, which the news media so often portrays as “excessive corporate greed.” And today’s employee is ever vigilant of his or her career opportunities within the present employer’s organization and elsewhere as well.

We all agree that cradle to grave employment is a thing of the past. Corporations downsize at the first indication of missed earnings and in order to further reduce costs many firms are permanently “outsourcing” entire departments. What impact has this had on the employee? Daily the news media brings another story of ‘jobs lost by thousands,” or “another corporation has closed down without notice to the thousands of now unemployed employees.” Are we strengthening and fostering employee trust and loyalty? Do we actually expect employees to remain steadfast and loyal while they watch their fellow team members leave one by one, and often, in droves?

This new corporate methodology, coupled with the modern age of news dissemination, the “Information Age,” has had a significant impact on today’s employee. Because the expectation of long-term employment is no longer valid, the 21st Century employee’s mindset is on short-term career opportunity. Tenure amongst college educated employees nationwide now averages 24-36 months, down from the 5 to 12 year average tenure of the 70’s and 80’s.

Overlooking these new elements of the 21st Century employee candidate has made it significantly more difficult to find and attract the talent our businesses need to thrive and prosper. We no longer provide long-term opportunity yet when we look for new people to join our teams we still want to hire candidates who have employment histories showing minimal movement. We still believe we must find and hire only those employees who have shown loyalty and commitment by remaining with former employers for long periods of time. Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer available candidates who play by the old rules.

There seems to be a new Employer/Employee trade off trend. Employers are faced with higher recruiting and training costs due to continuously replacing employees but save significantly elsewhere. Less tenured employees never reach the top of the pay scale. Retirement programs are not typically fully vested before 5 to 7 years. Medical benefits don’t begin until after 90-120 and vacations do not become lengthy until after 5-7 years.

So, is the trade off fair? Sometimes? Maybe? Yes? No? For the employee, it all depends on how current the employee keeps his or her skill sets and education. The employer certainly wins if willing to replace lost employees with other tenured recruits versus “newbees” fresh out of school who have no frame of reference or awareness of where the land mines are buried.

The well qualified 21st Century employee candidate’s credentials typically show career movement every 24-36 months, continuous advancement in career goals and ongoing education, whether in Universities or in Seminars. Today’s employees are not always desirous of upward movement and may often change directions midstream if not satisfied with where their careers have taken them. The Old Rules simply do not apply anymore.

The employer benefits greatly from this new type of “fluid employee candidate.” New ideas and new methods come along with the person who has experienced Corporate America from more than one angle. Although change for the sake of change is unwanted, knowledge of other systems and procedures allows for the potential of change if necessary.

The Trade Off. Fair or unfair? Good or bad? Once upon a time, an old friend of mine passed onto me his favorite quote, now its mine too. “It’s not good or bad, right or wrong, fair or unfair, it just is.”

Ok, So Having Said All That, Let’s Look At Developing Your Job Search

Are you now looking for a new career and a bit confused as to what to do and how to do it? That’s a normal reaction and it is easily remedied. Let’s look at your immediate options: Want ads, Networking, Mailing your resume to lists of companies, and Working with recruiters. These are typical methods of contacting hiring executives but are they effective? Lets take a look at the pros and cons?

Working With Recruiters:

There are two basic types of recruiters, retained and contingency, and they all have various levels of professionalism. Recruiters, regardless of how they get paid, always work in behalf of the “client company,” not the candidate. Their loyalties and obligations are always on the side of the company.

Retained search firms are typically your most professional sources. They can be most helpful if you catch them at the right moment. Unfortunately you will never hear of more than one opportunity at a time from them and your search could take years.

Contingency Executive Search firms are your next best source of help. However, be very careful with them and make sure you understand the intent of the recruiter you’re working with. Be sure they agree not to send your resume to anyone without first getting your permission per incident. Having your resume broadcast to 500 companies is the kiss of death to your career search. Remember, once a recruiter submits your resume to a company, that company is generally obliged to pay the recruiter’s fee if you are hired. For your information, many companies do not pay fees to Contingency recruiter firms. Agencies provide little, if any, value for executives.

Mailing Your Resume:

Mailing your resume to companies and waiting for responses can be depressing. I know of several well-qualified people who have mailed thousands of resumes only to sit and wait for a meager 5 or 6 no thank you letters.

Networking:

If you are one of the lucky ones who invested in the time and energy to maintain a good network over the years, this is your best bet for your career search. However, few people are so lucky. Unfortunately, most people don’t’ give this a high priority in their lives.

Want Ads:

Depending upon want ads can be disastrous. Most of the good opportunities are never published in the papers or trade magazines.

There is a Better way! The PRO-ACTIVE Way

 

1. Identify companies you want to work for via local/regional news media, internet, public library, chambers of commerce, etc.

2. Research these companies in depth by reviewing their websites or through other sources on the Internet. 

3. Start a significant and sustained communications program to let your selected targets know you are seriously interested in joining their teams. 

4. You will want to record your daily activities in a journal so that modifications to your plan can be achieved as necessary. 

5. Follow Up continuously until you achieve desired results. 

6. Plan for successful interviews. 

7. Receive offers, negotiate and accept the one that best suits you.

Your career search success, or failure, depends strictly upon the direct effort you put forth. Hesitate to act, and your competitor will have your “dream” career. Plan your day in such a way that you spend as much time on your career search as you would in a career job itself.

Be a positive thinker, active hour by hour, and don’t quit until you have the success you deserve.

Happy Hunting!

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Don Reid is president of DMReid & Associates  a national Retained Services Executive Search Firm located in Brentwood TN. Mr. Reid is a 20-year veteran of the career search profession and has worked with thousands of clients to help match the right people with the right career. Mr. Reid’s firm currently specializes in executive placement for the Healthcare, Financial Services, and Entertainment industries.

You can reach Mr. Reid by email at dmreid@dmrnet.com

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