Career Articles

Current Unemployment Numbers: the good, the bad and the remedy

Despite the recent downtick in national unemployment numbers, there remain a high number of unemployed, underemployed and discouraged job seekers who have exhausted public assistance and have stopped looking. This latter group has ‘fallen off the grid’ in a manner of speaking and is no longer counted. It is estimated that should we count the total number of people in these three groups,  actual unemployment would be well into double digits, perhaps as high as 15% to 18%.

Unfortunately, the very existence of these numbers has an exacerbating effect on the unemployment picture. How? They tend to give some hiring managers and HR professionals  a false sense of the real supply side picture. Some employers interview very well qualified candidates, only to ‘want to see more’ before making a decision. What these employers often fail to grasp is high unemployment doesn’t mean the highly qualified candidate they are seeking is out of work or even willing to look. In fact, it is harder than ever to develop a full slate of qualified prospects as the by-and-large employed candidates sought aren’t secure enough about the state of things to make a move.

Some smart employers however, do recognize buying opportunities and are moving on highly qualified candidates caught in non-performance related downsizing actions. They are snapping up high value people before less committed competitors are responding. Their timely responsiveness is itself a competitive advantage, empowering them to secure the services of candidates that might normally be much harder to acquire.

Employers like this are to be commended for doing the right thing, not just for themselves but for the individuals they hire and the economy as a whole. As more employers realize a sense of urgency in the hiring process, we’ll begin seeing the economic recovery everyone is seeking.

Today we are going to consider the third rail of employment. The subject few want to discuss, discrimination.  Discrimination is an enormously complex topic made all the more so as its study is based on one’s suspect ability to discern the motivations and intentions of other people.  So stated, we’ll try to keep this simple, practical.

Does it exist? I believe it does. However, in my 25+ years of staffing, I have rarely seen it overtly expressed. Further, the majority of the few examples I have witnessed are by companies wishing to diversify their workforce and thus have discriminated against the majority demographic of their organization.

In other words, in my experience, discrimination exists, but certainly not anywhere close to the degree it may have 50 years ago when it first emerged as an issue. In today’s world, it cuts both ways and can be a help or a hindrance to the same person at difference times, in different instances during the course of a career.

As a result, my simple advice regarding this issue is this: ignore it. If you are a job seeker, give it no thought, time or precious energy. Focus instead on things you can control, like putting together a great résumé or marketing campaign, adding to your skill sets, practice interviewing or developing your network. These are positive areas you can affect and where your limited time and energy can be best employed.

Written By: Chris Gormley, Kane Partners LLC

A common mistake often made prior to an interview is poor preparation. Candidates work hours on their résumé, seek the help of others, perhaps even pay for a professional service, all in the effort to create a great résumé; one that will secure an interview with a target organization.

In preparation a candidate will likely Google the “most commonly asked interview questions” to get ready for their big moment. Perhaps even read up on behavioral interviewing techniques to prepare for that challenging line of questions.

Now they are all set, right? Probably not…

The truth is that interviewing is tough…for both the candidate and the interviewer. Picture This: For the hiring manager, hiring is something akin to going on a blind date and then deciding after a few hours whether to get married. The net effect is to place the interviewer in a hyper vigilant mode. They look at everything and everything is magnified. Little missteps can be blown into something large enough to derail the candidacy of an otherwise qualified person.

For the candidate, interviewing may be done every few years, if that. To be good at difficult tasks, most of us need practice.  A good candidate can burn through many good job prospects before they have enough experience to get the hang of interviewing.  In a slow economy, that can mean months of down time between jobs. For many, if not most, it can be an excruciating wait.

So, how does one get experience interviewing without actually interviewing? The short answer is, we can’t. However, we can simulate the process.

Simulating the Interview Process:

• Prepare a List of Possible Interview Questions: Common and Behavioral
• ASK the question OUT LOUD.
• ANSWER the question OUT LOUD. Speak the words; don’t just think the thoughts.
• Listen to your response. Use a tape recorder, mobile device or a pc with a microphone to record your answers.
• Playback and LISTEN: What was your answer? Word Choice? Tone of your voice?
• Be critical. Ask yourself very honestly, if you were the interviewer, would you accept that answer or hire that answer?  If not keep at it. Polish your responses and keep polishing until you are confident they shine and reflect the desired tone and content.

If you still have doubts, ask someone you trust to help you…get them to ask you the questions. See what they think about your answers.

This simple technique will greatly improve your interviewing performance, even if it’s been awhile since your last real interview!

Written by: Chris Gormley, Kane Partners LLC

Our latest blog featured a simple preparation technique that will help increase your effectiveness in an interview (see: Interviewing: Before that Big Interview… Interview Yourself). Now, let us take a closer look at what the interviewer might have on his or her mind so as to better address unexpressed concerns during your meeting(s).

A universal concern shared by hiring managers is something we’ll call: ‘the trade’. They have a problem; they need a certain function performed by a qualified individual. You have been selected for an interview with this very busy person because your resume suggests you have the necessary qualifications for the job. [‘The Trade’: your services for membership into their organization, with all its advantages… salary, benefits, PTO, prestige, training, etc.]

But something goes wrong…you don’t get the job. Why, what went wrong? I can do the job, why didn’t they see that. Well, it could be a lot of things, many of which are out of your control. One thing that is fully in your control is your approach. The interviewer may be detecting one or more signals that ‘the trade’, will not be good for their company. A fundamental equation is not balanced.

What is really going through the interviewer’s mind are thoughts like: Will he or she fit with my team? Will they be discrete? Will they add negativity, or will they be a positive agent? How do they accept change? Will they anticipate needs, or will I have to assign every task? As my boss succinctly puts it: “Is their glass half full or half empty?”

You may be mostly or fully qualified to do the job. So, if you are not getting hired, it may be time to take a good look in the mirror.

“Are you going into the interview with a fully positive attitude? Are you going in with a positive perspective about what has happened to you in the past? Are you conveying a pleasant, upbeat attitude? Do you seem to be a happy person?”

If not, you may be triggering warning lights that the equation is out of balance: The company + you does not = success. The interviewer asks, “Am I solving one problem, but creating a whole additional set of problems by hiring this person?”

Trust me; it takes little to trigger ‘imbalance concerns’ these days; sometimes a mere hint or suggestion can throw your candidacy into the red. The best way to avoid it is to stay relentlessly positive and completely focused on the needs of the hiring manager and his/her team. Be present to them; express a desire to solve the challenges placed in front of you without bringing your problems or negativity to the table (or to the job after you get hired).

Charity starts at home and extends to the office. Make up your mind to remain focused on helping others and being a positive influence. You’ll be a more effective interviewer, teammate and employed for your trouble.