“20 years down the tubes! Anyone know of any places hiring? Preferably full-time?”
This was a recent post on Facebook with many comments about how the poster was treated poorly, disbelief that after 20 years someone could be let go, about the bad management/company, etc.... Others posted about what types of new jobs the poster should look for, “you should do X” and “Y is hiring”, etc. All of these comments are well intended, but as a Career Coach—I cringed at the actual post and the comments. First, let’s look at the the post itself: “20 years down the tubes! Anyone know of any places hiring, Preferably full-time?” Well yes, there are a lot of places hiring full-time. But is this where you want to start with your job search? Let’s look at what has changed in 20-years. We’ll start with something very simple, the Internet! The Internet didn’t become popular until 1993 with the introduction of the Mosaic web browser. So when this poster started working with the employer, the Internet was just a baby. Since the Internet was just beginning when this poster landed this job, most employers were still accepting job applications and/or resumes through traditional sources, better known as the U.S. Mail, or cold-calling. There was also an explosion of social media in the early 2000’s - LinkedIn, Facebook, Glass Door, and Twitter to name a few. These are currently all great sources for networking and job searching. Secondly, what is the posters experience? If he/she has worked at a place for 20-years, he/she must have gained some experience and had a few accomplishments. How is this experience captured? In other words, does this person have a good resume? Which leads to the second part of the statement, “Anyone know of any places hiring?” This is such a broad statement—one that is hard for people to get their heads around. What does this person want to do and in what industry? I ask my clients this question and often times they think they know what they want to do, but haven’t given the industry much thought. They respond with, “I want to stay in accounting and the industry doesn’t matter.” My response is, “good, there is a meat processing kill plant in city that is hiring...” Then, I get a look like I’m crazy, and we start to focus on industry. Job searching today has changed dramatically over the past few years, let alone 20-years. Most jobs today are not found by scrolling through job sites and company web-pages. Most recruiters seek out candidates via LinkedIn or other similar sources; most job seekers find their next job through networking. Who is in your network that can lead you to your next job, and how do you market yourself? How will this person prepare for an interview. Speaking for myself—I interview very differently today than I did five years ago; I fear how I interviewed 20 years ago. What is important to this poster regarding company culture, benefits, pay, etc? Negotiating is expected in todays economy, but most people don’t know how to negotiate, they take what is offered—then complain about it.
Finding your next job/career is not something to take lightly. For more information about Career Coaching. If you're looking for what your next steps should be check out our site here.
