Job Search Strategies for the
21st Century Labor Market
Dane M. Partridge, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Management
University of Southern Indiana
Presentation for CareerFest, Evansville
January 2007
Job Search Strategies for the 21st
Century Labor Market

Presentation Overview


Generational Perspectives
To what extent are strategies and tactics
required today different from yesteryear?




New Rules?
Old Rules?
No Rules?
Implications of Internet
64+
Tarr & Palmer (2007)
47-64
27-47
<27
“Retiring boomer wave might be
trickle”

Labor-force participation rates for men 65+:




1870
1950
1990
2005
84% (but note life expectancy)
46%
16%
20%


Source: Evansville Courier & Press, 1/28/07
Increased LFPR good for solvency of Social
Security system, less good for job
opportunities for Gen X…
Millennials in the Workplace

Millennials want meaningful work, opportunity to
learn, work/life balance


“We want to make money but not by working 80 hours a
week”
Perception is shifting, but generally thought to be
skeptical of authority

As well as pragmatic, adaptive, teamwork-oriented

Creativity, competence, community



Source: Eckel and Willeman (2007); see
www.generationsatwork.net
What is attitude toward value of experience, ‘paying
dues’?
Entrepreneurial mindset? Understanding of
competition?
Old Rules (that still have value)

It's hard to break through



Hiring managers are busy people (yes!)
Getting them to even look at your resume can
be a issue (maybe…)
Job seekers need their message to be creative
and unique to catch manager’s eye (hmm…)


www.secretsofthejobhunt.com
Creative and unique may be helpful, but runs
the risk of being perceived as odd/goofy (e.g.,
Yale student’s video posted to YouTube)

Safer strategy is to focus on fit between org’s needs
and your skills and abilities, and be clear about that
fit!
Old Rules (that still have value)

Job hunting = marketing


Branding yourself as one who adds value
to any employer should be your goal
Anything else on your résumé that does
not meet this criterion is irrelevant

www.secretsofthejobhunt.com
Old Rules (that still have value)

Your competition is stiff

For any job you apply to there are usually dozens, if not
hundreds of other applicants


Average Internet job posting produces response of 50-300
resumes
The only way to rise above them will be to differentiate
yourself


www.secretsofthejobhunt.com
But, Ers plan to hire 17% more graduates from
Class of ’07 than they did from Class of ’06

Source: National Association of Colleges and Employers, as
reported by Wall Street Journal, 1/23/07
Old Rules (that still have value)

To be effective in your job search you need a
focused goal (as opposed to being ‘open-minded’)




To Er, ‘open-minded’ = going fishing
From Er’s standpoint, it’s better to hire someone who is
good at something (demonstrated competence) than
someone who wants to be good at something
Focused goals include job title, department,
function
Unfocused goals include working with people,
solving problems, using college degree

Lindgren, St. Paul Pioneer Press, 8/13/06
Old Rules (that still have value)

Effective job search requires honest,
complete assessment of strengths and
weaknesses, w/ strategy that enables
search for position that most values
and requires your strengths

Source: Price, Lowell (Mass.) Sun, 12/9/05
Inherent exaggeration of
abilities re: “people skills”?

Survey of HS seniors


70% believed they were above average in leadership
ability; 2% believed they were below average
100% believed they were above average in ability to get
along with others, 60% believed they were in top 10%,
25% believed they were in top 1%


Source: Ruggiero (2001)
More generalizable phenomenon, re: self-ratings?




Survey of 92 engineers (Meyer, 1980)
Asked to self-rate relative to peer group, 0-100 (percentile)
Mean: 78th percentile
Only two of 92 rated themselves below 50th percentile (45)
New Rules?

Job hunting is more difficult than
ever


Internet has made finding a job a more
challenging and time consuming process
Days of simply responding to newspaper
ad with cover letter and résumé are gone


www.secretsofthejobhunt.com
But, Internet is also a valuable tool
New Rules?

Most people fail to maximize their search


Only browse a few job boards and only apply to
jobs they see online
Should not rely solely on Internet (!!!)

Follow all possible avenues (e.g., networking,
“pounding the pavement”)




www.secretsofthejobhunt.com
See also www.rileyguide.com/jobsrch.html (great
source of job search info!)
New social networking opportunities, e.g.,
LinkedIn.com
Informational interviews
New Rules!

Electronic resume is the first choice, unless Er
indicates otherwise


Source: Gene Whorl, Career Associates, as reported in
Evansville Courier & Press, 1/14/07
Your traditional printed resume must be
supplemented with version compatible with e-mail
and Internet and database search technologies

Changing the content of your resume


Keywords in your resume - increase your resume's
searchability in applicant tracking systems and web job sites
Changing the format of your resume

ASCII text and HTML


Source: www.job-hunt.org
Turn off “track changes” (“accept all”)
Resume Screening (an Old
Rule…)

“Why I cut 48 resumes from a stack of
62”



OD consultant did first pass for client
Took two hours (< 2 minutes per resume)
14 made cut (< 25%)


8 had no chance
Other 40 could have made cut, but applicants
sabotaged their chances
Resume Screening (an Old
Rule…)

Why the might be’s became no’s

Objective didn’t fit position



Overly favorable representation of themselves


“good communication skills” good, “extraordinarily skilled
communicator” may be overboard
Resume lacked sufficient information as to kind of work
done previously


Be sure objective aligns with available job
May be better to leave off resume, address in cover letter
Job titles wo/responsibilities problematic
Typographical errors

Source: Roanoke Times & World News, 7/18/02
More resume advice


Speak in terms of outcomes and
responsibilities, not simply activities
and functions
Be sure to answer the question: Why
should Er hire you?

www.careerjournal.com
New Rules?

New Tools for Recruiters

Software mfg had operations mngt position to fill


Posted help-wanted ad to several online job boards,
directing candidates to apply at Co’s internal careers site,
which uses applicant-tracking software
Used separate program to search job sites for resumes of
candidates who met general criteria for job but hadn’t applied




Process yielded ~700 resumes – 150 from direct applicants and
rest from scouring job boards
Using applicant-tracking software, Co was able to identify top 10
candidates in ~20 minutes
After telephone interviews, top two candidates were brought in
for interviews, one of whom was hired
Whole process took 15 days, cf. 8-12 weeks

Source: Wall Street Journal Report: Technology, 10/23/06
Source: Wall Street Journal Online, 12/7/06
Aleksey Vayner in his video, shown brushing up on his ballroom dancing.
Source: Wall Street Journal Online, 10/18/06
New Tools?


Video clip can serve to emphasize
‘aces,’ another version of ‘elevator talk’
Ers at this point have mixed feelings


Some like initiative, differentiation
Others concerned about legal liability, as
with photograph attached to resume
Old Rules (that still have value)

Example Positioning Statement for a
Technical Support Specialist

"My value to [insert company name] is my five
years of information technology experience. I am
adept at technical support and troubleshooting
computer problems. My technical knowledge will
help reduce call waiting times and improve the
efficiency of your technical support center."

www.secretsofthejobhunt.com
Job Searching and the Internet

Internet has transformed how U.S. Ers
find and hire Ees – Internet produced
about half of all new hires in 2005
(includes Er’s web site, general job
boards, etc.)

Source: HRNews Online, 2/21/06
Job Searching and the Internet

“I submitted my resume online but how do I
know it was received?”

“Chances are you won't”



Perhaps biggest gripe jobseekers have today about applying
online
Important to try and follow up with the company if possible
“If the date posted on a job is more than a few
weeks old should I still apply for it?”

“Absolutely yes! There is no way to tell if the job has been
filled … When in doubt, always apply”

www.secretsofthejobhunt.com
Online Job Search Mistakes



Posting your resume without worrying about
privacy
Using only the big name Web job sites
Using the "fire-ready-aim" method of
distributing your resume


Compromises customization
Applying for jobs without meeting the
minimum qualifications

Source: www.job-hunt.org
“For Some, Online Persona
Undermines Resume”

When small Chicago consulting Co was looking to hire summer
intern, Co president went online to check on promising
candidate who had just graduated from U of Illinois

At Facebook, found web page that described candidate’s interests
as “smokin’ blunts,” shooting people, and obsessive sex, all
described in vivid slang



Candidate was toast
“What kind of judgment does this person have?”
Orgs looking for ‘red flags’


Source: New York Times, 6/11/06
At local university, student’s Facebook picture showed student
holding a beer with two beer cans balanced on her head

Interests: “going to bars, drinking beer, drinking whiskey,
drinking any alcohol, partying with my friends, beer pong,
beer bonging, drinking games with cards or any we make
up randomly, so pretty much anything that involves
drinking”
Protecting Your Online
Persona


Don’t post anything on social networking sites that
you wouldn’t want prospective Er to see
If your network offers the option, consider setting
your profile to “private”


Since you can’t control what other people say on your site,
consider using the “block comments” feature
Check your profile regularly to see what comments
have been posted

Use a search engine to look for online records of yourself
to see what is out there

And if you find detrimental info, see about getting it removed

Source: CareerBuilder, as reported by National Public
Radio, 11/15/06
Protecting Your Online
Persona

35 percent of executive recruiters who
used the Internet to research
candidates in 2006 eliminated
someone from consideration based on
information found online

Up from 26 percent in 2005

Source: HRNews Online, 1/2/07
Re-entrants

Strategies consultants offer for mothers
planning to return to work




Present your volunteer work with active
business words
Never apologize for the time off
Convey that you’re truly committed to working
again
While you’re out of work:


Be strategic about volunteer work you do
Keep abreast of your field

Source: Wall Street Journal, 5/6/04
“How Older Applicants Can Put
Together a Savvy Job Search”

“Ers ignore a prospect’s age if s/he is impeccably professional
and technologically current” (CEO of recruiting co)

Prepare resume emphasizing strengths rather than chronology



Change “Education” section to “Education and Training” and put
most recent training first, to show that skills are up-to-date
Be selective re: employment listed, focusing on those most
relevant to job being sought (but be cautious about gaps)




Although lack of dates problematic
Limit resume to no more than two pages
Speed search using Internet tools
Enlarge network and follow up feelers promptly
Polish pitch by soliciting feedback

Videotape mock interviews

Wall Street Journal, 6/6/06; www.jobhunt.org/onlinejobsearchguide/article_over-40-job-search.shtml
Job Search Strategies for the
21st Century Labor Market



Many old rules are still good rules
Not so much new rules as new tools
Importance of practical mindset

Er is looking for candidate whose KSAs best
meet needs of firm, candidate whose
demonstrated competencies will add value


You may not be able to assert that you are the best fit
of all ‘n’ candidates, but you must be able to
persuasively demonstrate that you are ‘a’ fit
GOOD LUCK!!!