Articles - Page 144 of 258 - The Voice of Job Seekers

I need a job ASAP! I am desperate! What should I do?

Someone I know told me she had been looking a long time and said, I need a job ASAP! I thought I would share my reply so others could benefit.

Well, before we talk about what you should do, we need to diffuse a bomb before it goes off. You will need to deal with the desperate state overflowing from your veins. It will scare everyone you approach. No one likes to talk to an irrational person. When you say, “desperate,” that is what people think. Your reality is you are in a difficult situation where time is of the essence.

The phrase, “I need a job ASAP” is scary. Think before putting it out there.

Companies will not give jobs or even listen to a desperate person. It frightens them and rightfully should. It’s likely you’re overwhelmed but now is the time to overcome it with rationalization. This is a good time to start doing several things to help you focus and conduct a search to achieve quicker results. Unfortunately, most employers are not rushing to hire people.

Write down and carefully consider the following:

Are you clear on the job you want and the company you want to work for? That is the first major obstacle for most job seekers.

Is there a skill you can leverage as an independent contractor?

Is there a job opportunity you passed on applying to because it didn’t seem right? Depending on what “right” is, it may deserve a second look.

Are you signed up with temporary agencies? You should sign up with several. Most pay weekly once you start. Although they will still put you through their hiring process, it is a short term fix.

Do you know any friends who are business owners who can use your skill set?

Have you told most (or all) of your friends and family of your unemployment status? As funny as it seems, people will tell strangers before family. I understand why. If you’re running out of time, then this might be the best rational option.

If you haven’t already, you should be having conversations with people you know who might be in position to refer you or hire you at least temporarily. The caution again is people will bail at the sign of desperation. You can communicate urgency without seemingly irrational.

Dress

Consider dressing business casual wherever you go. This will likely disarm those who don’t usually help anyone. It’s not comfortable during the summer months, but human nature says people are likely to trust someone who looks ready to work. Casual business is much more pleasant than always dress for the interview. The worse is looking like you just got out of bed and saying, I need a job ASAP. The latter is repulsive at best.

Do the basics

Here are some quick suggestions but for more detail, you can find articles all over the web for help. I’ll include a few references
Continue to fill out applications on job boards
If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, it’s time to complete one. If you’ve completed one, now it’s time to participate in conversations taking place in groups
Contact companies directly. There are many articles on the web to help you strategize and execute.
Set up informational interviews if you’re no longer anxious and desperate. Go for the information not to beg.
Ask for introductions to people in the companies you like to work for. Offer them value and likely, they will offer it back
Create opportunities for great conversations everywhere you go without asking for referrals. Relationships get you referred, not solely the ask itself.
Look for internship opportunities
Look for volunteer opportunities to help you hone untested skills and abilities
Are you a member of professional organizations? If not, are there any you can contact to see if they have any special discounted membership prices? If you’re a recent college graduate, many will give a very low discount for the first year.
Check locally for businesses looking for someone with your skill set. It’s possible they have not posted a position, but willing to hire the right person with a unique skill.

These are a few things you can do. If you have additional questions, let me know.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Someone told me not to take a job that won’t pay me what I’m worth

Someone recently asked me a salary negotiation question. I am not always crazy about the “pay me what I’m worth” statements. She wanted to know what I thought about what she was told by her best friend, “Don’t take a job that won’t pay me what I’m worth?” She said, “I am asking because I hear it often. I have been out of work six months and I’m ready to take the first offer. How do you feel about this advice?”

I responded:

It depends on the job seekers circumstance. There is not a one answer fitting all circumstances. In general, it’s terrible general advice because many people are not driven by money. Many people are energized by a career that’s lined up with his or her personal values. It is more important the impact of what they do is personally rewarding than being well paid.

At the same time, you should have a deep understanding of your value. You may not see it now, but in years to come without negotiating your salary is careless. You should always negotiate your salary and understand your market value. Always. Otherwise, the money you neglect to ask for will be lost in just a few years.

Mind shift

In fact, you must shift you mind. It is not only a salary negotiation, it’s a compensation package negotiation. You must consider the whole package than just being paid your worth. It’s right in principle, and wrong in focus. You’re worth is cash.

Areas to negotiate:

Salary

Salary increases

Days per week/month in the office

Time off

Perks

Educational Opportunities

Flex schedules and more!

Then again…

Not to take a job solely due to the lack of money for those who either in control of their career trajectory or they don’t understand the breadth of his or her profession. If you know the rigor of your profession requires mental or physical preparation or recovery, then you need to consider the compensation package accordingly.

People think its good advice because of their own values and feelings about money. It’s not good for anyone who cares about a career meaning more than money. Having meaning and money is ideal, but not always realistic. Many times you can only have one or the other. Whenever you get advice, you must translate it appropriately to your values and expectations.

I just worked with a nurse whose passion is traveling to third world countries as part of a group to help with its medical and spiritual needs. Although she works for a large hospital in a ideal situation, she is planning to do this full-time in the near future. She doesn’t care about the income, but looks forward to immersing herself into helping the poverty-stricken. She knows what the market value is for some of the work she’ll do and understands the range, but she looks for the value in the experience.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Teaching Young People Value and What it Means to Their Career (And Yours)

This article was originally published on the Good Men Project!

Learned values early on will benefit teens in the workplace and in life.

I didn’t value money the same way my dad did when it came to money. It changes from generation to generation for most of us in my view. For those of us who are Baby Boomers, we understood, and at times, we were forced to understand what our parents valued. It was critical because if you didn’t, you would miss out. It was Dad’s philosophy that counted the most.

My dad didn’t waste money in any way. He always talked about saving money.

He was so great at saving; he retired at 59. For many Baby Boomers like me, we will be working past 65, or won’t retire at all.

My dad saved coins. Lots of coins. He had a tray with a divider on his dresser categorized by types of coins: silver dollars, half dollars, quarters, nickels, and dimes. He didn’t waste money in any way. He always talked about saving money.

Me, the coin thing, not so much. I am thrifty, but not through coins. I just don’t spend a lot of money. My sons are the same way, and my wife as well, although she loves coin saving. She has tried to convince my sons to save coins but to no avail.

When both my sons were teens, my parents thought they were old enough to appreciate coin saving. When the new quarters were released, mom and dad started a coin collection for them. My parents called relatives and friends to help collect quarters from each state. It took them a few months to complete the collection but they did it! On a visit to New York, they wanted me to take the collection back to the boys. You should have seen the accomplishment glow in my parents’ eyes! They were extremely excited to share this collection with the boys.

The parallels are important for job seekers of all age but critical for our teen children to learn now.

Let me back up a bit. My wife loves coin-saving, so she can spend it. She would (and still does) save coins to go shopping as part of her MAD MONEY. To her credit, it was to save up for the boys to get what they needed and sometimes wanted. At times, it was for herself. That change was spent.

So back to my visit with my parents, who proudly presented me with the quarter collection they spent so much time and effort on. They asked me to take it back to them. With all of the parental data I collected, at that moment, I just asked them to hold on to it. That was four years ago, and they still have it. The reason wasn’t only the boys will want to spend it. In monetary value, it was $11.25. In its true value, it was hours, time, thought, love, encouragement, and hope in collecting it.

I didn’t want to give that away to be under-appreciated. At least at that time.

The parallels are important for job seekers of all age but critical for our teen children to learn now:

1.- Employers will not give away what they value to someone who doesn’t try to understand. A career is more than duties and responsibilities. Whatever you contribute to an employer is increasing the value of the position and the company. They need to know you will and how you will.

2.- Do you understand your value? Is it only summarized by its cash value? That’s the difference between finding a job or gaining a career. How much work have you invested through time, education (not necessarily college or trade school), enduring hardships, and learning through failure?

3.- Employers mostly hire those who establish value wins for both sides. If there isn’t a sense of satisfaction for both the employer and candidate, then eventually everyone loses. If I gave the coins to my boys at that time, although appreciated initially, them squandering the collection would have broken my parents.

Similarly, by hiring the wrong person, employers would feel their investment is similarly squandered. Hiring today takes nearly 60 days although it is bound to get shorter in days to come. In the meantime, companies are scrutinizing each candidate more and more.

4.- Does your reputation (or personal brand) determine how you will be entrusted with a sacred opportunity? What are others saying about your behavior, work, and response to a crisis?

5.- Do you know why it’s a sacred opportunity – to the employer? Your research needs to tell you why. Your actions must display that you’re convinced you should bring dignity to that position. How? Focus on skills and measured results as proof!

No one has equal value as no one values equally. What we value as parents will change, upgrade and downgrade and for our children, it will be the same at a faster pace. In years to come, they will have two or three remote jobs, and learning what employers need will be critical as the expectation for good work, perpetual learning, and business savvy are basic means for survival.