The Great Resignation Spirit is Not Here or There

Underappreciated workers are pondering “The Great Resignation” as if it were a club or sorority. Even the media are labeling this as a phenomenon rather than a movement. I use “movement” somewhat loosely at this time because this has many layers associated with it.

By labeling this “movement,” makes it easier to market. Career counselors, advisors, resume writers, career coaches, and the like love the term “hidden job market” as if there were a marketplace for hidden jobs.

Similarly, “The Great Resignation” has a marketplace, too, right?

Wait, don’t answer that yet.

People use this to market services by misplacing your desires through FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). You should consider the real issues as a job seeker, career changer, or just a professional who wants to advance their career.

Here’s a potpourri of ideas you can misunderstand or misplace:

1) People need to know that “The Great Resignation” is not a club to join to get hired automatically. If you lack the proper resume and interviewing skills before and haven’t prepared in any way, it won’t change your results. A lack of preparation will yield a lack of results.

2) If you’re not presenting yourself as the prescription to the employer’s job description, then you’ll be overlooked by those who do. It would help if you were the remedy to an ailment a company or hiring manager.

3) Presentation means more than what you have on paper and must look beyond the resume to resonate with the employer. We can argue whether or not you need to customize each resume for each company. Still, you must present yourself uniquely to every employer’s culture and provide solutions to that company.

4) People increase their success rate when they know more people than the person who refers them. It helps to have many views and perspectives during the interview process and after onboarding with the company. You’ll have a powerful presence when several coworkers check on your weekly to help you acclimate to your new company.

5) People still need to ask questions during the interview and expect honesty from the interviewer. Although it’s valuable to know the answer to how a company transitioned to working remotely during COVID, if the interviewer doesn’t provide a candid response, consider that a red flag. Employers will expect you to answer the same question. Preparation is essential to show that your professional development, experience, and lessons learned resonate with the employer.

6) People should not regret walking away from a bad deal, especially if it’s a gut-level decision. If there are conversations where there’s contradictory or wrong information, or if the answers seemed inauthentic, or any other reason, walk away. Additionally, if you don’t feel the terms are unfair, it’s hard to give your best work.

7) Don’t ignore the strikes that are taking place in five different states. The heart of the issue is not career change or career transformations. For example, Kellogg workers are striking after years of inflexible schedules, inhumane treatment, and unfair salaries. Although they have yet to stage a mass exodus, they seem to want change in conditions first and foremost.

8) Healthcare workers, nurses are migrating to where the money resides. Not all of them. But many are willing to face the overwhelming rise in hospitalizations. There’s even a call for retirees to come back, state licenses are waived, and paying for meals and housing in addition to six-figure pay for three months of work.

Entering “The Great Resignation” means job seekers must fix their efforts on competing for positions where they’ll be hundreds of candidates. No one will coast to a new career or even a part-time job just because there’s a movement. To show up unprepared to show you are the best fit will cost you time and money, and likely you thought it would be easier.

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