Note: For the latest employment and job-search news and statistics, read the
Quintessential Careers
Career and Job-Hunting Blog.
Whether you are highly educated or not, whether your skills and accomplishments are in
demand or not, whether you are young or old, whether you live on the West Coast or the
East Coast, whether you are white or any other color, whether you are a man or a woman,
whether the economy is weak or strong…none of these things matter -- and all of them
matter -- in the crazy and challenging job market we face today -- and for the foreseeable
future.
How strange is this job market? Consider these employment facts:
The time the average jobless worker remains unemployed is now at 19-20
weeks, the longest it's been since the early 1980s, according to the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics.
Almost a quarter (22 percent) of unemployed workers (about 2 million people)
have been out of work for more than 27 weeks (six months or more); and about 13
percent have been out of work for more than a year.
Some Positive News...
Fastest Growing Industries
Services: 13.7 million new jobs by 2010
Wholesale and retail trade: 3.9 million new jobs by 2010
Transportation, communications, and utilities: 1.3 million new jobs by 2010
Fastest Growing Occupation Categories
Professional and related occupations: 6.9 millions news jobs by 2010
Service occupations: 5.1 millions news jobs by 2010
Office and administrative support occupations: 2.2 million new jobs by 2010
Management, business, and financial occupations: 2.1 million new jobs by 2010
Sales and related occupations: 1.9 million new jobs by 2010
Transportation and material moving occupations: 1.5 million new jobs by 2010
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Since March 2001, the economy lost 2.7 percent of total jobs. But it's even
worse than that because while the economy has lost about 2.6 million jobs, during that
same period, the working-age population grew by more than 3 million.
Generation X workers (born between 1965 and 1975) have been the hardest hit
group, squeezed at the top from Baby Boomers who refuse to retire or step aside
and knocked at the bottom by Generation Y workers who work for much smaller wages.
But new college grads are not faring well either. The number of unemployed workers
between the ages of 20 and 24 is 1.4 million, up a staggering 60 percent from four years
ago.
Women have fared slightly better than men in terms of staying employed, but
both sexes have seen a decline in employment rates.
While two-income families now make up the majority of U.S. households (at about
42 percent according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics), many of those households
have faced layoffs of one or both wage-earners.
Some of the hardest hit occupations include service workers, sales and office
workers, farming and natural-resource workers, and productions and transportation
workers.
Some of the hardest hit industries include agriculture, leisure and hospitality,
wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, and information technology.
White-collar professionals now comprise one-fifth of all unemployed workers,
double the rate from a decade ago.
Workers with less education have been the hardest hit, with a 9.2 percent
unemployment rate for workers with less than a high-school diploma, 5.5 percent
unemployment for high-school grads, 4.8 percent with some college, and 3.1
percent with college degree or more.
Education is no guarantee, though. According to the Economic Policy Institute,
18.1 percent of the long-term unemployed have college degrees, up substantially
from years past.
Just as blue-collar and manufacturing jobs left the U.S. in decades past,
Forrester Research predicts that during the next 10-15 years, at least 3.3 million
white-collar jobs will move out of the U.S. to countries such as India, China, and
others, where labor is cheaper. These service jobs will include both non-professional
and professional positions, from office and call centers to IT, business, and healthcare
positions.
The migration of jobs and services overseas is also putting downward pressure
on wages paid to U.S. workers; thus, when job openings do begin to rise again, the
pay scale in many industries will be downsized.
Overcoming the Bad News
How does an unemployed person who wants to work find a job in this market?
With a detailed job-search strategy, a clear picture of past accomplishments,
a focus on specific jobs and employers, a superior resume, a large network of
contacts, and a determination to achieve one or more job-search activities (talking
to a contact, sending out a resume, going on an interview) every day. More than
ever, only those job-seekers who know the rules of good job-hunting -- and are
ready to persevere -- will receive any job offers.
Here are some specific steps, along with some links to resources that can
help you even more.
Determine what you want to do next. Are you looking for another job
in your current career, considering a career change, or something more
drastic? Be realistic in what you can accomplish -- and in your expectations.
Job-seekers need a clear focus and clear job objective. If you were downsized
or fired, now is the time to get over the trauma and move forward with your life.
Resources:
Determine where you want to live. Are you staying put, or are you considering
starting over in a new community? See our
Relocation Resources.
Develop a list of potential employers and begin mapping out a strategy for
networking your way into these companies.
Get your resume into perfect shape. A strong resume immediately informs the
employer what you offer as a job-seeker by being focused on a specific job and
providing quantified (wherever possible) results and accomplishments. You should
also have different versions of your resume -- for networking, job fairs, emailing, and
Web postings. You should also have specific resumes for each job that interests
you -- assuming there is more than one. Resources:
Use your current network while continually building it. Get everyone you
know involved in your job search by sharing your resume, but don't stop there.
Join more associations and professional organizations and build that network.
Use your college's (and/or high school's) alumni database to make connections
and rekindle acquaintances. The larger -- and stronger -- your network of contacts,
the more job opportunities you'll discover. Resources:
Use other more traditional job-hunting methods also. Spend some time job-hunting
on the Internet, going to company career centers and niche job sites that make
sense for your industry and occupation. Consider working with a recruiter. Consider a
targeted direct mail campaign. Resources:
Continue polishing the other key tools of job-hunting. Work on your
cover letters. Prepare and practice interviewing. Research salary information.
Resources:
And Stay Involved
And if you are currently unemployed, don't spend all your time job-hunting; instead,
make sure some of your time is career-productive by getting additional training or
education; by temping, consulting or freelancing; or by volunteering. Employers do
not like to see gaps on resumes, so find a way to stay involved in your career field.
Staying involved will also have the side benefit of expanding your network, possibly
opening more doors for you in the future.
Final Thoughts
If you're struggling with your job-search, don't give up as many others have. If you
have done everything mentioned in this article and you are still unemployed,
consider career counseling or career coaching. Many local communities offer
free or low-cost career and job counseling. And you can find a directory of
experienced and excellent career coaches in our
Directory
of Life and Career Coaches.
Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search
terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.
Dr. Randall S. Hansen is founder of Quintessential Careers,
one of the oldest and most comprehensive career development sites on the Web, as well CEO of
EmpoweringSites.com. He is also founder of
MyCollegeSuccessStory.com and
EnhanceMyVocabulary.com. He is publisher of
Quintessential Careers Press,
including the Quintessential Careers electronic newsletter,
QuintZine. Dr. Hansen is also a
published author, with several books, chapters in books, and hundreds of articles. He's often
quoted in the media and conducts empowering workshops around the country. Finally, Dr. Hansen is
also an educator, having taught at the college level for more than 15 years. Visit his
personal Website or
reach him by email at randall(at)quintcareers.com.
