2 Responsible Job Hunting Tips on Articulating Your Fit.

In the post-Great Global Recession era, whether we are currently employed or not, we are always on the job market.  It's only our price on the market that changes.  We live in a new type of economy, in which job security is more of a myth than a reality.  Most new graduates and emerging leaders will have to constantly be ready to take on new challenges and gigs, rather than experiencing a more traditional series of steady jobs within one organization.  But how can one effectively design and implement an optimal job hunting strategy given the disappointing latest unemployment numbers?  These latest numbers might suggest that there are no jobs being created, which is a simple explanation for the stubbornly high 9.6% unemployment rate in the US.  However, the unchanged unemployment rate might also be partly due to another new and interesting factor: how picky organizations have become in their hiring practices.

Evidence for this can be found in the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey that was issued last week by the US Department of Labor.  This report shows that the number of US-based job openings increased by 33% from August 2009 to August 2010.  Pretty encouraging number, as this means that there has been an appreciable growth in job demand over the last 12 months.  However, over the same time period, actual hiring kept hovering around 4%.  This pattern suggests that organizations are experiencing growth and have posted jobs to hire new people, but many organizations are holding off making offers.

Why is that?  One possibility is a shift in hiring practices towards what management guru Jim Collins refers to as 'getting the right people on the bus'.  Organizations know how costly it can be to bring in new employees that are skilled but are not a good match for their organizational culture.  Misalignments between employees' and organizational values are the quickest way to create a toxic work environment, and result in low retention rates.  Today, organizations might prefer to wait until they can find a candidate that can really demonstrate the optimal balance between competence and organizational fit.  So what can you do if you are job hunting in this climate?

Job Hunting Tip #1:  Know your preferences - Based on hundreds of conversations, one of the complains from recruiters I hear most often revolves around the inability of candidates to clearly articulate what they want.  As a candidate, you need to be able to articulate what your preferences are in terms of what divisions within the organization you prefer, what products or services you would like to work on, or what type of path you envision for yourself in that organization over the next 5 years.  Recruiters are reviewed not only based on their ability to bring in talent, but also on the retention rate of the talent they have brought in.  Therefore, recruiters are looking for candidates who know how the particular job they are interviewing for can serve as a step towards other jobs within the organization.  As a job seeker, it is important for you to do your research and identify a preferred path that you would like to take in a specific industry or organization.  You can change your mind along the way as you find out more about opportunities, but you need to know and be able to articulate WHY this opportunity would be a good step for you given your longer term goals.

Job Hunting Tip #2:  Articulate your fit - This is key if you want to work for an organization that gets business done better!  The better you know what types of work environment that make you feel energized, the better you will compete for opportunities at organizations that provide these types of work environment.   In addition, the more you can elaborate on how your values align with the values of the organization, the higher your chances to get hired.  For jobs in values-based businesses or in social enterprises, your ability to articulate the fit that exists between you and the company's culture has become nearly as important as your skill set.

It might seem counterintuitive, but the more you focus your job hunting resources and time on organizations that align with your values and your preferences, the higher your chances to get hired. Remember you only need on job offer to build your responsible career!  Therefore, instead of casting a wide net, try and focus first on a tighter range of big and smaller organizations that generate the blend of social, economic, and environmental value that best aligns with your values.  Network with their current employees, find out what their hiring needs are, and apply for jobs they have open.  Coming recommended by an existing employee for a job will tremendously help you increase your chances to translate an application into an interview.  If nothing comes out of your first 10 organizations of interest, progressively broaden your job hunting strategy to include other opportunities.  I hope these job hunting tips will enable you to get your next responsible job faster, and, as always, look forward to reading your questions and comments below!

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