This is personal.
As it is for anyone right now looking for work.
A recent Monster+HotJobs poll found that 98% of American workers are “primed and ready” to look for a new job in 2011, their optimism buoyed by a recovering employment and economic picture. (Read the entire pre-TChat post from @MattCharney at Monster Thinking here. Kudos to Matt and his moderation last night!)
And anecdotally speaking, one of my old background screening clients told me yesterday that business has spiked dramatically the past 3-4 months. It’s across the board of industry and positions, but it’s primarily churn hiring — a musical chairs if you will — which validates the exodus chanting of late.
Combine that with the folks who have been out of work looking for work and you’ve got one heck of a job hunting mob.
Torches lit, walking arm in arm, resumes spellchecked (well, some spellchecked), outfits dry cleaned and pressed, breath mints in mouths, smart phones in hand ready to taser their respective employees and references alike…
This is the new old world of job hunting and hiring, and its landscape is familiar yet radically stranger than it’s ever been.
Here were the questions from last night’s #TChat:
- Q1 – Jobseekers: What do you think of when you hear about “old world” job hunting?
- Q2 – Jobseekers: What is the freshest new idea that you’ve used in your job search and has it worked for you?
- Q3 – Jobseekers: From your experiences, how would you describe how companies are hiring today?
- Q4 – Recruiters: What are some of the most egregious “mistakes” jobseekers are making?
- Q5 – Talent Managers: What can jobseekers and employees do to better manage their careers?
- Q6 – All – Which matters more to candidates and recruiters: the job or the possibilities of what the job might lead to?
You can read the transcript here from the many fine folk who participated last night. Lots of great recommendations, many tried and true, and many more that were kind of new.
But for me, new old world is all about the power of “network” — and not just the online connections either. You have to get on the phone, on the Webcam, and meet in person as much as possible. This goes for both job seekers and employers.
You must maximize your network investment. Meaning, invest in building one out first. Then pay it forward and pay it back. We are all informal mentors to each other.
Great question from last night: Doesn’t anyone do informational interviews anymore? That’s a great way to network as well.
Here are the top contributors from last night:
- @talentculture – 263
- @HRMargo – 92
- @dawnrasmussen – 91
- @meghanmbiro – 86
- @jillianwalker – 84
- @JeffWaldmanHR – 80
- @IanMondrow – 77
- @KevinWGrossman – 76
- @juliaerickson – 52
- @levyrecruits – 46
The greatest single predictor of one’s success and happiness during a time of challenge, every single time, is one’s social support network.
Torches lit, walking arm in arm. It’s time to light up the business world, kids.
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