Dr. Paul Powers, Management Psychologist & Consultant, Author, Speaker
Job-hunting is a challenging task in any environment. Many folks think it’s an even harder task during a recession. But that’s not precisely true because all of the job-hunting strategies and techniques required of the professional job changer remain the same in any climate. However, the process is quite likely to take longer because of the reduced number of job targets due to layoffs and the overall unemployment rate. And though working at any challenging task for an extended period of time is nobody’s idea of fun, it does not necessarily mean that the task itself is harder. It just requires more patience, more creativity, and more endurance.
This might seem like I’m splitting hairs. I’m not. What I’m doing is letting the air out of some of the myths that surround job-hunting during a recession. Some of these myths are perpetuated by the media eager to fill air space regardless of content quality. Some are hyped by the so-called career experts who suddenly pop up in a recession. Others are passed on by discouraged (or lazy) job hunters who find it easier to affix blame on outside influences than take responsibility for the success of their job hunt.
Over the last 18 months I have worked with a number of career coaching clients who have succeeded by not buying into many of the current job-hunting myths. I will share their findings below.
If you have discovered any other job-hunting myths please let NEJS know in the comment section of the blog post.
Paths Forward
Myth #1: Nobody is Hiring. This is simply not true. But when experiencing rejection during a job hunt it is easier to say, “no one is hiring” than to say, “I did a lousy job of selling myself.” Or “Someone less skilled than me but a better interviewer got the job I should have landed”. The statistics are out there for you to see, some new jobs are being created, some old jobs are being refilled and it’s the job hunter’s task to find them.
If you attend networking meetings all you have to do is look around to visually see one of the largest demographic groups hurt in this recession – the over 40 crowd. We all know that the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older from employment discrimination based on age. Under the ADEA, it is unlawful to discriminate against a person because of his/her age with respect to employment, including hiring, firing, promotion, compensation and benefits. However when looking for a job these days it sure feels like age discrimination is alive and well. Whether it is truly is age discrimination or wage discrimination as some of us like to put it, the reality is the over 40 job seeker needs to actively combat being labeled as “old”.
