When Will Unemployment Will Return To Normal?

When Will Unemployment Return to Normal?

No matter who won the election or wins the White House in 2012, the die is cast. We are in an economic hole that has been dug for the past 30 years.

Moneynews.com just published an article entitled, “Economists: Unemployment Won’t Drop to Normal Until 2018.” “American households have lost $14 trillion of their net worth in the recession” said Albert Niemi, dean of the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University. The resulting shock is causing a slow down in consumer spending, which is typically 70% of the economy. When you get burnt, you don’t want to get burnt a second time.

2018 is so far out, who really knows what our economy will be like in eight years? Unless our government debt and long-term obligations are reduced, the picture could become even worse!

Now for the good news!

If you are seeing hundreds or thousands of people looking for the same jobs that you are, you can get depressed. The good news is that your competition is also getting depressed. Most depressed people will quit showing up and quit trying to get a job. If you choose to keep looking, you are ahead of the pack.

The same somber picture is causing many to have dour moods. So, even when they are looking, they display little excitement, self-confidence, and expectation of getting hired. A hiring manager will keep looking. You can be the exception. You can come in with excitement for working hard, self-confidence that you can excel, and the expectation that you should be the one hired because you know you can add value and give the company what they want.

So how do you get started?

First, get on the new train before it leaves the tracks. The world has changed. Grieve over being caught in today’s mess. Realize that you cannot control the economy. You can control your response. Don’t be a victim. Choose to learn how to be competitive in the new economy. Do what it takes to be successful.

Second, quit listening to old world thinking. What used to work is not working. So, find out what is working and do it. Listen to leaders who understand the roadmap to success in today’s world economy. Follow them.

Commit to a change of thinking from being entitled, being taken care of, being helped, being rewarded for just being alive. Instead, take ownership for your future. Help others. Deliver value to others who then will reward you because you earned it.

Third, start learning. Learn what your passion is. Learn what you really want to do. Learn where your dream job can be found. Learn how to communicate with others what you want to do. Learn how to brand yourself. Learn how to effectively network in the area you want to work. Keep learning as a lifestyle.

If you do these things, you can be successful regardless of the economy or who is in Washington DC.

Unemployment may still be high in ten years; but not for you.

Jobpreneurship™ 101 – What the right steps to take to get a job?

I encourage you to re-read last week’s blog. It discusses the wrong steps to take; which don’t work in today’s market.

Let’s review the housing market, which is a downward valuation and hard to sell marketplace. Does that sound like jobs today?

When your house value is declining, you want to move fast before the value goes down further. When you are out of work, you feel pressure to get a job before your savings runs out or your value in the marketplace goes down further. That is why so many immediately put out their For Sale Sign (resume) and are willing to take a lower price. They are either scared, just don’t know better, or are not willing to do what any insider would do regardless of the economy.

So, what are the right steps to take?

1. Learn the Roadmap that successful people always use.
2. Identify what you really want to do, what you are passionate about, and where in this economy those jobs exist – by company name.
3. Find out what the hiring managers in those companies need and want.
4. Identify any red lights (gaps that may cause them to reject you) and proactively develop yourself as a product to meet and exceed what the hiring managers want.
5. Develop yourself and your message to show off your value in easy to remember simple language that others can understand.
6. Learn to network with those who know others who can help you.
7. Get referred into influencers, trusted advisors, and decision makers to have the opportunity to demonstrate your value, message, and passion to be the perfect job candidate.

Will that guarantee you a job? Of course not! There are too many other factors, such as a company hiring from within, that you cannot control. But this process will give you the greatest chance for success in the shortest time for the highest salary. Done right, this process will help you win over other candidates who may be more qualified but did not follow the Roadmap. Skip a step and you may wind up at square one.

Will you still need a resume, need to network, and need to put in the time to make this work? Of course! The difference is when and how you take each step on the path to success.

Why does this process work best?

Simple. You are selling yourself into a buyers market with declining values and a sea of competition. If you don’t distinguish yourself, you may not even be seen. If you are seen, your true value may not be recognized. Whose fault will that be? You. You are the one trying to be hired; not them.

Second, the Roadmap is the process that businesses use to develop their products, market their products, and sell their products. The only difference is that, in this case, you are the product.

That is why these are the steps we teach to everyone looking for a job.

Jobpreneurship™ 101 – What the first steps to take to get a job?

Traditional steps have been:

1. Re-write my resume.
2. Telling my network and everyone else that I am looking for a job.
3. Telling everyone in a long monologue of all the wonderful things that I have done in the past.
4. Buying business cards and passing out as many as possible.
5. Going to network meetings to let everyone know that I am available

Are these steps wrong?

If the job market were begging for people to hire, then announcing to the world your availability might make sense.

Remember the good old days when everyone who wanted a job had a job? Employees were needed. The best employees were highly valued and paid handsomely. Those days are gone – for now.

Now, people are begging to be hired and companies seem to have fewer and fewer jobs. Many who were highly valued are now just one of a large number of formerly highly valued talent. Today, being one of many means that you are being commoditized and, if the industry has changed, may even be unwanted.

The difference is that now your first steps should be what insiders have done.

What are those steps that everyone should be taking today?

First, what NOT to do:

1. DO NOT start by re-writing your resume.
2. DO NOT start telling your network and everyone else that you are looking for a job.
3. DO NOT start telling everyone in a long monologue of all the wonderful things that you have done in the past.
4. DO NOT start buying business cards and passing out as many as possible.
5. DO NOT start going to network meetings to let everyone know that you are available.

Why not?

Because we are no longer in a buyer’s market. Competition has increased.

Think of today’s housing market. More houses available are available for sale than the market is willing to pay for them.  We are in a buyer’s housing market. The buyer gets to decide which house she wants to buy. The buyer gets to decide which price she is willing to pay the seller. So, if you wish to sell your house you are going to have to do more than merely putting up a For Sale Sign in your front yard. Otherwise, you may have a long wait and never sell your house.

When looking for a job, you also need to do more to attract the right buyers who are willing to pay you the best price possible for your services. How do you do it?

Come back next week to find out!

If you can’t wait, check out our new book, Jobpreneurship™ 101. The process applies to anyone trying to find the right job at the right price in today’s market.

Boomerang Kids – College Grads Moving Home

Boomerang kids: 85% of college grads move home

As reported today by Jessica Dickler on CNNMoney.com, there is a continuing alarming trend of more and more college graduates not being able to find a job after graduation. Increasingly, college is becoming an incredibly expensive vacation.

This represents more than lost years. Since companies look for current skills and education, a prolonged unemployment will result in these grads becoming “damaged goods.” When companies do start hiring again, they will more likely start with the current year crop of graduates. For many, that will mean they will have an increasingly difficult time finding a job – not because they are any worse or better than prior generations or graduation years. They are just caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, perhaps with the wrong major and wrong career interests for this years top company demand.

So, what are their options? They can respond the traditional way which does not appear to be working. They can do what everyone else is doing and hope that, like the lottery, their number will come up. Or they can respond just as they did when they learned their educational training. They can decide to major on how to get a job and how to compete in the marketplace for what jobs do exist.

The is why I wrote Jobpreneurship™ 101 – From College to Dream Jobs. It is a curriculum that can be learned, practiced, and implemented to win the race to the front of the line. It is the curriculum business decision makers agree works. It is how businesses do business in their world. I encourage you to check out the book on this website.

The jobs are out there. They are just not seen very often. Think of fishing for a sport fish. You have to have the right tools. You have to know where to fish. You have to learn how to fish: read the signs, when to fish, what bait to use, how to hook the fish, how to reel in the fish, etc. The good jobs, the dream jobs, are waiting for the right person to learn how to catch them. Many are still out there unfilled; still swimming around.

If you know of someone who needs to hear this message, please pass this blog on to them. Let’s try to help each other.

Jobpreneurship™ 101 – Why Can’t I Get A Job?

How long of a list do you need? Let’s first examine a few of the reasons.

• The economy is not what it used to be. The recession, debt levels, value of the US dollar, and future trends are scaring companies into hiring less.
• The geo-political and rapid pace of new US laws and regulations are scaring companies into freezing hiring decisions until they can feel more confident about the future.
• A tight economy threatens company survival. When you are in survival mode, you do not expand (hire or invest in the business).
• Even when the economy recovers, companies will likely outsource more and automate more, and hire less than in years past.

So, the first set of reasons is that there are fewer jobs! No one can predict when those factors will change. This is a long term trend.

The second reason is that there are a lot more people competing for fewer jobs. That trend will also continue for at least the next few years.

The third reason may be that you may not be a fit for the job. As bills pile up, it is not unusual to apply for any job that walks! Many are willing to take a lower level and lower paying job than they had before. Here are some reasons you may be frustrated:

• You are over qualified. The company is fearful that you will leave when the economy turns around.
• You are not currently working, so you must be damaged goods.
• Your education or certification may not meet job requirements.
• Your experience does not match the job requirements.
• You blast out generic resumes that don’t fit the job description
• Your appearance, attitude, or ability to speak “their language” does not match what they define as their “cultural fit.”

The fourth reason may be that you are assuming that the process for getting a job is the same as before. In my opinion, this is the biggest reason. Old ways used to work when companies were competing for employees to hire. New ways are required in today’s reality. Now unemployed, underemployed, career changers, industry changers, college graduates, immigrants, formerly retired, and high school graduates are competing to be “seen, wanted, and bought” by a company from a sea of applicants.

The market has changed from a seller’s market (you wanting a job) to a severe buyer’s market.

The real question is, “Am I willing to learn and do what it takes to sell myself in a severe buyer’s market?”

There are jobs created every day. You will either choose to hope that a job falls down your chimney into your lap or you will choose to compete in today’s real world.

In my opinion, almost anyone can learn and be successful. The challenge will be if you want to learn and do what it takes to be successful. My new book, Jobpreneurship™ 101 is a great way to get started.

Announcing Jobpreneurship™ 101 – From College To Dream Jobs!

We are pleased to announce the availability of my latest book, Jobpreneurship™ 101 – From College To Dream Jobs.

What is different? EVERYTHING most people are doing is not working well in today’s chaotic world.  Why? The world has changed. Business as usual is no longer usual. Business risks and threats are reducing interest in hiring. Fewer jobs means greater competition for the remaining jobs that exist.

If you are doing the same thing as everyone else, you will find similar results as everyone else. What results are they finding?

If you are ready to learn how the insiders and successful few go about getting a job, then you need to see what others are saying about Jobpreneurship™ 101 – From College To Dream Jobs.

“Jim Villwock applies his wealth of experience to the critical topic of job searching. A book for young and old, novice and experienced, Jim teaches you how to get hired into the position you want!“

Marshall Goldsmith – World-renowned executive coach and author of the New York Times best-sellers, MOJO and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There; He is acclaimed by the Wall Street Journal and Forbes Magazine, and named by the American Management Association as one of the fifty great thinkers of the last century.  He has authored 23 books on leadership.

“This book should be required reading for all college seniors and for all who contemplate a job/career change. In clear terms it presents the steps needed to identify and secure employment even in the most turbulent economic times.”

Carter Hopkins, Former Director of Alumni Career Services at U. Va. Alumni Association

“His description of the job hunting process is revolutionary compared  to the usual method
most people take…”

June Erickson, Atlanta Business School Alliance (Alumni Groups from top U.S. business schools)

“Jobpreneurship 101™ is more than a tool to help you find a job, it is a practical, powerful and proven approach to creating a habit of effective career management. It is applicable to all — college age through senior executive. As a leader, mentor and coach I enjoy helping individuals reach their potential. I encourage you to add this to your must read list.“

Alex Perwich, President, Contained Energy LLC
; Former CEO, Golden Key International Honour Society (world’s largest)
; Lieutenant Colonel, US Army (Retired)

If you wish to check out our new book, click here.

Are You a Victim or a Victor?

There many victims in this world. In fact, anyone can claim to be a victim. The poor may not have enough food, clothing, education, healthcare, nurturing, safety, role models, etc. The rich may have been spoiled, not enough time with loving parents, too much freedom, too much money, too many temptations, too much unstructured free time, too much access to drugs, sex, and mischief. Perhaps you are in the middle but had a negative teacher experience, a professor who could not teach, a boss who was unethical, etc. It is easy to blame others or our circumstances. It emotionally feels good to blame the system, blame our situation, and ignore our own responsibility. You might get compassion from a court of law or others but feeling like a victim does not solve anything. You will just remain a victim.

We have far fewer victors. A victor does not ignore the injustices in life. Instead, they feed off of wanting their lives to be different. They take any negative energy and turn it into positive motivation to become different. They want to provide food, clothing, opportunities, a better world and a better life for themselves and for their children and grand children. They choose to win at the game of life. They get up each morning determined to break through their past, their excuses, and their weaknesses to make a difference, to maximize their potential, and to ultimately leave a legacy.

Being a victim is easy. You don’t have to do anything.

Being a victor is hard. You have to be determined, work hard, persevere, and surround yourself with other like-minded victors to become successful. Many future victors are often surprised how many older victors are willing to reach out a hand to help those who are determined to win in life. These older victors have won already and are now working on paying it forward in order to leave a legacy for future generations of victors.

At the end of the day, the difference is what you decide to do with your life.

Will you be a victim or a victor?

The Financial Challenge for Graduates Trying to A Job

The first shock will be having to go home. The article cites that in 2009, 80% moved back home to Mom and Dad after graduation. Since the trend has been increasing, the 2010 numbers may likely be higher. You can read the full USA Today article by clicking here.

When they arrive home, many will have to start paying back their college loans. While the national average is cited as around $23 thousand, if you went to school in a top tier school in an expensive state, that number could easily be much, much higher. Unless their parents keep paying for them, the financial pressures will quickly mount.

For some, their parents may also be unemployed and financially struggling. The unforeseen train wreck may be just around the corner.

I have heard some people suggest that this year’s graduates, as well as for the last two years, will be the “lost generation.” That refers to far fewer getting jobs and lower starting salaries for those who do get a job. By starting with a lower salary, the impact to lifetime earnings can be staggering.

If you do the math, ongoing support at home + paying off student loans + job hunting expenses + risk of parents running out of money + the lifetime loss of earnings (from starting at a lower salary) = a frightening scenario for today’s graduates. Yet the article suggests that 50% of graduates are confident that they will get a job.

I hope that they do. I suspect that those who assume that the job will come to them or that simply trying to get a job the same way that their parents used to get a job will be very disappointed. The math, for most, just will not work.

So, what are their choices? The article suggests: a) staying in school, b) starting their own business, c) picking jobs that don’t fit their majors, d) taking internships to get experience, and e) accepting job offers when they get an offer.  These are all reasonable but miss the most important point; which is learning how to competitively sell and market themselves to get a job now and develop the skills that will help them develop a lifetime of success.

Of course, most people think that getting their resume updated, applying online for jobs, and learning how to interview is all that you need. That is why I am trying to get the message out about Jobpreneurshipä. If you have heard our presentations, attended our seminars, read our newsletters, blogs, testimonials, and books, then you know that our message is a paradigm shift to many but simply words of wisdom shared from insiders who want to help others. Those who want to take action can increase their opportunity for career, family, and future success.

If you agree with our message, please tell others about Job Doctors.  Thank you for helping us help others.

The Shocking Challenge for Graduates Getting A Job

The employment news on Friday, June 4, 2010 was that unemployment fell to 9.7% nationally. That sounds like an improvement. However, when you peal back the number, less than 10% of the improvement came from the private sector – far less than expected. The improvements came from government hiring but are clouded by how many are related to temporary Census workers.  The bottom line is that the employment picture for everyone has not really improved. The stock market understands this math and the DJIA fell 323 points.

So, what does that mean for graduates? First, most students don’t really know what is going on. They often believe that getting a job is something to think about when they graduate; and not before. The real shock will be when they enter the transition market that over 30 million Americans are experiencing.

Let’s look at some of the information provided by USA Today on May 19, 2010. You can read the article by clicking here.

First, 2.4 million new students have recently graduated. That does not include graduate level students. Many of them will struggle to get an interview, much less get hired.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is cited as showing five job seekers for every opening. Who knows where they get their numbers. My HR sources tell me that hundreds and thousands are applying for posted positions. I will let you decide which you believe is true for your dream job.

What is astounding is that the percentage of employers planning to hire recent graduates is continuing to go down! The article cites 79% in 2007, 58% in 2008, and 44% this year with last year around the same number.

There is no question that the markets are incredibly competitive with little improvement seen for the next several years.

However, many of these graduates have been accustomed to getting along and not worrying about the future. Many, not finding a job, will simply go back home while others will assume that their parents will continue to pay for their needs. To be blunt, that phenomena will probably be increasing. But believing that they should not have to compete for jobs or assuming someone, like their parents, will help them get a job is living in a bubble that, for many, will eventually end poorly.

The conclusion is that, “are simply not enough jobs to go around.”

I agree with the numbers but not with the implied conclusion. If everyone just sat around, being a victim, the sentiment would be reasonable. However, not everyone will just be sitting around. The ones who get hired will be those who are hungry enough to decide to learn how to compete regardless of the economy. Their attitude will be, “no excuses!” They will choose to learn how to cope and succeed in today’s market. When the market improves, they will be ahead of their peers and far ahead in knowing how to get their ultimate dream jobs.

So how will they learn these skills? Job Doctors is here to teach them. Few may wish to learn, but I want to be there to help them learn the secrets that insiders have always used and that anyone who wishes to be competitive in today’s marketplace must use to be working while others go home to their parents house waiting for more jobs to “go around.”

How about you? Are you taking steps to learn to be competitive? Can you help others know about these insider secrets so that they can also start moving toward their dream job?

Helping College Students and Graduates Get Jobs

The challenges for experienced workers to get a job in today’s market are sobering. The challenges for a college student to land a job after graduation are far worse.

In today’s market, this demographic is caught in the middle. First they are competing against double digit general unemployment, experienced people willing to take a step down just to have a job, retirees wanting to return to the labor force, graduates from prior years who are still unemployed and far fewer companies who are interested in hiring anyone.

I want to help. I will need your help for me to help them. Who is “them”? It may be you, your children, friends, or friend’s children.

My program includes a new book that will be out this summer, speaking at colleges, and offering seminars designed for college students and college graduates.

Will this program solve the problem? No. However, the information that I will be sharing will provide a competitive advantage to those who have the opportunity to listen and to learn.

So, for me to help them, I need your help.

The best way for me to help that population is to work within existing college and alumni programs that are already set up for speakers and continuing education materials for career days, assemblies, student leadership gatherings, conferences, etc.

If you are interested in finding out more, please check out http://www.JobDoctorsInternational.com/speaking/college.

If you are interested in helping me, what I am requesting is that you consider either forwarding my link ( http://www.JobDoctorsInternational.com/speaking/college ) or my brochure to anyone whom you know in your college or alumni organization with any of the following titles:

• Director/Coordinator of Student Affairs
• Coordinator of Greek Life
• Director of Career Services
• Director of Residential Life
• Presidents of Alumni Groups
• Trusted College Staff Relationships
• Trusted Relationships in Associations interested in helping college/graduate students

Please consider helping me to get my urgently needed message to the next generation. For some of us that might mean helping others, perhaps even your children, get off their parent’s dole and out of their parent’s house to move on to their own life adventure.

If you need any brochures or information, please feel free to call me at 888-420-6861 or email me at Jim@JobDoctorsIntl.com.

« Previous Page — Next Page »