Top 5 Ways To Not Get A Job In Today’s Economy

July 28, 2009 - PRLog -- TORONTO, ONTARIO – It seems that in the face of the present economic downturn there is an abundance of job-hunting “advice” being proffered on job search boards, by pseudo ‘experts’.  It also seems that common sense is in short supply these days when it comes to job hunting… this is arguably true of both the job seeker and the job hunt ‘gurus’ themselves.

So-called ‘experts’ tell us to either supplement our already highly specialized resumes with further accreditations in order to somehow outmanoeuvre the competition, or that our job experience in our field just doesn’t cut it alongside our many faceless competitors (or conversely that we have too much of it). This is a highly inefficient method that, by reducing otherwise potentially good applicants to nothing more than a few extra letters of designation on a business card, leaves a job hunter in a daunting and energy-draining position. After all, with this method there is always someone with a few more professional accreditations than you. You might be the better candidate for so many other reasons not made apparent on a resume, but the prospective employers don’t know that do they? So, how can we avoid this job-hunting trap and distinguish ourselves amongst applicants?

Additionally, it is quite ironic that so many of us waste hours sitting behind our computer, staring at imposing, seemingly impossibly long lists of requirements companies post in their quest for the supposedly ‘ideal’ candidate (someone who, let’s face it, rarely exists as such anyway). Common sense suggests that this shotgun approach to job hunting simply does not work well at all. It is defeating and highly inefficient at the best of times.

Statistics suggest that most of us have rarely, if ever, obtained our best opportunities from this kind of  approach, instead noting that 80% of job opportunities are found through our contacts. Moreover, recent research in the area of ‘Social Capital’ theory confirms that we may be all looking for jobs in all the wrong places. Nonetheless, we still waste copious hours surfing the Internet, waiting for that dream opportunity to present itself.

It seems that real experts (i.e. that is, those with real evidence on their side) are telling us that the old adage of “it’s not what you know, but who you know” is so much more than just an irritating commentary on a reality beyond one’s control. In fact, it seems the answer to one’s job hunt woes very likely does lay within his or her own social network – our very best job-hunting resource – that few of us ever correctly know how to leverage (i.e. with any degree of efficiency). With the size of today’s organizations and the sheer geography involved with of the typical job hunter’s scope, it is not simply that the competition is so good that you cannot be competitive…it is that it now involves so many people that it is difficult to distinguish oneself amongst the hundreds of candidates  (who have likely applied for the same position as you have).

However, even armed with the above-noted 80% statistic, few of us know how to leverage the enormous potential goldmine our own circle of contacts (friends, family, and colleagues) can yield us.  After all, consider this: each one of our contacts has their own contacts circle, which greatly expands our own job search ‘reach’…this strategy requires an artful networking skill most of us lack. The good news is that this is a teachable skill.

Dr. J.P. Hatala heads up a social networking research and consultation firm named Flowork International whose research-driven model educates organizations and job hunters alike on the essentials of strategic, efficient social networking.  The Flowork model offers comprehensive insight in to the “dos” and “don’ts” of ‘strategic networking’. Without this approach we not only are wasting our time, we can almost certainly help ourselves to NOT find the job we are hoping for. Accordingly, Flowork has compiled a list of the top 5 ways, sure-fire ways to not get a job in today’s economy:

1 – DO NOT bother to: ‘Know Your Own Network’
•   Information gathering is key here. Nothing is more detrimental to a job seeker’s efforts than failing to know who really is in his or her own social network.  This of course brings into play the job seeker’s skill in doing so.  (Read: the ‘organizationally lazy’ need not apply).

2 – DO NOT bother to: ‘Know Yourself’…and specifically what you have to offer
•   Knowing and being able to quickly rattle off exactly what you have to offer is essential when it comes to strategic networking in the job hunt. This includes your background, experience and education. Coupled with clear goals and objectives, is there any excuse for NOT approaching others in your network? (see item # 3)

3 – DO NOT bother to: ‘Contact Others’
•   This is the tough part, right? Yet, stepping out of our comfort zone and initiating contact is fundamental to a successful strategic approach.  Moreover, the individual’s ability to “cultivate, nurture and manage network relationships is key” according to Dr. Hatala. In other words, waiting for your social network to come to you with the information you need, will obviously fail miserably. (It need not be awkward if you’ve applied the previous step).

4 – DO NOT bother to: ‘Ask Others for Feedback’
•   Being willing to accept others comments and to, in fact, solicit their feedback, is key. This is one many often miss. The failure to solicit feedback could represent a major setback, since it sometimes offers a key insight into a specific problem we may be having vis-à-vis our job hunt.  We’ve got to ask for it and be willing to hear what they have to say.  Indeed, we may just hear something invaluable.

5 – DO NOT bother with present-day: ‘Technology’
•   Taking advantage of the reach of today’s technology surely helps us to expand our communications reach and social networking websites abound (e.g. Linked In, My Space, Twitter, and Facebook, to name a few). They can be of great assistance in the job hunt/career advancement battle. Understanding technology and all of its uses is fundamentally important, if one is to avail oneself of all it has to offer.  Moreover, most social networking websites are designed with user-friendliness in mind..

So, avoid the tips that are implicit here, and you have a sure-fire recipe for NOT finding the position you are after (or are best suited for).  Sadly, so many are doing precisely this, while the solution to their job-hunt woes likely lies right in front of them. That is, the solution to the job hunt is unlikely to be found in some blogger’s pseudo-expert, advice webpage detailing how to outdo the competition, but rather in one’s very own social network.

To find out more information about Flowork, its training programs, or research, feel free to email Dr. Hatala directly at jphatala@flowork.com.

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Flowork is an organization that works with individuals, organizations and communities to develop their social capital and more importantly increase their ability to access social resources.