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Finding A Job: Illusion Vs. Reality

David Copperfield, the internationally renowned magician has mastered the art of illusion. He has amazed people worldwide by his seeming ability to easily cause a 737 jet airplane to virtually disappear into thin air from a stage surrounded by an audience of hundreds of people. Those same people, however, would want the services of a real pilot and crew who deal with the proven aeronautical methods of how a plane flies if they actually wanted to get somewhere.

In a job search, if you actually want to get somewhere, you will want to avoid the illusions surrounding how hiring is done. It can appear so effortless, like David Copperfield's magic. In reality, it took Copperfield hundreds of hours of work to make his performance appear easy.

As Robert Schuller noted, "Spectacular performance is always preceded by unspectacular preparation."

Richard N. Bolles, the most respected authority on job finding, believes that job-hunting behavior is the primary problem in finding a job rather than the job market itself! How your search is conducted will ensure your success. Bolles' research and studies have identified the methods that have been proven to really work; he scoffs at those who promote the illusion that a job search can be effective without much effort.

Many professional and executive level individuals have never had to look for a job in their lives! They have moved easily from one opportunity to another. They are surprised when they are not welcomed with open arms after sending out a few resumes and making a few calls. Or, the responses they do get are not the ones they want—either the job is not right, the location is not right, or the money is not right.

Following are many of the "illusions" that job seekers are working under, and the corresponding realities:

Illusion #1:

"With my expertise, background and track record, it will be easy to find a new position that fills my career, financial and location requirements."

Reality #1:

The more experience you have, the higher your position and compensation, the fewer the opportunities that are available to you. Imagine a Pyramid. Built of hundreds of blocks, the wide base has dozens of those building blocks from corner to corner. That's what was available to you early in your career. Up toward the top of the pyramid, there are only a few blocks from one side to the other, the higher you go, the fewer the opportunities.

From a marketing standpoint, how would you go about marketing a $300,000 product? Think about it. If you are seeking compensation of $75, 000 annually, it will cost an employer $225,000 in salary over three years (3 X $75,000 = $225,000). Add another 1/3 for benefits ($75,000 + $225,000 = $300,000). You are marketing, and asking an employer to purchase a $300,000 product! That type of investment is not made quickly or casually. Given the responsibility of marketing any $300,000 product, you would surely use methods others had proven to work. You wouldn't just send out a bunch of brochures, or post the brochure on the Internet and expect good results.

Illusion #2:

"All I need to do is post my resume online, mail out a few resumes, get some recruiters working for me, and ‘put the word out' in my network."

Reality #2:

Mailing/Posting Resumes: According to Richard Bolles' hiring studies, it can take more than 1,470 "mailed" resumes to generate one job offer that is accepted! Chris Miller, President of 6figurejobs.com, told an audience of career management professionals about the tens of thousands of jobs and resumes on the 6figuresjobs.com website. When asked by a member of the audience, "Chris, how many of those people who post resumes actually get jobs?" He responded, "Well, it's about 4%." Four percent!

Recruiters: Recruiters do not work for you! I hear people brag about being contacted by a "headhunter" for a great position. When asked where the position is located, however, 99% of the time it is in a location where the person would never consider living. So what good is it? The recruiter is working on an "order" placed by a client company for a very specific profile. Filling that position is the only way a recruiter makes a living. A recruiter cannot divert attention away from serving the client company to helping you. In my five years as Vice President of an executive search firm, I "placed" just one candidate that sent me a resume!

A client of ours, currently working for a very large company in Arizona, has decided to seek a new position. I mentioned to him that fewer than 15% of employers use the services of recruiters. He said, "That's right, I never thought about it, but my company has a firm policy of not paying fees to agencies."

Networking: Effective job-search networking is very sophisticated and goal oriented. It doesn't work well when one calls contacts just looking for "openings" or by handing out copies of resumes hoping someone will "pass it on." Many job seekers actually waste good contacts because they don't know how to maximize those resources.

Illusion #3:

"I should be able to find a new position within a few weeks." (some out-of-town job seekers often are under the illusion that they can find a position in a one-week job search trip!)

Reality #3:

The "rule of thumb" for a professional's job search is one month of serious, intensive job searching for each $10,000 in annual income. Again, Richard Bolles' research is helpful. He says "...it's often 15-20 weeks before a job is found." He also asserts that "...the biggest obstacle facing job-hunters is their unwillingness to put in enough hours a week toward finding a job."

Illusion #4:

"A good resume will get me interviews and job offers."

Reality #4:

Your resume does need to be good—it is not just a history of your work, it is a reflection of your work. But the best time to give it to someone is during or after a meeting! When asked, "If people have many skills, what do they pick out to put on their resume?" The question is so irrelevant that Bolles responds, "That's like saying what kind of wig should I put on a werewolf? Resumes are a terribly ineffective way to acquaint an employer with your skills." It takes at least 20 minutes to reject a candidate face-to-face, it takes only 15 seconds (or less!) to reject a resume.

Illusion #5:

"It is best to follow the instructions in responding to a help wanted ad to get an interview."

Reality #5:

Let's just consider the numbers. Anywhere from two hundred to 1,000+ resumes are received for every online or help-wanted ad. Visualize your own desk piled high with several hundred resumes. How carefully would you read each one? Ad requirements such as "send resume and cover letter with salary history" screen you OUT more often than in. Again quoting Bolles, "...resumes serve the interests of the company, but not the interests of the job-hunter." One hiring manager that I know very sheepishly told me that she felt very bad for many of the people who had responded to her ad for an auditor "because," she said, "I only had time to look at fifty or so resumes; there were at least another hundred that I never even looked at."

The secret to getting interviews is to target your communication to the decision maker with the goal of securing a face-to-face meeting. That can be accomplished with a well-crafted letter followed by a phone call, or just a phone call. Being referred in to the decision maker is our favorite method of ensuring an interview. Bring the resume with you to the meeting!

Wouldn't it be nice if, like a magician, you could wave a wand or say a few magic words that would put you into a wonderful new job! Illusion is nice. It is entertaining. Reality, however, is what will get you where you want to go!

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