Pause & Effect - Taking a Deep Dive into the categories of job seekers

Insight into what I was originally thinking…When I first started to write this article, my subtitle was going to be “The Winter (Spring & Summer) of our Discontent (aka Job Search 2023). That’s an applicable tagline for many people I’ve met during the course of the year, but I thought better of that for a couple of reasons.

1. It sounded too much like I was writing about me, and no one really cares about my specific issues – whether they apply to others or not.

2. When I put stuff like that on the cover it sends the wrong message, and I’ve got 3-5 seconds (maybe less) for someone to determine if it’s worth even stopping to read the intro.

But, I digress...

Pause & Effect – A Deep Dive into the categorization of “The Job Search” – Let’s start here…

August in the Northeast is always an interesting month. It seems to start out warm, but by the middle of the month we’re experiencing lower humidity, some cooler temperatures along with a back-to-school focus. With the upcoming NFL season almost upon us, both local NY baseball teams out of the playoff discussion this year, and Labor Day right around the corner it’s only natural to begin thinking about the fall – even though we have almost a full month of summer left.

What I’m referring to is the passage of time, yet anyone that is in a job search can identify with the “Pause” that it puts on our lives. For the job seeker two situations can be occurring at the same time. On one hand time begins to fly by. Days quickly turn into weeks, and before you know it months have flown by. On the other hand, the life of a job seeker can move into a sort of “hibernation phase”. Home projects are delayed, major purchases postponed, vacations sometimes altered (if not altogether cancelled).

The “Effect” of this “Pause” can be an alteration (and even altercation depending on what’s going on in your home) of family members’ lives as they are living with the job seeker. Regardless of the family members’ outside activities they can’t help but be affected by the frequency of seeing the job seeker around the house, a visible change in routines, and maybe most importantly, the change in income.

2023 has been an adventure for many of us. I’ve had the opportunity to talk with many people actively hunting down their next role. I’ve been pulling together an image of what I’m seeing, and I thought I would break it down into some simple terms and provide an explanation – in a sense doing a Deep Dive into this topic.

4 "Time" Classifications of Job Seekers (aka, how long has someone been out of work, or "in-transition"?)

Most of us don’t spend much time thinking about something like this, but if you attend enough networking meetings/calls you begin to see distinctive differences in some of the people in attendance. I’ve attempted to categorize in the paragraphs below.

Newly Minted – 0-2 months – People that fall into this category can run the gamut from “deer in the headlights” to an experienced job seeker that knows just what to do. The newness of being unemployed affects everyone differently. For some there is a “grieving” period that they go through. We know grieving typically as an emotion related to the loss of a loved one or close friend. Grieving is also used to describe the immediate term after a separation from an employer. Everyone has a right to grieve, but it’s not all that useful (or productive) in job search. Unless, of course you turn it into a “chip on your shoulder” and you become relentless in the pursuit of your next position. If you don’t know when your next job offer is coming, then you’re going to need every minute and hour to shape yourself up. Characteristics of this time period:

• Not sure what to do. This covers resumes, cover letters, job search engines, LinkedIn.
• How do I go about finding a job
• Information overload & analysis paralysis

Settling In – 3-6 months – By now people at this stage should have their new routine set in place. They should be familiar with the networking support groups in their respective states (or online communities). The resume should be set, you should have a pretty clear idea of what position you’re looking for. Maybe you’ve had a couple of interviews, and maybe some have led to some serious discussions about joining a company. Also, in the three to six-month time period you should be getting an idea if you’re on the right track for the positions you are seeking. Characteristics of this period:

• Getting into a routine.
• Finding networking groups you want to participate in.
• Reaching out to network with others.
• Your elevator pitch is locked in and what you’re pursuing should be crystal clear.

Frustration Reigns – 7-10 months – Extended job searches are not good for anyone. People in this bracket start to let doubts creep in. This is where mental toughness really needs to be embraced because no matter how good you were in your last job (or even your entire career) the fact that you’re not back at work can wear you down. There are ways to combat this. Through this entire search I’ve walked every day, have biked frequently, have maintained a schedule, try and have a plan each day, and try and make sure I’m putting in a normal work week in looking for a job. Characteristics of this period:

• You’ve been on interviews and may have been rejected multiple times.
• You begin questioning what you are pursuing (self-doubt about your qualifications).
• Some jealousy over watching others get positions while you are still searching.

Long Haul – 11+ months – Long haul isn’t just for truckers or those impacted by Covid. Those of us that are starting to approach one year of unemployment have a different set of experiences – and in many cases, are entering into uncharted territory. Cynicism, self-doubt, a re-thinking of our careers are on the table for consideration and evaluation. Based on finances ANY job may suffice as a means of bringing in a paycheck. In more severe situations some households and family units may not make it. The job seeker at this point may have to reset their expectations for the kind of position they’re going to be hired for. Characteristics of this period:

• Self-talk of wondering whether you are ever going to be in a professional position of your choice.
• Loss of focus on the search. Day-to-day activities no longer resemble what you did early in the search – less discipline.

Job Seeker Experience Level

We're seeing some oddities during this search, and based on an employee's work history job search may have never been in their lexicon. Here's a breakdown of the categories of the types of job seekers:

Never had to look for a position – Believe it or not there are those that walk among us that have been employed for 25 years (or more) at the same company. Some of these people end up on the wrong list and have been given their pink slip and now are in a situation that they have NEVER been in before. Not only do they have the challenge of figuring out what they want to do next, but they may also never have had to look for a job.

Haven’t job searched in a long time - This is a real fear. There's a lot going on in job search these days. For those that haven't searched for a position in 5-10 years it can be very daunting. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources available to be able to get up-to-speed.

Have not searched in the last 3-5 years - Much like riding a bike, if you've been through the job search process in the past, it's not hard to know what to do to get started again. The career sites change, the popular job search tools change, but the concept is the same. Networking hasn't changed - although the virtual nature of everything makes it easier (while also making it harder). There are all new sets of issues to worry about (background and lighting for your video calls, ghosting, use of ChatGPT and other AI tools).

Financial Runway

The standard "career coach" advice is for candidates to pursue what they want, what they are good at, what excites them, blah, blah, blah. The true reality is that in a perfect world of no financial concerns and unlimited time this is sage advice. But the majority of us don't live in that world. Since finances are so personal and everyone's situation is different you can determine your runway based on how the following line up:

2nd household income that can support the job seeker - some risks can be taken on the job seeker's part if they have the financial support in place.

Severance + Unemployment - If the severance is lengthy, congratulations. However, this combination is on a timer and it won't last forever.

Unemployment - This is also limited by time, and if a professional role is not imminent then it's time for whatever your "Plan B" may be.

Savings & Retirement - This is where everyone feels it the most. The money spent on expenses and healthcare can quickly drain anyone, and holding out for the perfect job is not realistic anymore.

Job Search Objectives (Risk Factors)

There are all kinds of stories out there of job seekers "resume bombing" - using the EasyApply feature on LinkedIn to respond to all types of positions. There are also candidates that open up their search in a very earnest way as a means of expanding their comfort zone and finding meaningful work. Here are the categories. You can assess the risk - both on the candidates' side of applying for a job and the companies' (un) willingness to bring in candidates.

Same job same industry - call this a "no-brainer. A submitted resume should work, but for this a networking connection is the best way to go.

Same job different industry - risk depends on how important industry experience is and what the company's view is on the candidate's experience and whether they are willing to tolerate the employee's industry learning curve.

Different job same industry - high risk depending on what the occupation is. Knowing the industry is only useful if the candidate is capable of doing the job.

Different job, different industry - highest risk on both sides - but there are an awful lot of us out there that have worked in multiple professions, for multiple companies in multiple industries. So, it's not impossible - just difficult.

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

Ask any job seeker about rejection notes they have been sent and you’ll get a story. I certainly have my own. This job search has proven to be as challenging as any I have ever been on. Here are just a few:

• The number of people competing for open positions.
• The level of competition.
• A company’s indecision about what it is seeking, and their willingness to put posted positions on hold.
• A “buyer’s market” - holding out for the candidates (aka, unicorn) that check most (if not all) of the boxes.

Summary

I've covered a lot of ground on this piece. Hopefully, if you made it this far you found some of it interesting.

Have a great weekend!

Dave

About David Shultis

I am a senior level B2B marketing and product management professional with experience in the life science/med device/manufacturing space. I have also begun to focus on Commercial Excellence roles as my career experience matches up nicely. A return to a leadership role (formal or informal) where coaching and mentoring a team or working with a cross-functional team would also be an important component of the position. This could be in the form of a director of commercial excellence, marketing director, a group product director or as an individual contributor in a senior product management capacity. I'm especially interested in under-performing departments, startups or rebuilds where I can contribute by making a positive change through leadership and the implementation of procedures and metrics.

When not in pursuit of my next opportunity you can find me biking in and around New Jersey (over 5,000 miles in 2023) or trying to get my walking in with a 15k step goal each day. Here is my photo of the week. This came from a bike ride I took early this morning along the Mannasquan Reservoir in Howell, NJ.