Stop the Insanity of Finding a Job; It's Time to Reverse Course and try A New Approach
John G. Self
Career Advisor/Interview & Job Search Guide: We help executives and managers elevate their interview skills
Thousands of executive and management job seekers are struggling, and they are angry and frustrated.? Their fuel tanks are nearly empty, and they are losing faith in themselves and the idea that one day soon, everything will be OK.
As the new Administration slams its imprint on the federal government, MORE THAN 75,000 employees, including managers and executives, plan to accept the Trump/Musk eight-month severance package federal court hearings on the legality of the offer.
If the judge approves the program, assuming no appeals are filed, that means the already crowded management and executive jobs market will be even more competitive.?
For the thousands upon thousands (there are no exact numbers) of executives who already cannot find a job, any additional management applicant “inventory” is unwelcome news.
A? government report in August highlighted the magnitude of the problem. The Labor Department reported that the US added 818,000 fewer jobs in March of 2024 than initially reported. More than 500,000, or more than 60%, of those disappearing jobs were in professional roles, according to a report from global executive search firm Korn Ferry.
With such a large number of people looking for work, it could take more than a year or longer to absorb the massive number of executives looking to re-enter the labor market when hiring gates open again.?
The executive and management job segment numbers sharply contrast with overall hiring trends. On average, more than 200,000 new jobs have been created nearly every month since the pandemic settled into a less deadly flu-like cycle. That makes the anger and frustration more intense for the struggling executives, some of whom have been looking for work for more than 16 months.
There are still executive positions being filled, but the openings, given the large number of job seekers, are, in effect,? few and far between.? It is not uncommon to apply for a job online only to learn that 300 other executives are already in the line ahead of you.
“I am running out of money,” one former financial services programmer told me.? “I can last maybe four or five more months before I am forced to ask my parents, who live on a fixed income if I can move back home or I could face homelessness,” she confessed. She graduated. from an elite school. She is grappling with her monthly expenses and a less-than-transparent student loan repayment program.
One of the most common issues connecting a majority of out-of-work executives is that today’s talent acquisition/recruitment processes are dramatically different than 10 years ago. ? AI-powered automation has turned the process of finding a job upside down for many job seekers who do not fully grasp how these sweeping changes affect them every time they apply.?
Coaches Perspective: One of the toughest challenges that job search coaches face is getting their clients to stop shooting at everything that moves — job-wise.? Once anxiety and fear set in, though, their brain explode into high gear.? Online job postings are like crack cocaine for people who feel they must apply, apply, apply, apply…
The problem is finding a job by filing online applications is the worst way in the world to succeed. ? The odds are so horrendous the only conclusion you can draw is that investing the time to submit your customized resume and completing the corporate application which can take more than an hour, is a colossal waste of time, time better spent on a focused job search plan. ?
Some applicants who did not realize how dysfunctional the “automated” process is reported that it took more than 200 online applications just to get one or two interviews.
If you are in that group, or if you are struggling with your resume or the interview, there is a better way.? But first, you must take this important but difficult step:
Full stop!?
Quit putting yourself through this brutal ordeal; It is time to shake things up and break the so-called job search insanity cycle — doing the same thing over and over again, hoping for a better outcome.
From buying a business that cash flows by using owner financing to adopting a more disciplined, strategically focused approach to finding a job, job seekers who adapt can recover and thrive.
This is not easy, but it is doable.? And if you abandon all those bad practices that have not produced success, you will be better positioned than the majority of your competitors.
You can do this.?
+Plus:? ENCORE: Special Live Group Coaching Webinar: Breaking the Job Search Insanity
?Join us at 10 AM CT Saturday on our company Facebook page (johngself.com) for a special live presentation on action steps you can take to break your job search insanity cycle.? This 60-minute free presentation will be led by John Self, a former executive recruiter and a national thought leader on mastering the art of the job interview who excels in helping managers and executives chart a successful course for that next better job.?