Doubt, Uncertainty and Fear

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AND NOW WITH THE BLOG:

They all came to roost this week regarding the employment situation and the coronavirus. We have been inundated with professional candidates who have summarily lost their jobs because their companies want to be sure they're going to survive.

We have been extremely blessed, because this quarter has been one of the best quarters, if not the best, our firm has experienced in three or four years. Remember though, the candidates we placed this month started their process of interviewing, on average, a month or so before they got hired.

If we're in a recession, and I'm not sure yet, it will be the seventh one that I have seen in my experience. I got into this profession in 1973 in the middle of a recession and just didn't know any better. (I remember billing a $1440 fee and it was the largest the company had billed in a year.) I came out of higher education and just plain didn't know any better. I didn't know that it was a dumb time to get into the, what was then called, "the employment agency business."

Our profession is always on the tail end of whatever the economy is experiencing. The people we placed this month started interviewing in the latter part of January and the beginning part of February before all of this mess started. Just recalling the last four recessions, 1986, when real estate, banking and oil and gas all went on their butt at the same time in Dallas Texas, the dot com bust, 9/11 and 2008, I realize that the kind of hiring we've seen up until recently won't pick up again until companies out there have more confidence in themselves. Expansion and hiring are not things that companies do unless they feel the economy is stable and growing. Let's face it, we've had 10 years of pretty excellent growth in the economy and we all knew that it was bound to get "corrected" somewhere along the line. That's free enterprise. We just didn't think something like a virus would cause it. Life is uncertain!

So, this is all nice theory to talk about, but even understanding it doesn't help the 68-year-old engineer who got laid off today and called us, not having any idea what to do. I don't know if understanding this helps the administrative assistant that we placed four weeks ago who got laid off yesterday. I know it's really easy, but rather glib to simply say "Well, just hang in there, things will get better." We all know that things are going to get better…we just don't know when. And that's the problem.

None of us have any idea if this government stimulus is going to help us or not, especially in the long haul. Ain't nothing free and somebody's got to pay for it down the line. But maybe just the idea that the government is trying to do something to help people out will really help them.

Most every one of the employers that I spoke with this week are in shock, don't know what to do and are suffering doubt, uncertainty, and fear. That's the way it's always happened. The people who were actively looking for a job full-time are even more afraid than they were before. The people who have been summarily dismissed are in shock and there will be more for sure.

So, if you're a hiring authority and now have to hold off hiring, try this:

Pray, even if you're not accustomed to doing it...start.

Take massive action to do the things you know to do. Please don't sit around wondering, "What if this happens... what if that happens"...etc. it will do you no good to do that.

Think about Plan A, Plan B and Plan C... Write them out as best you can

Circle all of your employees and tell them exactly where the company stands, especially economically. How long can the company go if worse comes to worse. Even if it's ugly, tell people that it's ugly. It's amazing what people will do if they know the truth.

Only lay off people if you absolutely have to and please do it with grace and style. (I had an excellent candidate call me on Friday to say that she got laid off by an email. I assure you, either now or later, she will go to work for a competitor and she is so mad she will do whatever she can to get back at her most recent employer when she can.)

If your job is in jeopardy, be honest about it with others as well as yourself.

Do whatever you need to do, but do it gracefully without negative emotions.

Realize that the law of karma states that how you deal with the most difficult times will bless you or curse you in the future.

Keep praying! (The words of Jim Rohn keep playing in my head: "Don't pray for things to become easier. Pray that you become better.")

Be nice to people… even when you don't feel nice. I got a call from a vice president of a company that I tried to do business with a few years ago. He got fired last week and he needs a job. He may or may not remember it, but I called him a few years ago to see if he could use a good salesperson. He was terribly rude and laughed in a really smug, condescending manner, and said: "You're a recruiter? I can't imagine anybody ever needing a recruiter. I know how to hire through my network and I've always gotten jobs from my network. Don't ever call me again!" And he hung up on me. He may not remember it, but I do. He called because he needs a job and was wondering if I would help him. Of course I will, but it's hard not to remember how rude he was. He's been out of work for six months.

Be grateful.

If you are a candidate that is beginning to look for a job because you just got downsized:

Pray, even if you don't believe in it… start now.

Don't bemoan the fact that you got laid off and call 10 other people to complain about it.

Make sure you're going to be able to get a good reference from the people you have most recently been working for.

Take MASSIVE ACTION... Put a plan together to start looking for a job and really go after it.

Many employers are going to think that they will be able to pick up some great talent that wasn't available a month ago.

Make finding a job a job in itself.

Be Grateful

Have faith that this too will pass and we will all be better for it.

One bit of good news... An assistant controller we placed with a company about seven months ago got laid off from that company two or three months ago. The controller called her last week and said that laying her off was one of the biggest mistakes he had ever made and he hired her back! Good things do happen! She's ecstatic!

?ABOUT TONY BESHARA

Owner & President

Babich & Associates

Tony Beshara is the owner and president of Babich & Associates, established in 1952 and the oldest placement and recruitment service in Texas. It is consistently one of the top contingency placement firms in the DFW area, and has been recognized as one of the “Best Places to Work in DFW” by the Dallas Business Journal. He has been a professional recruiter since 1973 and has personally found jobs for more than 10,500 individuals. He sits behind a desk every day, working the phone literally seven hours of the twelve hours a day, making close to 200 calls a day. He is in the trenches on a day-to-day basis. Tony has personally interviewed more than 26,000 people on all professional levels and has worked with more than 23,000 hiring authorities. Babich & Associates has helped more than 100,000 people find jobs using Tony’s process. Tony is one of the most successful placement and recruitment professionals in the United States. 

Tony received his Ph.D. in Higher Education from St. Louis University in 1973. 

The second edition of his best-selling book, “The Job Search Solution” The Ultimate System for Finding a Great job NOW!”  came out in January of 2012. He also created a 45 hour online program about how to find a job, www.The Job Search Solution.com. Tony’s second best seller, “ACING  The Interview”, answers almost any question regarding interviewing in today’s erratic job market. “Unbeatable Resumes,” discusses resumes for the present, unique employment market. His latest book for job seekers, “Powerful Phrases for Successful Interviews,” published in February of 2014, offers 400 ideal phases for every interviewing situation. His newest book, co-authored with Rich Lavinski, the managing partner of E. 57th Street Partners, “100,000 Successful Hires, The Art, Science and Luck of Successful Hiring” is about the “other side” of the desk… advice for the hiring authority. It, too, is a bestseller.

Tony recent TED Talk, “The 10 Principles of Loving Your Career and Your Job” was presented in October of 2015 at Mountain View College in Dallas. It can be viewed in its entirety on Tony’s YouTube channel.

 He is a frequent guest on the Dr. Phil Show, offering Dr. Phil’s guests advice on the job search process. He is also a frequent guest/expert on various local and nationally televised business shows, including those on Fox Business News. Tony also hosts a daily radio show, The Job Search Solution on KEXB, 620 AM, every Monday thru Friday from 8:00pm to 8:30pm. Tony and his beautiful wife of 50 years, Chris, have four grown sons. 

Interviews & Appearances Contact:

Tony Beshara

Phone: 214-823-9999

Email: [email protected]