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September 28, 2001

Only you

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No one can deny that it is tough to find a job these days. While I might disagree with the doom and gloom scenario that the mainstream press paints, I will agree when the economy is down, it is harder for everyone, high-tech workers included, to find a job. I have been in the position that many of you are finding yourselves in today. Sending out tons of resumes but receiving no response--searching the web for jobs that matched my particular set of skills only to find few--calling everyone I know to see if they have heard of a job. After all of that, though, I learned a very difficult, even frightening lesson, about getting a job. No one is going to get a job for you. No degree or certification will guarantee you a job. You are the only one you can count on to find your next job.

Cold, hard facts

Your friends can help you. Your certifications can help you. Your relatives can help you, but no one is going to do the hard work that is necessary to get you a job. It someone can easily recommend you, they will. If they don't have to risk themselves or their own reputation, they will. Beyond that, though, you are on your own.

Only you can work to build your high-tech skills. Only you can build your portfolio so that it is easier to find the next job…and the next. (See A little recognition, Computoredge, June 1998, http://www.welchwrite.com/dewelch/ce/ce9806.html) Only you can decide, deep down, if you really want to work any further in high-tech. Only you can take these important steps to your next job. Too often when we start our job search we expect someone to come along, scoop us up and put us back to work. This is rare even for the best workers. In truth, most companies don't know you are available, or worse, even know they need your skills in the first place. There is just too much noise out there in the job market to expect to be scooped up like some first round draft pick in the NFL.

This is why you send out countless resumes, countless emails, countless phone calls. You have to get the word out. You have to tell people why they need you in their business, today! Is it difficult? Of course! Is it troublesome? Of course! Is it life? Most assuredly, yes! Does this mean you can't be frustrated and upset? No! That, too, is part of life.

The truth

The truth of any job search is this…you found a job, you got a job, you held a job until something happened and you had to move on. Unless your last job was in designing buggy whips, you have currently marketable skills. You have the ability to do productive work for someone. You only have to find someone else who needs your skills.

Have you looked to the major competitors of your old company? Was their success the reason your company failed? Have you sought out similar work in a different industry? Even stodgy old corporations need web sites today. It may seem that you will never work again, especially when you are in the middle of a job search, but the truth is, the majority of people find a new job. This isn't the Great Depression with astronomically high unemployment rates. This isn't even the 1980's when unemployment was in the double digits. We must all remember that while finding a new job is difficult, it isn't the end of the world.

Be constructive

I cannot begrudge anyone being frustrated and angry with the current state of affairs. Even without the hangover we are all suffering from the Dot-Com fallout, finding work at any time can be a disheartening task. You will hear some people calling others "whiners" or "losers" because they voice some of this frustration, in public or online. I say, vent all you want. Whine all you want. Complain all you want. I can accept this in my friends, family and acquaintances, as long as they do not stop looking for work. It may seem obvious, but giving up is not an option, unless you have parents who are independently wealthy and very, very, understanding. In fact, giving up is more destructive, in the long term, than the battering you might be feeling as you look for a job. Giving up is destructive to your self-esteem, your health and even your life.

 

about this column.

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Douglas E. Welch is a freelance writer and computer consultant in Van Nuys, California. Readers can discuss career issues with other readers by joining the Career Opportunities Discussion on Douglas' web page at: http://www.welchwrite.com/dewelch/ce/

He can reached via email at douglas@welchwrite.com

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