The Job Market Then and Now

by Rachel Resnick

On June 4 the Philadelphia Chapter of SLA presented the first of three presentations in its Career Management series, “The Job Market Then and Now & Effective Networking at Conferences and Meetings.”  Valerie Ryder, SLA member and Career Management/Job Resource Consultant at Right Management, was the speaker.  Right Management provides career consulting services for companies that need to downsize.

Valerie discussed the differences between the job market of the past and that of the present.  Previously, our work lives had us tied to our desks, waiting for the telephone to ring.  Today, we are a mobile society, getting messages on our mobile devices and laptop computers.  Before, we received letters or postcards informing us of our application status in a job search; today we may be able to check our status online.  Before, interviews were always conducted in person; today a prescreening or a first interview by phone is not unusual.  Previously, background checks were rare; today, employment may be contingent upon criminal background checks, drug testing, physicals, proof of citizenship or right to work in this country, and other requirements.

Today’s resume is more of a marketing tool than a list of your prior employment.  The resume must be written in a way that distinguishes you from your competition.  Because resumes today are often scanned and data mined, it is important to put important keywords and synonyms of those keywords in your resume (and cover letter) so that the employer can easily match your qualifications to the job’s requirements.  The employer’s software is often the first filter in weeding out inappropriate candidates—even before a human sees your resume.  Depending on the type of job you are looking for, the cover letter may or may not be important.  Participants mentioned that corporate libraries often do not consider the cover letter important, public libraries do.  If possible, find out who the hiring manager is—the person to whom you would report—and target that person with your cover letter and resume.

Make sure your resume includes your accomplishments—ways that you added value in your previous positions.  Make a habit of keeping copies of your annual evaluations so that you can include specifics regarding your accomplishments in your resume.  Including the overall scope of your responsibilities is often more important than simply listing all of your job duties. For example, saying that you “were responsible for a budget of $75,000 to manage electronic resources for an academic medical school of 30,000 students” tells your potential employer that you had budgeting responsibilities, managed electronic resources, and the size of the institution you worked for.

In years past, job seekers found jobs in the classified ads of newspapers, professional journals, and newsletters.  Today, job announcements can be found on online job boards, company websites, and social networking sites.  You can also create email alerts from those sites and professional websites.  On one hand, this makes jobs easier to find; on the other hand, you have more competition because other people can also find these jobs more easily.

If you are fortunate to land an interview, you should know that the days of a single interview with a single person may have gone the way of the dodo.  Now, you may have several interviews, with panels of individuals.  They are trying to figure out: Will you do the job? Will you fit in?  Accordingly, the interview questions will be very targeted regarding your previous experience, and questions may also be designed to elicit responses regarding your past behavior and situations you have found yourself in.

While in the past most people were happy to be offered a job and just accepted whatever package of salary and benefits were offered, today there may be room to negotiate salary, vacations, starting dates, and other aspects of your employment.

Valerie spent the second half of the presentation talking about networking.  Networking in the past meant that you flipped through your Rolodex, or talked to your friends and business contacts in person.  Today, besides in-person networking, you can also click through your contacts and send them messages through email or social networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.  The benefits of networking cannot be underestimated:

• You can uncover opportunities before they are advertised.
• There may be less competition if, through your contact, you are able to set up an interview with the hiring manager before an ad is placed.
• You may achieve better interview results, having learned some inside information about the job or company from your contact.
• You can enhance your credibility with the employer by coming in knowing someone who already works at the company.

There are several ways to leverage your professional network.  The first is to attend meetings and conferences and introduce yourself to people.  Just attending the meetings is not enough: you need to meet new people so that you can talk a little about yourself, let them know that you’re job searching, let them know what type of job you’re looking for, and ask if they know anyone who might be hiring.  Make sure to bring an ample supply of business cards and a pen to every potential networking event.  If you don’t already have business cards from your current job, you can inexpensively create one from a template and get the set printed from a stationer or copy company.  Ask for other people’s cards as well, to follow up on conversations you had or to send reminders after a period of time with an update on your job search.  Remember to write on the back of their cards where you met them, so that you can remind them of the context of your meeting.

To keep expenses down and improve the efficiency of your search (especially if you intend to stay in the same geographic area), limit your attendance to local or regional events.  Don’t forget to ask about reduced rates if you’re unemployed.  Volunteers sometimes can get their registration fees waived. If you have been attending these events over the years, you may have frequent flyer miles that you can use.  Other economies include sharing a room, attending for a single day, and taking advantage of free food events.

Choose your workshops, classes, conferences not only on information you would like to obtain, but also on the event’s networking potential.  Especially if you’re looking to switch jobs or careers, find classes full of people who already do what you would like to do, so that you can learn more about the field and job opportunities.  Review presenters and attendees lists.  Search social networking sites or search engines like ZoomInfo or Google to learn more about these people.  This is especially helpful if you can only attend events online, or cannot attend a specific event.

Besides bringing business cards, also bring a summary profile.  This is not as extensive as a resume, but does include your contact information, experience and skills, and the specific industry or companies you want to target.  Of course, bring resumes if the conference provides a career center or interviewing opportunity.  Often you can apply for available jobs ahead of the conference, submit your resume in advance and set up interviews before the date of the conference. Your resume should be no longer than two pages.

If you would like to work for a vendor, take advantage of the time you have to visit the exhibit hall.  Keeping in mind that the vendor’s purpose for attending is to connect with customers and obtain new business, keep your inquiries short and to the point.

Besides attending events, there are other ways to network:  Join a committee that has a lot of visibility in your association.  Examples are programming, membership, and vendor relations.  Get involved in high-visibility activities—become the webmaster or blogmaster for your chapter.  And if you have expertise to share, make sure you do share it, by writing an article, conducting a workshop, or participating in a panel presentation.

The takeaways from Valerie’s presentation were:

• Your professional network is your safety net.
• An investment in your profession is an investment in yourself.
• Today’s job market requires new tools and techniques.
• Take advantage of networking opportunities at conferences and events.

The two other presentations in the Career Management series are “Resumes with a Competitive Edge,” which was held on July 7, and “Interviewing for Success,” which will be held on August 11.  All presentations were scheduled to take place at West Chester University.