I love all things “process”.
Life is a wonderful, exciting process with doors opening and closing along the way. I love how adventures unfold by plan and by happenstance.
The Greek term Telesis refers to “progress that is intelligently planned and directed; the attainment of desired ends by the application of intelligent human effort to the means.”
Finding a job is a process (Telesis – get is!) of intelligently planning and directing the desired end of making a great match! You have to put yourself in the path of the folks you want to meet. This is true for both companies and candidates. I keep saying this because the parallels are so obvious to me. No more obvious than in tech these days.
Here is how these ideas came together for me recently.
I read a USA Today article, Ageism is forcing many to look outside Silicon Valley but tech hubs offer little respite”. Tech companies complained it was hard to find workers. Tech employees and job seekers complained it was hard to find a job.
How can there be such a discrepancy? The USA Today article suggests some of this problem is ageism, a preference among tech companies for younger candidates which amounts to a rejection of older candidates. The EEOC is getting into the mix with an investigation of Google for age discrimination.
At the same time, WilsonHCG, a global talent headhunter, published an infographic, “Overcoming the tech talent gap”, that indicates that tech companies need to improve their talent acquisition strategies. They attribute the tech talent problem to poor quality of recruiters and not looking in the right places.
The answer to this complex problem lies in improving the job search process!
Companies: Identify the skills you need then go look for them in as many different packages as you can find them. If your need for talent is real, then seriously consider all candidates.
This requires a competency based sourcing process and an open minded consideration of all qualified candidates. It also requires proactively searching for candidates like headhunters do, not just slapping a job description out there on a job board and hoping that the right talent was thinking about you this morning.
Candidates: Stop hiding. Put yourself in front of companies who are seeking talent like you.
I spent many hours today reviewing LinkedIn profiles while accepting four dozen invitations. I can tell you that most people are not highlighting their knowledge, skills and abilities in a way that attracts attention or even adequately describes strengths. That is a shame. Don’t be that person.
Update your social media profiles to reflect keywords companies search for and to include the competencies that demonstrate you can perform the job you want.
If you are older, especially if you are an older tech worker, the burden is on you to demonstrate to hiring managers that you can fit in with tech savvy young people, that you have the energy to keep up and that your knowledge is relevant. Otherwise you will be disregarded.
Stop complaining and get to work NOW.