Current Job Search Methods Not Working? Consider these fishing analogies…

The topic of 'fishing' in recruiting circles usually carries with it negative connotations.

When we speak of job seekers who are ‘fishing’, we refer to the act of simply shooting out generic resumes to every single job opening you come across—without taking the time to really read the job description, draft a cover letter or (most importantly) target your resume to that specific job.

When job seekers cast out their resumes in every job pool they find they are ‘fishing’.

Usually, this sort of ‘fishing’ results in frustrated hiring managers and angry trees. (We do not read your resume and the trees died in vain.) Job seekers who fish in this manner rarely secure job interviews and they may even burn bridges at companies they would like to apply seriously to later.

With this said, the topic of ‘fishing’ in this way is seen as negative because these job seekers are actually ‘fishing’ poorly. As any real fisherman knows, fishing is a science and an art. It is not about casting your line in every pool of water. It is about planning, purpose and positioning. Therefore, here is a new way of looking at fishing as it relates to the job hunt:

1. Availability – Are you really looking everywhere for job openings? Finding a job is often like fishing. The fish do not usually come to you...and crowds usually mean more competition. Everybody uses the main job boards and recruiters. Yet, there are tons of other resources out there (company websites, smaller job boards, networking events, social networking sites, etc…). If you are not working FULL TIME trying to find every available position you are qualified for then you might be missing out on the best fishing holes.

2. Culture – Are your cover letter and resume targeted to every job you apply for? These both should include elements that show you are not just someone with experience, but that you are also a good personality fit for the company. The best way to do this is to really research the companies you apply for before you write your cover letter and target your resume. If you are just sending out the same resume to each job you apply to and following generic standards you are just a piece of paper to the hiring manager. You are a hook with no bait.

3. Attitude – Do you rely too much on your skills and not enough on your personality? Your hard skills are a dime a dozen. Plenty of people out there can do what you do. However, you are irreplaceable as a person. A company will not hire your skills. They will hire you. Therefore, if you come across as adaptable, creative, upbeat and hard working you are going to beat out the 10 other applicants who are just a piece of paper. Live bait catches more fish.

With all this in mind, by focusing on availability, culture and attitude you allow yourself to approach more jobs and you appear better suited for those jobs. That should put you in a much better position to catch a prize winning job!

Kelly Services and Health Care: Social justice meets Corporate Responsibility

As a social worker (merged) social scientist (merged) human ‘resourcefulness’ specialist, I struggle daily to juxtapose and even marry what seem to be (at times) two very distinct realities—‘social justice’ and ‘corporate responsibility’. It is not an easy proposition. However, it is one which I feel needs to be done if these terms are to be useful as anything more then euphemisms, oxymorons and/or social illusions.

With this in mind, I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that the CEO of my company Kelly Services is an advocate for health care reform.

Living overseas—first in a developing country with little health care (Honduras) then in a country that has socialized health care (Germany)—showed me the need for deliberate social focus/energy when it comes to individual health care. To oversimplify my observations: With capitalism as our current economic ‘Rosetta Stone’, health care has become a reward—a ‘privilege’. For those of us who think it should instead be a ‘right’ it is clear that some form of government intervention is necessary.

Fortunately, this is a view that more and more corporate leaders are starting to take.

It seems that my personal ‘social justice’ approach to ‘corporate responsibility’ is not such a new idea after all…I truly hope all the effort pays off and my company can join with other companies and together we can make a positive difference in society.

Perspective Shift: From Human Resources to Human 'Resourcefulness'

The role of Human Resources is often misunderstood and misused .

Historically, HR has been rooted in 'people-centered' activities like recruiting, interviewing, hiring, training, employee benefits and so on. While at the same time, HR departments have been used as tools for maximizing returns on investments from human capital and minimizing financial risk.

Obviously, these two approaches do not have to be mutually exclusive. However, the trend in big business has been to focus on the 2nd (human capital) at the expense of the first (the people). 

A change is necessary. In fact, it is already happening and has been happening for years. Yet, there is no coherent definitions of how or what that is. Human Resources departments have been shifting, adapting and overhauling policies and practices without really nailing down the reasons why. Maybe, an answer can be found with the 'basics'...

Recently, I was impressed by a simple yet pertinent call to ‘master the basics’:

"Don’t overlook the competitive differentiator of service—executing the basics well. How you answer the phone, when you return a phone call, how you greet an applicant, the detail you capture on an order, the presentation of candidates/employees to the customer, all impact our business and gives opportunity...to Stand Out." (Al Sowers, 30June2009)

Reading these words, it strikes me that the whole point is not just to do the 'basics’. It is to do them WELL. This "competitive differentiator" is just that...something that sets you apart and makes your actions matter more. 

So, how does that apply in HR?
Well, for starters...Instead of 'Human RESOURCES'

...why not…

'Human RESOURCEFULNESS’

Those of us in HR are not in the business of servicing typewriters.

We are in the business of recognizing, fostering and channeling human ingenuity.

With that in mind, ‘Human Resources’ at its most basic indicates a focus on stifling creativity and treating people as resources—as tools. While, ‘Human Resourcefulness’ recognizes that people are unique and full of potential, the purpose of production, the reason jobs exist in the first place!

This focus can change everything. If we have a ‘human resources’ mentality it is easy to get lost in the day to day tasks we have in front of us. We get the job done, but we often forget to make our actions really count. (We get so muddled down in taking steps forward that we forget where we are actually going.)

On the other hand, if we approach our jobs with a ‘human resourcefulness’ mentality we remember why we are in this business in the first place—the people! Our actions come tinged with warmth, purpose and intuition. It is not just about doing the basics any more. It is about doing them WELL.

This is not a new idea. Nevertheless, it contains within itself the essence of the conflict inherent in our current state of WORK. 

In our current system, people are often treated as resources for the economic machine.  Fixing this problem goes far beyond the name 'Human Resources'. However, the first step toward a more comprehensive and inclusive use of human resourcefulness must start somewhere.