For the author of a book titled Get the Job You Want, Even When No One's Hiring, career coach Ford R. Myers says something that's more than a little counterintuitive: "The best way to find a job is never to look for a job."
Myers, 54, of Haverford, knows that these are desperate times. But, he says, these times will pass and most people will find work again.
It's a hard message to believe, given economists' forecasts for the U.S. Labor Department's report on June employment, which is due out Thursday. Economists are predicting a 9.7 unemployment rate (up from 9.4 percent in May), with the nation's payrolls having shed anywhere from 380,000 to 400,000 jobs in June.
Yet, Myers can speak with some confidence, because, for most of his career, he has worked in the outplacement business, helping people find jobs after they have been laid off.
This is his fifth recession.
His book, published by John Wiley & Sons Inc., came out in May.
Question: Why do you say that the best way to find a job is to never look for a job?
Answer: In my opinion, nobody likes a desperate job seeker. You might as well go around saying, "I have leprosy." They get defensive if you tell them, 'I need a job. Can you get me a job?' Instead, I work with people to show them how to become a problem solver. A solution provider. Not a job applicant. It's a very different mind-set. Everyone loves a solution provider.
Q: That switches the balance of power, doesn't it? Now, the job seeker has something to offer. How does that play out in a job interview?
A: After saying "How are you?" and all of those niceties, the candidate says, "So how may I be of help to you today?" You see how that completely changes the entire dynamic in one sentence?
Q: Then what?
A: We want to teach the candidate a new approach in which their primary job is to ask probing questions to get to the heart of the employer's pain. Where is their need? Where is their challenge? Then, what the candidate should be thinking about is: What accomplishments can I share with this employer to show them how I can directly address their issues?
Q: What happens if you get laid off on a Friday? What's your first step?
A: The worst thing people can do if they lose their job on a Friday afternoon is rush home on Saturday morning and start sending out 500 resumes. This is the typical knee-jerk reaction. It's part of the desperate response, and I strongly recommend that people do not do that. What a person needs to do, I think, is just pause. They need to take stock, gather their materials, plan, get some help, regroup, and then begin a systematic, intelligent strategy.
Q: Day in and day out, what is the best approach?
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