Micro Careers

The common view has been that we have one career. Typically, it was defined by both our occupational field-we are an attorney, a salesperson or a logistics professional-and our employer-we work at IBM or at Coca- Cola. Although we were often told otherwise, many of us believed that we would spend our entire career working for that one or, at most, two or three different organizations. In other words, we were convinced our careers would be relatively stable and long lasting.

While that was probably not true in the past, it is definitely not true today. This Great Recession has changed the nature of our careers forever. I know you don’t want to hear that. It’s hard enough to find a job in the current economic environment without some putz telling you that the rules of the game have now changed. But they have. And sticking our heads in the sand won’t undo what has been done.

On the other hand, if we can learn the new rules quickly-if we can get our arms around them and figure out how to play by and win with them-we can turn today’s difficult situation into a much better one. We can capture the upside in a down economy. We can put these new rules to work for us so we can find the work we want and hang onto it.

So, what are these new rules? They are a response to the traumatic and wrenching devastation of business now underway in this country and around the world. From GM to Citigroup, from Hertz to Microsoft, employers are shedding jobs and the workers who held them. These are not, however, your father’s or mother’s layoffs. They are not reductions in force that will eventually be replaced by rehiring in force. They are, instead, reductions in structure. The American employer is becoming leaner and determined to stay that way.

This shift in organizational philosophy holds several implications for those of us in the workforce.

First, there will be far fewer permanent jobs available to us. Companies will shrink down to a relatively small number of core roles and hire very selectively to fill them. Gone are the days of offering a position to a qualified applicant. Today and for many tomorrows to come, only the best qualified candidate for each opening will get the nod.

Second, employers will increase their hiring for “defined outcome positions.” Unlike traditional contract or project work, these situations will have the look and feel of permanent jobs, but have a fixed duration determined by the accomplishment of a specific objective established by the employer. Defined outcome positions will have the same organizational prestige and seniority as core jobs, but without the commitment to long term employment.

Third, employers will attempt to be much more nimble and quick acting. The competitive dynamics of a highly integrated, global marketplace have shortened the life cycle of products and services, sales and marketing strategies, and the organizational staffing requirements that flow from them. The kinds of talent required to execute an organization’s business plan last year or the year before may be-indeed, often will be-entirely different than those it needs today or tomorrow.If those are the new rules, how do we play them?

The answer is as simple as it is challenging. We will have to shift our own employment philosophy. We must change the way we think about our careers. We have to accept that they are no longer relatively stable or long lasting. From now on, our careers will be episodic and short. They will be “micro careers.”

Micro careers are defined by two kinds of impermanence:

Instead of working for one or two employers over the course of a thirty year career, we will now be employed by 10-15 organizations over the course of a fifty year career. We are living longer even as the staffing needs of employers grow shorter and less enduring.

Instead of working in a single occupational field, you will work in 3-5 different professions. They may all draw on a common foundation of expertise, but each will require a specific and additional set of knowledge, skills and abilities.This continuous changing means that we can no longer aspire to be complete and fully formed workers. The old industrial era paradigm of moving from novice to journeyman to master is over. In today’s knowledge-based economy, only masters survive. So, our new strategy must be to act as “masters-in-progress.” We must never stop moving toward a better, more capable, more effective version of our best selves.

Now, I acknowledge that such incessant self renewal is a new and potentially uncomfortable way of working for some, maybe even many of us. We worked hard to get to a certain point in our careers, and now, we would like to coast. We would like to sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labor. And that’s no longer possible. In the 21st Century workplace, managing a successful career is like riding a bicycle. We can coast for a short period of time, but we’re going to have to peddle and sometimes peddle very hard if we want to keep from crashing.

While that may be difficult to accept, there are some advantages to this situation. It enables us to escape from the imprisonment of dull jobs and dead end employers. No employment situation is forever and as long as we keep preparing ourselves for what’s ahead, each new job is a chance to move on and up. We get to start fresh on a regular basis, so mistakes are less harmful to our progress and risk is less dangerous. We have, in short, more freedom and opportunity than we have ever had. That’s the key point we should remember. Because that’s the power and the promise of micro careers.

What does that mean for California?  Well, for one, some people are just going to leave — move back to families in Minnesota, and White Plains, and Tuscon, where they’ll be able to recoup slowly while moving back in with parents, siblings, aunts, old friends.

When there is a severely stressful event or period of time, there are two types of stress that affect us.  There is unproductive stress — that is the type of stress that causes night sweats, anxiety attacks, heart palpitations and feelings of being completely overwhelmed.  We all know those.  In this crisis, this type of stress over a period of time (like we are experiencing now) can be destructive.  It erodes self confidence and zaps creativity.  People can be overwhelmed by a sense of hopelessness.

The other kind of stress is productive stress which causes a discomfort.  This productive discomfort has the opposite impact on us.  It provokes creativity and it can produce profound innovation.  

The difference between the two is a very, very thin line.  If you are an optimist by nature, then you might stay more on the productive side.  If a pessimist, it may not take much to push you to an anxiety attack. 

In this economy, which will continue to fallout for many, many months and years to come (likely to the end of 2010), the challenge is to push pride away.  If you are not embarrassed by your plight, then it becomes easier to seek innovative solutions.  It is a hard fall to be in your 50′s and be unable to find a job.  It is tough.  No doubt.  May take one or two years to find employment.  Possibly.  Probably.  However, if the jobseeker can push pride aside, it opens the door to conversations with everyone.  And if you can have a conversation with everyone you meet about your job search, then it is possible that someone will know someone who has a job opening for you to apply to. 

I spoke with someone the other day who didn’t believe in resources like Twitter or Linked In or Facebook.  The reality is that these communication vehicles exist and denying their power just limits your own abilities to connect with others worldwide.  In the Great Depression, people no longer greeted each other with “Hello, how are you?”  Instead they asked, “Are you working?”  Over the past few months, every conversation with friends now usually starts with “How’s your business doing?” or “Is your job secure?” and more often than not the answer isn’t very good. 

I suspect that within the next few months friends will start sharing innovative ideas that have arisen out of their productive discomfort and then we’ll see new businesses starting, that, as they grow, will start hiring the 11.2 or 12.6% unemployed.  The strength of the United States has always been with small business innovation.  It is just that the big guys got greedy.  But as that equalizes, I imagine great innovation surfacing.

Yes, it can be a very discouraging time for jobseekers, especially those in “youth”-centric fields, such as marketing, sales, creative …even retail.  If you spent your career climbing to the top of a sales ladder, or becoming a marketing maven and find yourself out of a job right now, well, you are in a big bind. 

There are just too many jobseekers vying for the limited number of available jobs.  However, no matter how tough, it is really important to stay encouraged, motivated and optimistic.  There are only a few ways to get a job.  The first is through a connection.  Most open jobs never even make it to a job posting.  So if there is a company you are interested in, do your best to find someone who knows someone at that company and try to make a connection in the department you are interested in.  If you keep in touch, then when a job opening comes up, you might be top of mind.

Early bird catches the worm.  Almost always.  With so many candidates vying for each opportunity, you need to get your resume in as close to first as possible.  While a recruiter is fresh, you might stand out in the pile, rather than when they are looking through the 200th resume.

Stand out.  If you are a Boomer or 50 Plusser, forget trying to showcase all your talents.  First reaction will be that you are…yup…overqualified.  Trim your resume to minimum best.  That means quantifiable accomplishments over the past 10 years.  Unless something directly relates to the job you are applying for from before that time frame, then really streamline or even ignore it on your “marketing” resume.

Be aware of the behavioral approach to interview.  You are likely used to the “tell me about yourself” type of interview.  Recruiters may now be including behavioral questions as a pre-qualifier to an interview — either in an emailable or online application, or on the first phone interview.  They are looking for content, not fluff.  And they’ll want honest, thoughtful answers.  If you are asked 3 questions, answer all three.  If they want a general answer, give a general answer.  If you are asked something specific (like, what are your 3 favorite things to do on a free day?), then be specific.  Don’t say too little, and don’t say too much.  But make sure that what you say is the best you can answer.

You are no longer competing against top dogs.  You are competing against every Boomer, every 50 Plusser, every college grad, every job seeker in their mid-twenties and thirties.  It is expected that you will have computer skills, know how to pull together a PowerPoint presentation, create an Excel spreadsheet, find info on the web.  So if you aren’t computer savvy, you must get savvy, no matter what level position you are looking for. 

That way when you are one of the 10,000 jobseekers showing up at a job fair, you have a chance of catching someone’s attention.

I’m bursting with emotion and thoughts today, so better grab your home-brewed cup of coffee (sorry Starbucks, but you’ve been off my list of daily expenditure for about a year now!) or caffeine-free tea before reading on.  It’s a long one.

The March unemployment rate was just released.  8.5%.  And April is predicted to be higher.  Because unemployment is the end result of an economic downturn (not the precursor), the fallout isn’t even close to settling.

To put this all in a microcosmic perspective,  as many of you know, I’m a small business owner after a 20 year corporate executive career.  In addition to business consulting, I own a pet care company, Pooch Buddies.  And even with slower economic times, I have to add in one person to my team — because those who do have jobs are worker harder and longer to keep their jobs.  The job I’m looking to fill is part time, with entry level pay, and when I’ve looked for hires in the past, my free ad on Craig’s List brings me about 15 good candidates over a few days. 

I placed an ad yesterday morning, and by the end of the day, had over 70 applications.  70 applications for one tiny, part time position.  If you were a small business owner,  imagine that your company has just placed an ad for onefull time (with benefits) opening.  How many resumes do you expect you’d receive?  I’ll tell you.  Likely up to one thousand.  For one position.

As a jobseeker, how would you stand out? 

Let me go back to my microcosm again.  Out of the 70 applications (so far), about 10 of them did not fill in all of the info I’d asked for on my feedback form.  They are disqualified right away.  About 3 gave far too much information.  They are out.  About 10 applicants live too far away.  They are out.  So out of 70, I’m now down to 47. 

Those 47 are all pretty similar.  They all answered my questions with care and interest.  All live in the geography that I service.  About 20 of the 47 give a very similar answer.  Almost word for word.  Nothing to make them stand out. 

So that takes me down to 27 interesting applicants (because I want the best I can get.)  Out of the 27 a few have a few time conflicts.  Some prefer only daytime work, some only evenings and weekends.  Means more work for me.  Out.  So now I’m down to 20.  Out of those 20, I’ll choose the 10 that appeal to me most.  Once I call them, I’ll interview the 7 best and choose 2 to background  and reference check.  If I don’t like either of those 2, then I’ll go back to my bigger pool and review the candidates I put aside from the “good” pool.

But for a minute, let’s look at the 4 candidates that stood out.  They emailed or called me directly in addition to submitting an application.  One is a definite no.  She was so concerned with her own needs and was so rude that there is no way I’d ever want to have her on my team.  (Knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what TO do.)

Two were very genuine in their approach with backgrounds in animal care and a true love of animals (well, at least on the phone). 

And one called and emailed me before I’d ever put in an ad.  She found my site, called me twice, has a background with animals and coincidentally got in touch just a few days before I was planning on sending out the job posting. 

Now consider the job search efforts of 25 million.  Each job they apply to likely has close to 1000 applicants.  That is like throwing an online resume into an electronic puddle.  How the heck is a candidate going to stand out?  Especially when most jobs are filled through knowing someone who knows someone, who knows someone.  And most of  the someones you know are unemployed, about to be unemployed or work for companies that aren’t hiring.

It is critical to remember that even though so many are unemployed, there are still a lot of people employed.  There are not an excess of companies hiring…but there are SOME companies hiring.  This means any jobseeker must become a job detective or employment investigator.  Which brings me to an interesting concept put out in a book I just read, called “The Hourglass Solution: A Boomer’s Guide to the Rest of Your Life,”  by, Jeff Johnson and Paula Forman, both PhD’s.   Imagine our lives pictured as an hourglass.  Our midlife is the “waist” of the hourglass.  The concept is that at this pass-through point, we can get stuck.  The sand cannot pass through from the top of the hourglass to the bottom of the hourglass.  This especially rings true in this current job crisis.  Everyone desires and needs to work.  We’re all lumped together and now, effectively clogged up to get through this mid-point.  And unfortunately, the solution is NOT going to come from outside.  Especially for the Boomer and 50 Plusser, the solution is going to have to come from incredible creativity and ingenuity generated from a lifetime of accumulated experience, in order to find a job opening, get a job, or start a small business.  One of my guest writers, Corinne Copnick, read and reviewed the book for Gen Plus.  You’ll enjoy her viewpoint.  I think the concept is correct and certainly familiar. 

Bottom line is that we aren’t at the bottom line yet.  Unemployment will climb even higher.  New job generation will not be there for some time to come.  Even though there are some glimmerings of activity and hopefulness in the economy, the situation is still pretty bad.  My tax accountant did not ask me this year what I was putting away in my IRA.  He asked me if I was holding onto my house.  Same question he was asking all his clients this year.

 The reality is that we all have friends who are one week away from homelessness.  Some of you may be one week away from homelessness.  They…you…are all talented, incredible assets to a company that can hire them.   

These times of GREAT stress, call for GREAT ingenuity.  GREAT community and GREAT communal thinking and energy.  Remember the old adage: “United we stand, divided we fall.”  Our families and friends have moved across countries and continents over the past decades.  That era is ending.  Families are living together, again.  Sharing homes, sharing income, sharing creativity and business models.  OK.  So we’re at 8.5%.  We’ll go to 10% or even higher.  But maybe…just maybe…we’ll rediscover our internal resources rather than counting on external influences to keep us strong.

When I first started this blog, back in 2004, blogs were new.  I quickly achieved a good readership and a Google Page Rank of 6 (pretty good for a blogger of my niche.)  If you look up genplususa.com on any of the big rankers, I show up in top 4-5% of websites for popularity, even though I don’t touch millions of readers.  But the quality of what I’ve always chosen to write about, and staying with the subjects I feel passionately about, are what make writing so deeply interesting to me. 

When I started this blog, in 2004, I had a mission — to change the way America (and the world???) viewed the Boomer and 50 plus population in the work force.  Over the years I shared strategies for job seeking for 50 plussers that would help someone get in the door.  I started a job bank just for Boomers and 50 Plussers which was doing well until the economic bust.  With so many layoffs, the impact crosses all age demographics and I felt that the 50 Plus niche was in for a really, really tough time finding work.  So running a job bank for companies dedicated to hiring 50 plussers became moot.  Companies aren’t really hiring.  They are firing, restructuring and downsizing.  Are there jobs?  Certainly.  But each job application really has to be individually targeted, with network resourcing, unlike the days of blanket resume blasting.

It’s been 5 years and although I’ve been expecting that the 7 year itch would happen, it is starting now.  Which is why I’ve been taking a bit of a break the past couple of weeks. 

And in the silence of the break, I felt a vibration, a tingle of change coming. Subtly.  From the ground up. 

It’s called innovation.  It’s called invention.  It’s called resourcefulness. 

Not trends.

As people have pared back their spending, they find themselves becoming creative with stretching their dollars.  After a while of this frugal creativity, other creativity starts to surface.  We may realistically already have 13-15% true unemployment, but we also have 85% of the workforce pushing the envelope to keep their jobs, keep their businesses afloat, find ways to make a few extra dollars — a level of really uncomfortable stress, which either makes or breaks us, as a person, as a family, as a people.  We have 13-15% of the population, enduring almost unbearable stress —  looking for work, for new business opportunities, for hope and finding those ways either makes us or breaks us — as a person, as a family, as a people. 

That’s what I’ve been feeling the past few weeks.  A tingling of creativity, and a small surge of people (other bloggers, colleagues, strangers) noticing the innovation.  And I felt pride, yesterday, voting in the LA primary, because I had the right to vote.  And unexpected esteem booster, just by being an American (AND Canadian!).

I feel creativity looming around every corner and while the proof of success or failure is in implementation, the magic is in the marriage of innovation and execution.  So, I’m hijacking my 7-year-itch.  Cutting it off at the 5-year mark.    And I’m going to add to my portfolio of interests and seek out innovation.  I think writer’s block is gone.  I hope you’ll share your finds with me, too.

But it still doesn’t scare me, yet.  Having lived multiple corporate lifecycles, I’ve seen big business tighten and loosen the reins.  In that cycle, a company will decentralize to be more nimble and give great latitude to field operations.  As soon as profits start to shrink (which is inevitable), the company will again centralize, taking away operational privilege from field directors and managers.  Purchasing will become centralized, expense accounts downsized and for a period of time, there can be intense scrutiny on all aspects of remote operations.  And, then, when the burden of handling all operations and control internally at corporate headquarters, the cycle will begin again — more control and responsibility will head out to the field.  Some unprofitable operations will be shut down, corporate headcount will be streamlined and it’ll be sink or swim for the field leaders. 

If you are in a corporate structure for any period of time, you’ll see the same pattern repeated.  Each time the pattern is re-shaped, with a new leader, new CEO, new director, there will be many fancy names attached to the activity: downsizing, right-sizing, change management, restructure, etc, etc.  But if you take all the fancy, scary names away, really, you just have natural expansion and collapse.  Companies with enough support survive the collapse.  So right now, we are in an elevated state of collapse and the restructure is nationalization.  It’s the business reaction to a disastrous economy. 

Is there any silver lining to this current cloud?  I don’t really think so.  But I do believe that the innovators and inventors will find their way to invent and innovate new ways to rebuild economy.  Israel created farms out of desert through creation of irrigation and solar systems, when there was no other way to fuel their own need for a level of self-sufficiency.   We, the boomer generation, the “me” generation, the post-hippie Yuppie, found ways, as a whole,  to create wealth…to the point of fabricated wealth for which we are all suffering greatly now.

Obama’s mantra of “Yes, we can” is not about the government “doing” for us.  The government must and will shore up deficiencies by making more money to keep us afloat until the “we” in “yes, we can” actually get squeezed into invention.  That invention will come from our demographic and the invention of the millenials, our echoes.  Of that I have no doubt.

Well, that wasn’t quite the right image either.  So I pounced on the tried and true “two steps forward, one step back.”   Now, this one seemed closer to right.  Also called the “Frog in the Well”, the image is of a frog trying to get out of a well and for every two leaps forward, up the walls of the slippery well, it slips back by half, making for an arduous, but necessary journey.  If the frog gives up, it will drown in the well.  If it can make it out of the well, it will be depleted, exhausted, but will have survived death.

Since nothing is quite right to describe the trials and tribulations facing Obama as the leader of our nation, I came up with a combined image, instead.  Obama is in the well.   The water in the well is our economic death.   Obama has been elected by us, the people, to get us out of the well.  He’s climbing up the sides, two steps forward, one step back, with a humongous boulder on his back.  On top of that, it is raining.  Non-stop.  Now, if Obama were the frog, he’d likely be defeated.  I mean, how could a tiny frog possibly get out of a slippery well, in the rain, with a boulder on its back?? 

But Barack Obama is different.  He is not alone.  He’s asking us, the people, to work with him to get out of the well.  He’s shouldering the boulder in the rain, but he’s asked us to get behind him and help push.  It will still be two steps forward and one step back, but if we can help relieve the weight of the boulder and give him the support, energy, enthusiasm and innovation to fundamentally change how the US does economy, then, I’m pretty confident he’ll get us out of the well.  Oh yeah…also, we’re a people of good intentions.  Unlike Sisyphus.