The official unemployment rate in America is now over 10 percent -- a factoid that surprises me. I don't want to argue with the nums, but based on what I'm seeing, at least 50 percent of that 10 percent have already gotten themselves jobs. How else can you explain the explosion of employment counselors offering their services advising out-of-work job-seekers on how to get a job?
I ran into seven of these know-it-alls on the CNNMoney website in an article entitled "How to get a job in 100 words or less." The conceit behind the feature involved eliciting wise advice from seven of "CNNMoney.com's trusted career coaches."
Sounds like a decent idea, but after going through all seven coaches like a starving man with a king-size box of Milk Duds, I have to report that I was not all that thrilled with all the tips I received.
For example, for Ford Myers, president of Career Potential, LLC, the "single, most important thing people can do now to control their career destiny is to get crystal clear on the value they offer to prospective employers." On the surface, this seems like pretty good advice, but let's face facts -- if you had any value to offer an employer, you probably wouldn't have lost your job in the first place.
But don't sell yourself short. Myers also advises that once you identify this mysterious benefit you can offer to potential employers, you still have to "learn how to articulate this value." I suggest you keep it fuzzy. Who knows how a hiring manager is going to react to a candidate who is "highly adept at keeping a chair from floating away" and is "deeply experienced in sleeping through staff meetings."
Another expert in the lucky seven, Barbara Safani, president of Career Solvers, advises you to "treat your job search like a full-time job. Work at it 35-40 hours a week for optimal results."
Again, the advice is misplaced. If you ever worked more than five hours a week on your last job, you'd probably still have it. Why should it be any different when you're spending your days at home in your pajamas? Replace gossip time and complaining time with Oprah time and Regis time, and you definitely won't have 35 hours left in a week for a job search.
Gerry Crispin, a co-owner of Careerxroads, advises that you "Never, EVER apply for a job again without first getting an employee in that firm you've targeted to 'refer' you." Unfortunately, Mr. Crispin runs out of his 100 word limit before he tells you just how you are supposed to get chummy with a complete stranger, not to mention getting that stranger to refer you.