Work search strategies

Developing work search strategies

It used to be that people entering the labor force would typically go through the process of choosing a career and finding a job only once, sending out résumés, attending a small handful of job interviews, and working in the same organization until retirement. Of course, as we know, this is hardly the reality of today's work world. In today's job market, it isn't uncommon for people to change jobs—and perhaps occupations—as many as ten times over the course of a lifetime.

Because the world of work has changed so dramatically, so too have the ways in which we look for work changed. Job search strategies that may have worked a generation or two ago may not work as well in today's labor market. Looking for work is an ongoing endeavor and as such, you should be prepared for ongoing work searches.

In the past 30 years, we've seen dramatic changes in the ways in which work gets done. In bigger cities particularly, where large companies abound, "jobs" (in the traditional sense of the word) exist less and less. Rather, employers define "functions" instead—functions that can be confined to a single project/similar jobs of short duration or to a longer, fixed terms.

What does this all mean?

This means employers are choosing to have projects and work completed in a variety of different ways:

• outsourcing to a third-party company
• hiring part-time, temporary, or seasonal employees
• assigning project-based or contract work
• hiring independent consultants
• hiring casual/on-call employees

Full-time employment

When someone performs 30 or more hours of work per week for a single employer as part of a job description, he or she is said to be employed full time. In nearly all cases, full-time employees expect their jobs will be more or less permanent; this gives them a sense of fulfillment and security. Full-time employees typically make regular contributions to pension plans and employment insurance.

Part-time work

When an individual works fewer than 30 hours a week for a single employer, he or she is said to work part time. As with full-time employment, part-time employment often carries with it the assumption of security and permanence. Those who prefer part-time work usually have other commitments such as school or children which prevent them from working full time. Others, however, prefer part-time employment since it offers them the opportunity to multi-track. (See Multi-Tracking, below.)

Multi-tracking

One concept that appears to be gaining in popularity is that of multi-tracking. A person is said to be multi-tracking when he or she combines different part-time or temporary jobs or contracts into a single work portfolio. For example, an individual may go to school part-time and work part time as a customer service agent in one company's call center and part time as a market researcher in a different company.

Multi-tracking allows job seekers to diversify their skills sets, pursue a variety of interests, expand their professional exposure, and gain from a variety of experiences. Multi-tracking also offers a certain degree of security: in today's economic scenario, should one company downsize or close its doors, those who multi-track will still be able to draw income from other projects or contracts. Loss of traditional, full-time employment, on the other hand, often means loss of one's entire income.

Job sharing

When two or more people work within a single job description, they are said to be job sharing. Job sharing typically occurs when one full-time position is shared by two or more individuals. These individuals may work alternate days, or, one may work mornings and the other, afternoons. Job sharing is attractive to those who want predictability in their job but who do not or cannot work full-time.

Work sharing

Work sharing is like job sharing except that a function, rather than a position is shared. In a work sharing arrangement, two or more people agree on the tasks to be completed for the employer. For instance, if a company wants to ensure customers are pleased with the products they have purchased, through a work share arrangement, the employer can assign a team of people to place after-sales follow-up calls to customers. Work sharing is attractive to those who want diversity and flexibility.

Talent pooling

Sometimes, friends or individuals who share common interests may come together to create a talent pool. Within a talent pool, members come up with informal arrangements and all commit to helping one another find work. Ordinarily, the members of a talent pool come together and agree to act as marketers and referral sources for one another.

Consider, for example, a group of oil workers who have all recently lost their jobs because of downsizing. Each of these eight people has specific talents. By coming together in a talent pool, all continue to look for work with their specific talents in mind, but they also look for work while keeping in mind the talents of the others in the talent pool. People choose talent pools in order to broaden their efforts to find meaningful work. Talent pools also allow individuals to accept positions for which they themselves may not necessarily be qualified but for which other members of the pool may be very well suited.

Agents

Although well known among celebrities and professional athletes, it wasn't until recently that job seekers have started engaging the services of agents or brokers. Agents represent job seekers' talents and/or products and earn a commission for linking qualified candidates with employers. Agents are sometimes called recruiters or headhunters and may be found under "Agents," "Employment Agencies," or "Recruiters" in the Yellow Pages.

Outsourcing

As the term itself implies, outsourcing means sourcing work from the outside. Employers outsource work when they hire individuals or companies outside their own organization to complete specific tasks or functions which are not normally part of the company's main business. In other words, a company may sub-contract a function or set of functions or processes to another individual, group of individuals, or firm. This firm may be in the same city, or in a different city, region or country.

For example, a company may outsource the printing of letterhead and business cards to a commercial printer and security services to an external security firm. Companies may outsource technical support, telemarketing or customer service to a call center or they may outsource IT management, janitorial services and portfolio management.

Why outsource? Outsourcing allows companies to focus on core competencies—hiring people with the skills needed to complete a particular task or project. By outsourcing to other firms, companies are freed of resource- and labor-intensive functions—these are now performed by trained personnel at lower cost.

Temporary work

In some cases, companies may have short-term projects or other tasks or functions that need doing, but they lack the skilled personnel. In other cases, a regular employee may have taken maternity leave or may be off on vacation. In such cases, employers may hire temporary employees through third-party agencies to "cover off" short-term positions.

Temporary workers are not employed permanently by a company. They have the freedom and flexibility to decide when and where they would like to work, and for how long. Temporary work also allows temporary employees to flex their muscle in their area of expertise or to develop skills sets in a particular area.

Project-based work

Companies may hire highly skilled individuals to work on particular projects. Employment ends when the project is complete, or, the company may assign the person to a new project.

Contract work

On occasion, companies may hire an individual to perform work for a specific fee. The terms of the contract (e.g. deadlines, fees for services, whether the employee or the employer shall provide the necessary materials and pay for mileage, gas, supplies and so on) are outlined in a written contract.

Quite often, contract work allows employees to set their own hours and to have a certain degree of autonomy. Work is often performed at the contractor's home office or other premises, rather than at the company. Contractors are able to negotiate what they will be paid for the work they perform.

Because companies do not pay employee benefits and other costs associated with full-time workers, they save money by hiring contractors instead. In addition, hiring contractors makes it easier for companies to restructure in response to changes in their sector or industry.

One of the challenges faced by contractors is avoiding long gaps between contracts. Here is where skillful and effective self-promotion are important. Contract work is best for those with a high degree of confidence in their abilities and who enjoy variety and autonomy in their work.

Seasonal work

Certain sectors and industries have "peak" seasons followed by periods of inactivity. Seasonal workers may be hired to meet the increased demand for skilled employees during peak times and may find themselves without work again once that demand levels off. Tourism/hospitality is one example of an industry that often hires seasonal employees to work as tour guides, chambermaids, golf caddies, and reservations clerks. Many municipalities have summer playground and out-of-school programs intended for young children—they typically hire high school and post-secondary students to fill camp cook, counselor, lifeguard, activity coordinator and similar positions during the summer months. Shopping malls and retail outlets may need additional cashiers and salespeople during extended Christmas/holiday hours.

Consulting

Companies may sometimes recognize they lack specialized expertise in a particular area (e.g. network or database administration, software development) and may therefore hire an independent consultant(s) whose expertise can help them achieve specific goals.

Consultants may work on several projects, often for a number of different clients, simultaneously. Again, consultants enjoy flexibility in terms of choosing for whom and for how long they work, and quite often, in what they will charge.

Casual/on-call

Some companies may hire casual or "on call" employees on an "as needed" basis, asking them to fill in on short notice.

New ways of working; new ways of thinking

While the types of work outlined above may seem daunting to you, you will significantly improve your chances of success if you look at each of these in a positive way. You'll increase your chances of finding the type of work you want if you remember to:

• cleary define your goals and the type of work you want
• clearly identify what you have to offer
• effectively promote yourself
• create effective and targeted work search tools (e.g. cover letters, résumé)
• network with others in an active and effective way
• commit to professional and personal development through ongoing learning
• generate work leads