An uncertain job market
There are times when the job market is thriving. Individuals often have their pick of roles that make use of their strengths and offer opportunities to growth in a variety of companies.
Then there are times when the job market is less lucrative, and choices seem limited. Individuals often feel compelled to take roles that provide short-term cash flow, even if they might not offer opportunities to advance.
Regardless, COVID-19 created a highly uncertain job market. According to the World Economic Forum, if the economic shutdown lingers for many months, or if serious pandemics become a recurring phenomenon, there will be profound, long-term consequences for the reallocation of jobs, workers, and capital across firms and locations.
Two out of every five jobs lost during COVID-19 may not come back.
How can we navigate this less familiar landscape?
Be the go-to for something
Whether it’s a manager reviewing a CV, or you’re introducing yourself at an interview, or someone is reading an article you published, anyone consuming or receiving information from you is looking for a hook. How can he/she help me or my team?
You can make this easy for them by being clear about what you are the go-to person for. What do people usually ask you for help with? What do people recommend you for? When work colleagues introduce you, what do they say? What type of work do you love doing?
This will shape the type of work you choose to do, and with whom. It will also allow you to attract the people you want to your work. Similarly, being clear on what you bring to the table helps you to seek out like-minded people.
For instance, my career history involves designing initiatives to help organisations future-proof their strategy.
People have come to me to help them with design of corporate education programmes in decision making under uncertainty, and the future of work. They recommend me for project management and thought leadership.
I have used this to frame my role as helping leaders to envision ways in which they can leverage their human capital to grow their business in the face of rapid change.
Showcase learning agility
When roles are scarce or fluctuating, employers are less inclined to take risks. They are likely to be on the lookout for specific characteristics, such as a track record at a certain level in a specific sector.
The danger of this approach is that what made someone successful in the past is not a reliable predictor of what will make them successful in future.
Savvy employers seek out those with a track record of being able to learn and deliver quickly, and those with diverse connections in their network.
An example of this is Kabir Seghal, who has been a US Navy Reserve officer, author, and record producer, among other things. In a Harvard Business Review article, he describes how working many jobs left him more fulfilled, and helped him perform better at each job.
For example, his corporate role subsidised record producing and taught him the skills required to succeed in the music business. By exposing his clients to musicians, he was able to differentiate himself and make interesting yet pertinent connections.
Create what excites you
Malcolm Gladwell, New York Times bestselling author and host of the Revisionist History Podcast, was initially unable to get a job in advertising, so launched a career in journalism, harnessing his curiosity in compelling ways.
Similarly, Simon Sinek, a renowned speaker and author, led a marketing consultancy that started to struggle after a few years. In an Entrepreneur interview, he says, “When I was able to stop lying, hiding and faking, and was able say, ‘I’m really good at this, really bad at that, ‘people came from all over [saying], ‘Oh, I could totally help you with that.'”
His first book deal was not the result of building a platform, but spending less than half an hour with an editor, explaining his idea and why it mattered. The editor took a chance on him.
In short, cutting through a noisy job market requires you to be memorable.
You can do this by sharing your intense interest in a topic and how it can positively influence the status quo, making unlikely but valuable connections across different networks and concepts, or shaping a clear narrative on what you are the go-to for.
There is no guarantee that people will remember you, but these are tangible ways to influence how they remember you.