We All Know Someone Who Can't Find Work - 3 Things They Have to Know

It's happening to the folks next door: not having any luck landing work - not full-time, not part-time and not contract. We bear witness to their catastrophic mindset about "not ever working again." In a recent survey, only 29.2% perceived that jobs were plentiful. 

The shift has been rather sudden. 

About eight months ago, retirees came for the complimentary consultations in my coaching practice, determined to "unretire." That is, return to earning income from their labor. It usually took a few sessions to get them up to speed on realistic assessments where they could re-enter the labor market, how to retrofit job search materials for the AI screeners and to surrender to the absolute power employers had. 

Now, I no longer accept as clients those who aim at unretiring. Too many re-entry points for those who had been out of the workforce have shut down. One major barrier is the technology expertise required. Usually the mandate is advanced knowledge of Generative AI tools. 

So, who is getting work? 

It goes back to 3 old adages about landing, holding and moving on to better work.

One is: Nothing gets you a job like having a job. A man I coached went through the hoops of getting licensed to drive a school bus. There are plenty of them for a job that paid about $14 an hour. 

Currently he's being looked at for higher paying types of jobs. 

You can't just sit there, isolated at home being one of the 500 applying to the jobs in your field listed on LinkedIn. Instead, grab something, anything, Then go on from there. Believe me, there is a Next for those with a good work ethic and drive. 

Another old-line adage is to network. At the gym state employees share info about openings and how to apply effectively. Become a regular at wholesome organizations where people gather. In addition to the gym there are the evangelical church and twelve-step programs. Of course, you have to be active on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. 

A third is to lower expectations, at least for now. Those I had coached during The Great Recession accepted survival jobs. They removed advanced academic degrees from their resumes. 

But most wound up earning a good living again. Some positions were in their field such as practicing law. Others rose through the ranks by sizing up opportunities in the new lines of work they had grabbed in order to pay monthly student loan debt.

Takeaways: There are universals about being able to earn income from your labor. They get results in all economies. 

Rattled by the uncertainty? Faith-based Career Coaching. Special expertise with transitions, reskilling and aging. Psychic/tarot readings, upon request. Complimentary consultation with Jane Genova (Text 203-468-8579, janegenova374@gmail.com). Yes, test out the chemistry.