September 24, 2001 By Ron McGowan When we look at how the majority of people earn a liv- ing, the 20th century, in retro- spect, was the century of the full-time, permanent job. The 21st century, for an increas- ing number of people, will be the century of self-employ- ment. Recent figures on the U.S. workforce show that, depending on the industry sector, 25 - 40% of the work- force are employed in non- traditional roles with their employers, as temps, part- timers, contract workers or self-employed consultants and their numbers are grow- ing. Today, it makes more sense to look for WORK, as opposed to looking for a JOB, but most people don’t know how to do that, which is understandable since our society, notwithstanding all of the changes that have taken place in the past decade, is still centered on the full-time job. Many are psychologically challenged to accept the fact that you can earn a living out- side of the traditional full- time, permanent job model that we’ve lived with for about 100 years. Looking for WORK is a much different challenge than looking for a JOB but since How to Find Work In the 21st Century most people don’t under- stand that, they approach it in the same way, really doing exactly the same thing that they would have ten or twen- ty years ago. Further, they don’t understand that if their ultimate goal is to find a JOB, in today’s workplace, one of the most effective ways to do that is to look for WORK which often leads to getting a JOB. One of the most signifi- cant changes that have taken place in the workplace is that most of the employment opportunities are to be found in small companies. If you approach these companies with a mind set that the only thing you'll accept is a full- time, permanent: job, you might be shooting yourself in the foot. They may be able to use the skill set you have to offer but cannot commit to hiring you on a permanent basis. There’s also the ques- tion of your attitude to consid- er. What you're really looking for is security but that’s something the business owner and their staff probably don’t have. The only security they typically have is the firm orders they have for their products or services which often means that they can’t look to the future beyond the next several months. CAN YOU HANDLE THE REMOTE’ Scouts Canada helps young people experience the great outdoors through exciting hikes, camps, water activities, bike trips, and other adventures. We need you to help today’s Scouts learn cool new skills, develop self-confidence and have a blast with their friends. We provide all the training you need. You'll gain valuable leadership experience and the satisfaction of helping kids learn and grow. Be a Leader, and help Scouts Canada “Bring on the Adventure.” 1-888-Scouts-Now + SCOUTS CANADA (1-888-726-8876) www.scouts.ca The most common approach used by people who are seeking employment is to solicit potential employ- ers with a traditional resume which is not an effective way to go as is aptly addressed in this comment by Nick A. Corcodilos, a successful U.S. headhunter with over twenty years experience: “ A resume leaves it up to employers to figure out how you can add value to their organization. That’s no way to sell yourself. The general theme of most resumes is “Here’s what | did yesterday”. To be effective in today’s workplace, the theme has to be “Here’s how | can help you today”. The keys to successfully finding work are: 1. You must be clear on what you have to offer and how that benefits the employ- er you're targeting. 2. Since most of them are hidden, you have to learn how to find the employment opportunities that exist. 3. You have to learn how to sell yourself. In yesterday’s world you could get by with a fairly pas- sive approach to looking for work. If your resume and cover letter were generic in their layout and composition, the Personnel or Human Resources Department that typically processed them were used to receiv- ing that type of application. Today, there’s a good chance that there won't be a Personnel or Human Resources Department in the company that you're applying to. That function is often one of several han- died by the business owner or a senior manager. Under those circumstances, your communication has to be very focussed on _ their needs and how you can help them. What can you do for me today? That’s what decision makers want to know. Not what your title was in your last job or what you've been doing for the past twenty years. The thing that most peo- ple who are looking for work are the most uncomfortable with and often do poorly is selling themselves and they rarely understand what effec- tive selling is. Potential employers won't be swayed by a slick sales presentation from you but you better be ready to describe what you do and how that will benefit them in a businesslike, per- suasive manner. Good com- munication skills are more important than they have ever been. The workplace is going through some of the most sig- nificant changes to occur in the past 100 years. The onus is on those who are looking for work to first of all find the employment opportunities that are out there or, in some cases, create that opportunity and having done so to then sell themselves effectively to those potential employers. Our educational system and traditional approach to finding work do not prepare us for these challenges. One of the smartest moves a student who will graduate this year can make is to join a group like Toastmasters International with an objective of increas- ing their self-confidence and polishing their communica- tions skills. They should also develop some researching skills. Career counselors should give them assign- ments to find work opportuni- ties that exist in the areas where they would like to work but are never advertised. From now on these skills should be developed by all students throughout their col- lege years and applied when they look for summer employ- ment between each year. By the time they graduate they'll be prepared to cope with a workplace that’s radically dif- ferent from the one their par- ents went into when they graduated or started to work. The role of the career counselor within the college environment is more impor- tant than it has ever been. Preparing students for yes- terday’s workplace will look like a piece of cake compared to the challenge they face today and to-morrow. College curriculums that are often seen as sacrosanct may need to be reviewed to deter- mine how effective and more demanding career counseling programs can be incorporat- ed within them. Being a straight A student won’t get you far if you don’t under- stand how the workplace has changed and what you have to do to be successful in it. Career counselors them- selves will be challenged to upgrade their skills to prepare their students to meet the demands of a tougher work- place. The people who really understand what is going on in the workplace today are those who have lost their jobs and some of the graduates who are trying to find their first job. Few of them are equipped with the skills need- ed to succeed in today’s workplace. Most of them want to find a steady job but there aren’t enough of those to go around, so they'll have to settle for spending time in unfamiliar territory, i.e., tem- porary or contract work. In a society that’s still centered on the full-time, permanent job, that’s a much bigger chal- lenge than most people can _ understand. They only get it when they or someone close to them loses their job. Rion McGowan has operat- ed Executives For Rent in Vancouver, Canada for the past six years and has just published a book “How to Find Work in the 21st Century”, details at: www.efr- canada.com.