Tuesday, August 2, 2011

It's Not The Economy - It's You.

So many times I overhear people saying "the economy is tough right now, so I can't find a job"

This is not correct.

You don't have a job because you don't have skills that employers want.

Times change, economies change, and so do businesses. Chances are you haven't.

Today, employers are looking for the 'perfect employee' because they get 200 applicants for every position they put up on Craigslist or any other job website. Its like being on the TV Show 'Bachelor' ... when you've got 14 women to choose from, chances are the prettiest and one with the most game will be picked. If you have any flaws bigger than the next girl - you're gone. Same thing is going on today with hiring new employees at most businesses.

Most people that were in the construction business can't find a job because no one is building anything these days. With all the empty commercial real-estate (let alone foreclosure backlog of homes that aren't even listed on the market) no one is going to be building soon. Its almost been 3 years since the fallout in real estate - its time to move on from that bubble.

People that relied on the hourly job at the local mall or office need to move on too. Keep in mind, even in a good economy, employees like this are easy to find and aren't all that valuable to a company. You're basically like a 1990 Ford Taurus in a used car sense ... you still run, but there are better cars on the market if you look around. You need to upgrade your skills so you look like a 2011 Porsche 911 Turbo.

Companies need you to come in and be a superstar, get along with others on the staff, and make the company money. In an office setting, you need to know how to navigate Microsoft XP, and Windows 7, plus Apple OS ... plus software like Excel, Photoshop, and Power Point. In a retail setting, you need to be able to communicate with all kinds of people, while making them feel like they are the most important person in the world ... even though most aren't.

You must be available to work anytime, any day they need you. Plus you need to do jobs they used to hire other people to do. Most companies are asking employees to do more than their job description even stated when you applied ... chances are you will be overworked if you do find a job.

If you don't have the skills or can't multitask on the job, they will someone that can. Plenty of college kids these days $100k in debt will gladly take any job just so they can make their loan payments. Chances are you haven't stepped foot on a College campus in 10 years - so you won't get any job they apply for.

If you think the economy is hurting everyone, keep in mind Bloomberg News reports there are actually more millionaires in 2011 than before the recession started in 2008/2009, proving its not the economy's fault you're not rich - its your own.

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