Between a Black Box and a Black Hole. Today s Job Seekers: New Study Evaluates the Job Search Challenges

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Drusilla Lang
6 years ago
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University of Minnesota - Gokce Basbug, Massachusetts Institute of

1 Today s Job Seekers: Between a Black Box and a Black Hole New Study Evaluates the Job Search Challenges Research authors: - Connie Wanberg, University of Minnesota - Gokce Basbug, Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Edwin A.J. Van Hooft, University of Amsterdam - Archana Samtani, TheLadders

2 When unemployment rates rose to historic levels in 2008 and 2009, the resulting struggles were widespread. Many job seekers felt they were trapped in a black hole where they were not hearing back from potential employers or gaining traction on any opportunities. This was true not only for the unemployed, but also for many who were employed but dissatisfied. As high unemployment rates continued, millions of people faced the daunting and uncertain task of job hunting in the Great Recession. TheLadders recently conducted an in-depth study of these job-seeking challenges in partnership with Connie Wanberg, Ph.D., of the University of Minnesota. Dr. Wanberg is an internationally recognized expert on this topic. The study was designed to: See inside the black box of the job-hunting process and examine: The specific challenges job seekers are facing How both the worldwide economic slowdown and changes in the search process have affected the typical job search Evaluate how the challenge of job search affects people s lives Show actions and adaptations by individuals trying to escape the black hole of the job search Help people better plan and navigate their search experience

3 The study conducted a rigorous, qualitative investigation of the experiences of 40 unemployed, 23 employed, and nine partially employed white-collar, managerial-level job seekers. Study participants were seeking professional positions in finance, human resources, marketing, operations and sales in various regions of the United States. The study examined a total of 13 specific topics in five categories, as follows: Omnibus (broad, over-arching context) Challenging economic conditions Participants employment status Organizational Employers insistence on finding a perfect match Inefficiency among recruiters, interviewers and human resources Vague and/or dated advertising Demographic discrimination Social Networking-related challenges Task Issues related to technology-driven job searching Uncertainty about how to perform the job search Rejection-related issues Monotonous and time-consuming aspects of searching Personal Impact on the family and finances Job search related decision-making While individually exploring these topics is beyond the scope of this paper, we will examine several over-arching themes.

4 Digging out of the black hole The black hole theme recurred over and over again. The study found that many job seekers have been left feeling like they are in a black hole, stuck in a situation they cannot get out of. One participant with a highly developed portfolio of experience noted he felt his options were narrowed to taking a minimum-wage job and moving back in with his family. Others said that online application technology has depersonalized the process, saying, I almost feel like, in sending your resume to an internet application, it s a black hole that swallows up resumes. Similarly, another interviewee said he sometimes feels that there s no job at the end of the tunnel. Another important finding was that the job search experience has created extremely high levels of life stress. One participant said, Within probably the next 20, 30 days, the next thing I ll have to do is sell a house; the house I ve been in for 18, 19 years... if something doesn t happen soon, then those decisions will have to be made. Another said, It s destroyed my relationship, period. I had a five-and-a-half-year relationship with a gal; we were living together, and it s completely destroyed it. From the perfect match to a perfect fit Another recurring theme was the perfect match. When asked about effects of the poor economy on the job market, job seekers said that the market was flooded with candidates, which made employers unusually selective in their hiring. One participant put it this way: If they want a red widget sales manager and you sold blue widgets for 20 years, they re not interested in you. In fact, nearly half of the participating job seekers both employed and unemployed expressed frustration that employers ruled them out because they didn t match up exactly with the open position. At the same time, those who were well qualified were often penalized because they were too qualified. As one interviewee said, Once people see you were a senior vice president... you know they immediately make a judgment that you re overqualified for a job and so they don t talk to you. That s really frustrating for me because at this point in my life, you know, I really don t care. I don t need a fancy job title, I don t need any of that. I just feel like I have... a lot of wisdom, so why not be able to use it?

5 Depersonalization, inefficiency and uncertainty Another negative aspect of the job search was what some participants called a lack of professionalism, competence or efficiency on the part of recruiters, interviewers and corporate HR departments. Combined with companies apparent lack of concern about job candidates as individuals, some felt that they were being treated like a piece of meat. One participant was quite blunt, saying, The interviewing process is damn near ridiculous. I mean, I held a fairly high position as a COO, you know, and I ve interviewed in my life, lots of people. And I ve never seen interviewing processes that have become so encumbered, redundant; questions being asked over and over again by the same people. Frustrations were also expressed about vague or dated advertising, job postings that inaccurately reflected the job and the desired qualifications, and the depersonalized and faceless nature of the online process. One participant put it this way: The job [was] not... what was advertised. I... fit the bill quite well, and then when you go in, what they re looking for is not what you are. Another factor was a sense that the playing field wasn t level for all the players. One participant said, I have white hair. The age discrimination is so blatant and omnipresent. Of course you can never prove it... Uncertainty also created significant stress. Many of the participants had more questions than answers about their job search. They wondered how to portray their skills on a resume, how to explain previous job hopping, how to cross industries, how to find jobs in the hidden (i.e., unadvertised) job market, how to use online search tools effectively, where to invest their time, when to follow up with employers, and how much time to spend on various aspects of the search. Many of the study participants thought networking was unpleasant or even pointless one said, when you go out and network, you re in a crowded room filled with people who are as unemployed as you are. Even so, several job seekers shared their emerging realization that they had to network to find a job, whether they liked it or not. Individuals also noted their growing understanding of how to network. Finding ways to cope Some of the people interviewed echoed one participant s feeling of facing some very fundamental life-changing kinds of decisions. In this situation, one of the study s most interesting findings was seeing how people coped, and which coping mechanisms appeared most effective.

6 Successful coping behaviors were often tied to positive attitude. Those who remained positive were better at developing strategies to manage their situations. Positive responses included maintaining individual self-confidence, exercising, volunteering, or taking time for fun activities. Many study participant pro-actively sought job search advice from a career coach or from individuals in their network. Several unemployed individuals said it was important to work on another goal beyond the job hunt. This helped provide a sense of accomplishment and worth. Having a clear plan of action was another excellent way to cope; in fact, 65% of the people in the study treated the search itself as a job. I structure it very much like I structure a work day, one said. I get up and I go to the gym. I get home by 9:00. I m having coffee and checking different message boards and s by 9:30. Attitude was key Was there good news in this study? It could be found in those job seekers who found ways to maintain a positive attitude. Some found the challenge of the job hunt energizing, even in the difficult economy of the past few years. And some showed exceptional resilience. One participant told the following story: There s this sailor during the 1812 war... in a naval battle. The British commander asked, are you ready to give up? And John Paul Jones says, give up? I have yet to begin to fight. And you gotta have that attitude. I m not giving up; I haven t even taken my best shot, pal. Reference: Wanberg, C.R., Basbug, G., Van Hooft, E., & Samtani, A (in press). Navigating the black hole: Explicating layers of job search context and adaptational responses. Personnel Psychology.

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