Let's Talk About Jobs and Job-Searching

I got a request to write about how job-hunting is super-hard. Most anyone over the age of, say, 25 is aware of how difficult it is to get a job.

Before my current job, I spent seven years writing/reporting for The Aegis (part of Baltimore Sun Media Group). How long did I spend looking for a new job? Let's just say: A. Long. Time.

Looking for jobs definitely amounts to at least a part-time - maybe full-time - job of its own, if you do it right. You should be revising your cover letter (at least a little bit) to match the needs of each employer, which requires research.

Job-hunting also costs money, especially if you get interviews: You need appropriate clothes; you need to pay for tolls or transit or parking; you may need to get lunch or food while you're traveling around; you may need to take days or time off of work to get to the interviews. I also spent some money to attend job-counseling classes (which were very helpful, in terms of reworking my resume/cover letter and honing in on a more effective job search).

All these "little" things add up, and take a toll on your time, bank account and energy.

In my experience, job-searching is similar to dating/marriage, in that everyone has different things that they're looking for and, if you're younger or less experienced, your standards are likely to be preeeeetty high. The reality is, both dating/marriage and job-searching require some kind of compromise (unless you: 1) are extremely lucky, and/or 2) willing to work your fingers to the bone and possibly spend your entire life looking for the exact thing you want).

Maybe that sounds harsh, but that is just my honest opinion. "Compromise" has a bad rep, but it has one major upside: it forces you to learn more about yourself and the world around you. It forces you to be less self-centered, which ultimately makes you happier!

With that in mind, here are my $0.02 for how to make job-searching more effective. I am not any kind of expert, but this is what I've learned over the years:

• Figure out what the employer actually wants. This is different from what you think the employer should want. For example, you might think a construction employer wants someone who is amazing at construction and is willing to spend time at each job site to make sure everything is done to perfection; in reality, the employer wants someone who is pretty good at construction and can juggle customer service with salesmanship and being able to move from site to site as fast as possible. 
• Look into the background/history of both the company and its owners. This gives you an idea both of how stable the company is and the leanings of its owners (financially/politically/ideologically/whatever), and what the company might do in the future. 
• Focus on how you can serve the company. (The company is going to "serve you" by giving you a reliable source of income and a reasonable workplace.)
• When you're actually employed: Know your audience/customers. This can't be overstated. This is the #1 way to be good at your job. You have to understand the people you're serving inside and out. This involves understanding that the job is not "about you" or what you would want; it's about what the customers/audience wants. Occasionally (again, if you're super-lucky and/or willing to work your fingers to the bone and probably sacrifice your family/home life), these things will line up perfectly, where your audience is "just like you." But chances are, your audience will think differently from you, which means you will have to step up to the plate and learn a bunch of things and, hopefully, grow in the process. 
• Also, while you're employed: Work efficiently, not "more." I've heard so many people complain that they "work hard" but aren't appreciated, etc. The reality is, "working hard" is sort of meaningless if you're not "working smart." And "working smart" means understanding exactly what your employer wants, which involves understanding what your audience/customers want, and prioritizing everything around that. Unless your employer is a complete moron, chances are good that they understand the audience/customers better than you do, because they have more experience and have actually made money and/or organized a company around it. Just saying. (My personal experience is that employees who think they know better than the boss *usually* do not.) 
• Get the basics right. Dress appropriately for interviews. Prepare for interviews. Tailor your cover letter to what each new employer is looking for. Make your resume stand out and make sure it's in tip-top shape; use bullet points and don't make the employer/recruiter/whoever read too much. Know how to sell yourself.

Anyway, long story short, job-searching is very difficult, in this day and age. Here is a cat photo: