Being unemployable (cover letters, jobs, companies, salary)
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Speaking about your job/employment with your emotions rather than reason and logic would make a person unemployable, in my mind.
A lack of willingness to research and educate oneself is also something that makes a person unemployable. Many people want a job that is exactly the same as the job they just left. A person has to do dozens of hours of research on a company/interviewer before even applying.
The flipside of that is the way hiring managers and HR people prefer candidates who have already done what the job entails. They don't want to train people, and they expect people to hit the ground running.
It's circular. To me, it makes no sense. Why hire someone who is trying to get out of the same kind of job you're offering? Who you are in terms of prestige only goes so far. An editorial assistant at The New Yorker is still an editorial assistant. If an editorial assistant has outgrown his or her position at The Daily Shlub, that person is going to get just as bored and frustrated as an editorial assistant at The New Yorker.
The flipside of that is the way hiring managers and HR people prefer candidates who have already done what the job entails. They don't want to train people, and they expect people to hit the ground running.
It's circular. To me, it makes no sense. Why hire someone who is trying to get out of the same kind of job you're offering? Who you are in terms of prestige only goes so far. An editorial assistant at The New Yorker is still an editorial assistant. If an editorial assistant has outgrown his or her position at The Daily Shlub, that person is going to get just as bored and frustrated as an editorial assistant at The New Yorker.
I just hired someone with no experience in the INDUSTRY I work in but a ton of experience in the general job description. I was willing to teach someone this industry. What I wasn't willing to do was teach them how to do their job. Big difference. How the personality came through on the cover letter was a huge part of how they got an interview and then job offer. They had the personality I was seeking.
I just hired someone with no experience in the INDUSTRY I work in but a ton of experience in the general job description. I was willing to teach someone this industry. What I wasn't willing to do was teach them how to do their job. Big difference. How the personality came through on the cover letter was a huge part of how they got an interview and then job offer. They had the personality I was seeking.
I think that is what Avienne is asking, how could one get a job at the next level (not necessarily in different industries) if employers aren't willing to train/build on existing skills. Like he/she said, once you've mastered the editorial assistant position, why would you seek out another editorial assistant position? Wouldn't you be just as burnt out with the new editorial assistant position as you were with the old editorial assistant position? And if all employers decide not to train people for promotions, won't that lead to a shortage of qualified upper-level candidates? Catch-22, right?
You appear to be in HR. What is your suggestion around this obstacle?
I just hired someone with no experience in the INDUSTRY I work in but a ton of experience in the general job description. I was willing to teach someone this industry. What I wasn't willing to do was teach them how to do their job. Big difference. How the personality came through on the cover letter was a huge part of how they got an interview and then job offer. They had the personality I was seeking.
That's a bit different. But just a bit. If the responsibilities are the same, I hope it's a fabulously exciting industry, or the person is going to get bored and outgrow it just the same.
In fact, that happened to me. I went from health to finance thinking lateral-but-different would be interesting.
It was the same old stuff but with different vocabulary. At my level? Nuh-uh. I'd rather freelance.
Also, I don't know what industry you work in, but publishing is notorious for wanting to bring in clones these days.
"Oh, you've reported on apples? We want someone who has reported on oranges."
Never mind that it's the reporting skills that matter.
Most ambitious people want to feel like there's room to grow. It's a gimme that they want to learn something new on the job, whether it's an industry, new subject matter, or a new skill. But the ambitious like some upward mobility.
I think that is what Avienne is asking, how could one get a job at the next level (not necessarily in different industries) if employers aren't willing to train/build on existing skills. Like he/she said, once you've mastered the editorial assistant position, why would you seek out another editorial assistant position? Wouldn't you be just as burnt out with the new editorial assistant position as you were with the old editorial assistant position?
You appear to be in HR. What is your suggestion around this obstacle?
I'm not in HR, but I handle a lot of the recruiting for the company I work for, and am the hiring manager for my staff.
The best thing to do is to keep growing in your present position by constantly taking on new projects. Volunteer for things, even if they aren't in your job description. Ask if you can work on larger projects and learn. I still do that, even as a senior manager. It's worked for me with almost every job I've ever had, from retail sales clerk to the one I'm in now.
I'm not in HR, but I handle a lot of the recruiting for the company I work for, and am the hiring manager for my staff.
The best thing to do is to keep growing in your present position by constantly taking on new projects. Volunteer for things, even if they aren't in your job description. Ask if you can work on larger projects and learn. I still do that, even as a senior manager. It's worked for me with almost every job I've ever had, from retail sales clerk to the one I'm in now.
And if that is not an option at your current place of employment? Seems like the only option would be to make a lateral move into another company (if available), spend a few more years doing the same thing you're doing now and hope that there will be opportunities for growth in the future. To me, that seems inefficient.
That's a bit different. But just a bit. If the responsibilities are the same, I hope it's a fabulously exciting industry, or the person is going to get bored and outgrow it just the same.
About half the job is the same, the other half is something the new hire has some--but not a lot of--experience with. But they have the right personality for it, so they will be a natural. The challenge for them will be learning the industry, but this person is very bright and they are already picking it up. It's not a repetitive industry, there are always new challenges, so getting bored isn't likely anytime soon.
And if that is not an option at your current place of employment? Seems like the only option would be to make a lateral move into another company (if available), spend a few more years doing the same thing you're doing now and hope that there will be opportunities for growth in the future. To me, that seems like a waste.
I think it's an option everywhere if you just think outside the box. Even in retail as a low level sales clerk I was able to find opportunities to expand my role by volunteering and keeping my eyes open to possibilities.
I think it's an option everywhere if you just think outside the box. Even in retail as a low level sales clerk I was able to find opportunities to expand my role by volunteering and keeping my eyes open to possibilities.
Sounds good to me. I've experienced career growth this way as well, typically by creating bigger opportunities out of something smaller. It can work, it's just all about timing, your ability to pick up on it, and a little luck.
I'm not in HR, but I handle a lot of the recruiting for the company I work for, and am the hiring manager for my staff.
The best thing to do is to keep growing in your present position by constantly taking on new projects. Volunteer for things, even if they aren't in your job description. Ask if you can work on larger projects and learn. I still do that, even as a senior manager. It's worked for me with almost every job I've ever had, from retail sales clerk to the one I'm in now.
At some point, all of the extra things one volunteers for and takes on should become a promotion, otherwise that person is doing Grade A work for Grade B pay. An editorial assistant is not going to want to do the work of an assistant editor at editorial assistant pay for very long. That editorial assistant will start sending out resumes and clips to be an assistant editor, then an associate editor, then either a senior editor (if the person wants to stay focused on words) or a managing editor (if the person wants to manage people and deal with budgets).
Which is exactly what I did, and kept doing until I landed a nice job at the associate level that I stayed in for nearly 10 years. Then it was time for a change of environment, but I still moved up to senior editor.
Of course, eventually I got sick of other people determining when I would move up, and canned it all for freelancing--where I get to be everything from janitor to president--but that's another story entirely.
At this point, someone would indeed have to pay me pretty well to take a title and a job that wasn't a "Senior" something.
Which brings me to another point: One's 40s can be tricky. I enjoy freelancing and would love to keep doing it, but it's a little hand-to-mouth for my comfort, so I do look at postings and such, just to see if there's something special I'd love to do just as much. As others have experienced, I am overqualified for most advertised jobs, unless the posted job is being handled by a headhunter. Rare is the job posted by a direct employer who wants an editorial person with more than 10 years of experience, and I've got 20. At my level, chances are a position will come through a headhunter or networking.
Every industry is different. I don't think there are any hard and fast rules in terms of accepting a pay cut of 1/3 just to be employed. My field is notorious for lousy salaries: Taking a pay cut of 1/3 means "go into a new field entirely," especially in New York.
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It's not a repetitive industry, there are always new challenges, so getting bored isn't likely anytime soon.
