Question
You often discuss the importance of using networking and connections to get a new job. Here indeed lies the problem. Who is best qualified doesn’t matter anymore, in favor of those networked and connected.
Just try networking when living in a career desert where you are judged by party affiliation, where you reside, and the “what can you do for me” mentality.
So you advise us to move to areas of opportunity. Let us think this through. Move to abandon responsibilities? Move for a new employer that knows you are in a tight spot and takes advantage by offering you sub-par wages and benefits? Move for an employer that hides behind the shield of “at will” contracts?
Face it. America is NOT producing enough fulfilling, life sustaining, rooted jobs on virtually all levels. We are even failing at “B.S.” jobs. Remember, a job is more than a pay check. It’s about dignity… and that ain’t NO joke ;)
[signed] STEM and Barred From Opportunity
Nick’s Reply
This is one of the most painful e-mails I’ve received and I know it’s the tip of an iceberg. How does a professional in a “career desert” change jobs, earn more, and retain their dignity?
This is a question I’m going to ask this entire community to discuss and answer because I just don’t have enough good advice to give. But we’ll do that in a minute…
Is home a career desert?
First, I don’t advise anyone to move just for opportunity to areas thriving more than their own locale. Loads of factors must play into such a decision. But like it or not, some areas offer more and better opportunities and relocating is a choice. Likewise, some areas — the career desert you refer to — are relatively remote and offer fewer options. Employers there often take advantage of the local workforce. You have to choose. Complaining about it won’t change it.
If you do decide to move, long-distance job search can be more productive if you take this approach: Make interview travel pay off. But that’s up to you. Now let’s discuss how you can use networking to your advantage, even in your area.
Be the “networked & connected” job seeker
Second, you suggest qualified people lose out to those “networked and connected.” Certainly, various kinds of nepotism play out in the job market. Employers hire their buddies even if they’re not properly qualified. But consider that if that were true everywhere the economy would tank — and some companies with biased hiring practices do tank.
On the other hand, you can use networking and personal connections to help you land the job you are qualified for. Just being qualified is not enough. Please see Natural Networking: An End to Stupid Networking. Don’t give up on your locale until you make an honest effort to become the networked and connected job seeker. Even in a career desert.
The problem is real
Where my heart goes out to this reader is in regard to the apparently small-minded and politically biased hiring practices of employers in a remote area. Feeling stuck without anywhere to go is no way to live. Remote regions by nature offer fewer job options and can also foster bad employer behavior, like taking advantage with regard to pay and benefits. I know your problem is real.
But having said that, it can also be too easy to blame “America” and to suggest the nation has an obligation to produce good jobs for good pay everywhere. That would really be nice, but we’re not here to set economic policy (though I’m sure some would love to!).
My paltry advice
Fretting over factors you cannot control should not totally derail your career goals. This is where you have to be the smartest job seeker in the career desert.
I will offer one suggestion and hope others will be able to share their experiences, perspectives and tips. Despite the apparent small-minded thinking and behavior of employers in your area, raise your own standards and expect better than you’re getting.
Rather than bemoan the bad treatment you experience, go meet more people in the business community. Go meet better people. Find the oases in the career desert. I can almost guarantee you there are good employers in your area or reasonably nearby. You just have to find them — and that means meeting new people that are connected to them, even if they’re not employees or managers. If you’re determined not to move, your career success may even require changing the kind of work you do.
How do you meet new people without the kind of “icky” networking that makes you feel like you need to take a shower? Please read Shared Experiences: The key to good networking.
I’m not dismissing your concerns. I know the problems you and many others face are real. What’s important to me is what an individual can do for themselves to overcome the obstacles.
What can this reader do?
If I had a great, easy answer to this I’d get rich quickly. But it’s a widespread, thorny problem that can easily lead us to complaining rather than to smart, creative job-search strategies and tactics.
So, what can this reader do? How can they keep living in a “career desert” and still have a better career? What’s the best how-to advice you can offer? Career deserts are real. Where are the worst ones?
: :
It’s obvious the divide between the investor class and working class is becoming a chasm. I define working class as anyone who makes money by working. This is includes those making several hundred thousand. The investor class makes money by having money and is taxed entirely differently than “ordinary” income. LTCG is 15% under $5 million of returns held at least a year, 20% over $5 million. After deductions, tax abatements, trusts, investments off shore and other “loopholes” they rarely pay anything close to double digit tax.
The only real answer is to stop working for corporations and start your own business. Moving up the corporate ladder is dead and gone. Most tech companies fulfill labor via contract to avoid stock grants and quickly dispose of labor as needed.
It’s called human capital for a reason, everyone is a commodity to investors.
This! It always takes more work but usually brings more reward. It will (probably) also go “across your grain”. STEM people usually just want to do their STEM thing and leave all the “messy” other stuff (business plans, financing, hiring, team building/managing) stuff for others – why we (yes, me too) want to work for an employer vs yourself. The days of relying on armies of highly skilled, relatively well-paid humans to perform generic STEM functions are long gone. You need to be innovative; finding unique solutions to existing problems that someone will adequately compensate you for (the trifecta). Any missing piece will mean lack of success. But it can happen almost anywhere so geography is not the driving factor – your innovation and zeal for accomplishment are.
Years ago a long time friend contacted me about a job at their company, and I was offered this position for a 75% pay increase. Obviously we moved. This west coast city is one where I had lived for awhile as a young man. The one downside is we will not be able to buy a house here. My sister who is a financial planner says it’s smart to continue renting but increase 401k contributions and your retirement age. My wife works an hour away at a job she loves and gets to drive against the traffic. I spend 10 minutes walking to work. I’m in an area that has a lot of high tech employers. I could literally walk out the front door at work and find another job after a 10 minute walk. Our kids got to grow up in an area that has more going for it than our previous rust belt city. Now it hasn’t all been easy – you exchange one set of disadvantages for another set. I would do this again.
Bottom line; You just might have to move. As I look over my family tree I see people moving all over the place. If you are in the rust belt it might be a good time to leave. PS: My wife is a librarian and I think her favorite book ever is “Little House on the Prairie.” The beginning of that book starts with the family moving and realizing they would never see their grandparents again. Fast forward to now, you can get on a plane to visit family and friends, and don’t forget video conferencing. Who knows? One of your family members might write a book about your adventure!
I sure feel for “STEM and Barred”, and appreciate your response, Nick — especially that you didn’t gaslight them. There are profound, systemic, decades-and-centuries-old problems in the modern world, and most of humanity is now feeling the inevitable effects that have been building for some time. We can’t “positive mindset” or network our way out of those realities.
Until/while we address those deeper issues as a country/species, I have two thoughts to contribute. I’m no expert on how to find a great job or build a great career, but after 37 years in the workforce (I’m 54) I know something about crafting A Life.
1. Identify what you most value, and what holds the most meaning, and craft a Life around that. No job or career offers stability or any kind, despite what corporations or Wall Street fortune tellers say. The Life you craft may look greatly downsized, simplified, or patched together. You may have to lean on other people more (yay, community!) But you may find yourself vastly more fulfilled.
2. Consider self-employment, especially something(s) that can be done online. I’ve been an “accidental entrepreneur” for over half my work life now, and while it definitely has its struggles, the Internet has made this easier than ever. I can work from anywhere as long as the grid is up! While my retirement account is sad and my benefits suck, I wouldn’t trade the freedom, autonomy, and interesting life I’ve led for any 60+-hour per week j.o.b. doing meaningless drivel for people I wouldn’t want to have lunch with, much less spend most of my adult waking hours around.
Just know you’re not crazy, not bad, and not alone! [woot woot!]
No answers, but here are some observations based on my experience.
Relocation: To me, this is the most important. There are no right or wrong answer, but people really need to think about this. Especially if they have a family. My wife and I agreed that relocation was a non-negotiable (we did a relocation when my oldest was 2). I open every interview and inquiry with “I relocation required? If this is the right role, I will commute or travel as necessary, but my family stays put.” Sometimes that eliminates me. And that is ok.
Work is a commodity…what the market will bear.
Work is cyclic…during the booms we do well to prepare for the busts.
Work is depeche mode…what is all the rage today will not even be missed tomorrow.
Work is not who I am…I use work to finance the things that matter to me.
We do what we need to do to get by. “Following your passion” is nice (what if someone’s passion is to smoke dope and play Tetris all day?) but bringing home a paycheck is the end-goal. This can involve working at places you do not like, taking roles that are beneath you, or doing work that you would really not want to do. Sometimes there are just no alternatives.
Networking. Not wearing a Herb Tarlek suit and forcing your business card on people. But like-minded professionals you stay in touch with. Especially former coworkers. Nurture those relationships. If you live in the same geographic area, get together for coffee or lunch a couple times a year. Connect with them on LinkedIn. If you have let those relationships slide, renew them. Just do not make it about them finding you a job.
Finally, look up Chris Hogg on LinkedIn and follow him. He does a poor job telling us what we want to hear. And a great job of telling us what we need to hear.
Wishing the best to everyone in the hunt.
Which Chris Hogg?
Always consider the cost of living. A lot of those remote areas are inexpensive to live in
One can sense the writer’s frustration in running into a toxic combo of a limited STEM opportunity pool, crappy hiring practices. it happens
But it really doesn’t represent how the hiring world works as a whole.
Not counting the military, I’ve been the job hunter, hiring manager and recruiter, did 7 major relos inclusive of living & working in Asia for 5 years. The mother of relos.
Some things to consider: start with Make no assumptions. Open your mind.
Jobs: Consider flipping the process. Don’t look for jobs. Look for companies. in this case, that have STEM needs or even are under-utilizing it. Research & rank them for best ops. If they have jobs, nice but not necessary. Find your way to the hiring mgr & make contact (network, network network.)
I get it. if you’re venue trapped due to personal reasons. If so, the flipping approach gives you other options.
Relo: Relo: fortunately or unfortunately it can become an acquired skill. But mindset goes a long way in accepting it. It’s either a great inconvenience …or an adventure. All unknowns are not negatives.
It comes down to, if you live in a STEM career desert, move from the desert. And if you have to do so, you are in a position to flip this part of the process too. If you must move, consider venues you/family would like to move to. Sure check for jobs there, but companies of interest. But once you consider relos, if opens the door much wider. & of course for the tradition job search approach. Don’t assume you’d never relo. Look, & see what’s out there. I’ve just seen to many people tie their hands by insisting they won’t move…and ironically who end up moving.
On hiring less qualified favoring referrals. Yes it’s strong competition. As a hiring manager I’ll tell you why. Hiring is a 2 sided risk, For me & for the job seeker. A referral from someone who’s opinion I trust is a big risk reduction with a high probability of a good hire. The same thinking also applies to the job seeker. A good referral like that to someone with “close enough” qualification can easily trump 100% qualified.
Because, especially in STEM where change moves at warp speed, qualifications have a short shelf life. Technically in my own working world we can become unqualified until OJT gets you back on track. But I never hired someone simply based on the referral. Especially if a relo was involved which increases the hiring risks.
The way you address this …network network network, be the one referred to the hiring manager and/or recruiter by a trusted contact.
My issue is I can’t get to these events because the buses dont run early or late enough. So I need a taxi or hotel room which makes it unaffordable. We need either local jobs or better transit or online networking so you can get the job then move.
I’d suggest getting out of the desert virtually. Why not consider working from home in a position that’s related to your profession, as in project management, training, or regulatory? Try taking interactive online classes to meet others in your field or even discover tangential positions – there are many inexpensive ones. Look for professional groups in your area of expertise or interest that host online meetings and webinars and get involved.