Technology transforms hunt

Job searching has changed because of online searches, Web sites

A good hunter gets the best tools he can afford and maintains them in top condition. He learns his craft at least partly by listening to more successful hunters. He keeps up on the location of the most bountiful wildlife. On the hunt, he is focused and patient in search of a specific kind of prey.

These skills can mean the difference between a successful career and just a job :quot; or no job at all.

But the technologies and the labor markets are significantly different from those of the last recession of 1990-91 in terms of social and technological issues.

“I’d say that, in general, the biggest difference is the wealth of job searching resources available online,” said Paul Ringger, principal of Ringger.com, a Memphis, Tenn., Web site development firm. “It used to be that the newspaper was the main job search and placement delivery mechanism for recruiting, but now you can search Monster.com, HotJobs.com, CareerBuilder.com, Dice.com and many more.”

Other technologies available for the job hunt that were unavailable or uncommon during the previous recession include:

  • Personal portfolio Web sites, to which job hunters can refer prospective employers for in-depth information.
  • Resumes and multimedia portfolio presentations on CD-ROMs.
  • Chat rooms where job hunters can network with others in the same field.
  • Cell phones that reduce the likelihood of a job hunter missing a call from an eager employer.
  • Laptop and hand-held computers that ease management of schedules and contact databases.
  • Personal computers that ease the customization of resumes and cover letters.
  • Computers in public places, such as libraries, which enable high-speed job searching, company and industry research and resume submission.
  • Video conferencing and PC-based video-calling that can enable employers to conduct long-distance interviews face to face.

Good job hunters also pay attention to their unique environment.

“This is a special recession, made complex by two associated issues, namely terror threats and the unmasking of corporate frauds,” said Dr. Gauri S. Guha, an assistant economics professor at Arkansas State University. “Most of my friends in the business tell me that they prefer to wait and watch for awhile.”

Other sociological and historical factors that distinguish these times from previous slack labor markets include:

  • Economic globalization.
  • The decline of rural economies.
  • Increased emphasis on finding the “right fit” for each worker and job.
  • Increased emphasis on communications and leadership skills.
  • Accelerated pace of change in technologies.
  • Heightened competition from demographic groups, such as women and minorities, that previously had more limited job prospects.
  • The trend to outsource a company’s functions – such as accounting or call center operations – that are not central to its existence.

Economic globalization is one factor affecting employers’ hunger for workers willing to relocate.

“Last year, a friend who is vice president of a major bank was hiring a head of a new overseas branch,” Guha said. “He chose a German over two equally good American candidates because of better language skills and cross-cultural experience.”

Brenda Hamilton, executive director of Memphis’s Hamilton-Daniel Career Institute, said the emphasis on finding the right fit became more important for workers after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

“Deep down, people have a sense that they need to really focus on what’s most important to themselves and their families, and make the very most of their lives,” she said. “People used to tolerate a lot of unhappiness on the job, just because it was the way things always were.”

Albert Crews III, 30, of Memphis, who is looking for a job in the technology field, said job hunters should adjust to the fast pace of change.

“Job searching in the 21st century, particularly in a recessionary period, I think you have to be flexible,” he said.

“I’m not saying you have to change your career goals, but you may have to modify them to fit the current climate. You can’t get caught up in titles as much as maybe you might have in the past.

“Employers are expecting each employee to do more with less, and that ‘more with less’ may not come with a fancy title.”