Back In The Race: 4 Empty Job Search Platitudes (And How To Fix Them)
Columnist Shannon Achimalbe reviews the four platitudes of job hunting and offers alternative ideas that constitute better advice.
Last week, in the aftermath of the tragic mass shootings in San Bernardino, California, the New York Daily News accused the Republican presidential candidates of doing nothing more than making empty platitudes of thoughts and prayers for the victims. The Democratic candidates took a different tone by calling for stricter gun control laws. But most of us have heard these same, tired talking points before from the Democrats with little follow through.
Whenever I talk to recruiters, career counselors, and others in the human resources field, I hear similar platitudes and clichés that attempt to sound like job search advice but lack substance. These platitudes usually come in four forms: networking, working hard, being persistent and having a positive attitude. When it becomes clear that these people cannot help me with my job search, they resort to one or more of the above in order to sound helpful before hanging up and my never hearing from them again.
Don’t get me wrong. They eventually work, I suppose. And I do appreciate the thought. But the problem is that the above “advice” is very general and can be found easily on the internet. So you’re back to square one looking at the job boards.
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Let’s go over each of these platitudes in more detail. Afterwards, I have some alternative ideas that I think will be more helpful advice to job seekers.
1. Networking. If I can think of one platitude that has been done to death but still refuses to die, it has to be the importance of networking. I’m sure you’ve heard some networking clichés before. Zingers like, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Or “Your network determines your net worth.”
Networking works if you connect with the right people. But it’s a long, tedious process. And you’ll probably run into some crazies along the way. Few people give specific guidance as to who you should network with. Most just share their own personal experiences about how they met a friend of a friend who happened to know someone who was hiring. This is why people get the impression that networking has more to do with luck than anything else.
Solution: Instead of clichés and anecdotal stories, try to arrange an introduction to someone who can help. If you can’t (or won’t) do that, then at least recommend groups or organizations they can join.
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2. Persistence. We are told that if we really want a certain job, then we should be persistent and stop at nothing to get it. We should always follow up and stay in touch with the firm’s hiring partners, recruiters, and others, so they will know who we are and that we are available.
Unfortunately, some recruiters seem to encourage persistence although what they are really doing is giving false hope. Whenever I speak with someone from HR or a recruiter for the first time, the conversation is pleasant and exciting. She tells me that my résumé “looks interesting,” and is impressed with my work experience and accomplishments. I respond by telling her that I am excited about working for the firm, and highlight the value I am bringing to the table. Towards the end of the interview, she tells me to stay in touch to inquire about any future openings. But most of the time, this is where things end. My follow-up calls and emails are ignored.
Persistence should be tempered with realism. I don’t mean to sound paternalistic, but is it fair to encourage someone to constantly apply for a job that they have little to no chance of getting? Hope is a dangerous thing. It can drive a person insane. If you encourage futile persistence, you may be preventing them from considering taking another direction with their job search and their lives.
Solution: Please don’t be disingenuous. If you can’t help someone, let them know as soon as possible. Don’t tell them to get back to you in the future if you have no intention of helping and ignoring them later.
3. Having a positive attitude. Being unemployed or underemployed is a frustrating and depressing experience. The constant rejections can hurt your self-confidence and ego. So when you are feeling down, you stop what you are doing. You are in a mental funk as you second-guess yourself and think about the meaning of life. You may turn to family, friends and the internet for solace and advice. A common piece of advice to combat the blues is to have a positive attitude. Or a more blunt way of saying it is to have an attitude adjustment.
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The problem with forcing someone to think positively is that it is extremely hard to do when someone is depressed or angry. This is because you are telling them to deny their emotional state rather than confronting it. It’s like putting a bandage on a benign tumor. Otherwise, we wouldn’t need anti-depressant medication or therapy. Also, having a positive attitude does not guarantee that things will get better. A lot of times what ends up happening is that people’s attitude improves after their situation improves.
Solution: Don’t tell a chronically unemployed person to have a positive attitude as it may give them one more thing to agonize about. A discussion about attitude is acceptable only when you are referring to what the firm expects from its employees.
4. Hard work. The virtue of hard work is a platitude that has been twisted in so many ways that it deserves a post of its own. Everyone – from the successful to the struggling – claim that they work hard. But nobody can really give a universal definition of what it means to work hard. Most will respond by sharing their experiences of working long hours, dealing with toxic individuals, and giving up social lives to get to where they are today. Because the concept of hard work is vague, it cannot be considered constructive advice.
Solution: Instead of telling people to work harder (whatever that means), provide some guidance as to what they should do to improve their job prospects. The more specific the better.
On an unrelated note, it’s been a while since I have requested stories from former solo practitioners and small-firm lawyers who left their practice, for better or for worse. If you are one of them, please share your story so that we (and 0Ls contemplating going to law school) can learn from your experience. Please click here, here and here to get an idea as to what I am looking for. Then email me: sachimalbe@excite.com.
Shannon Achimalbe was a former solo practitioner for five years before deciding to sell out and get back on the corporate ladder. Shannon can be reached by email at sachimalbe@excite.com and via Twitter: @ShanonAchimalbe.
