The Changing World of Work

By Barb Smith

A few years ago, I had occasion to go through my father’s file cabinets and I found an old résumé. It was yellowed with age, and while neatly typed, I could tell it was created before the age of computers. In the top right corner there was a hand-drawn box containing these words: “Happily married with two healthy children.” My, how things have changed!

Dad completed university, married his high school sweetheart and shipped out with his army unit in quick succession. When he returned home a few years later (all in one piece, I’m happy to report), he joined the Hudson Bay Company and worked his way through positions in every department before landing a Personnel Manager post. Yes, he had his career and if he remained a loyal employee, he had a job for life.

Fast forward to present day. Having survived a recession and a slew of major corporate downsizings, we are well into the information age and must operate and compete within a global market. Has that changed the way we work? You bet it has. Full-time, permanent positions are on the decline and companies are contracting out many of the functions that used to take place in-house. And small business is now an economic force to be reckoned with. What does all this mean to job seekers? It means we must change the way we think about work.

If you define a “job” as a full-time, Monday to Friday, nine to five, permanent position, you might want to re-think. Those “jobs” are the scarcest they’ve been for many years. If you broaden your definition of job to include contract and even part-time work, you significantly increase your chances of success. Now more than ever, job seekers need to keep an open mind. The work still exists; it has simply taken a different form. Seek out all the opportunities you can find and see how you can make them over into a job that works for you. The key here is flexibility and a willingness to think outside the box.

If you have been out of the job market for any length of time, you will notice many changes in the search process as well. Perhaps you landed your last job by dropping off your résumé to companies in your neighbourhood. There was a time when a manager would interview a prospective employee just dropping off a résumé and offer him a job on the spot! Now job seekers network, surf Internet job boards, scan newspapers, and meet with search firms to learn about job openings. Subsequent to finding the posting, there is the application process, the interview process (which may consist of three or more interviews), the job offer and compensation negotiations. Whew!

Take heart job seekers. While it may seem daunting, job search in the new world of work does have its upside: you will meet some interesting people, you'll learn new things, and your job-to-be has the potential to be as satisfying as you care to make it. I know Dad would be up for it. How about you?

Barb Smith is a professional Job Search Coach in London, Ontario who applies the employer’s perspective when helping individuals find satisfying jobs with a minimum of stress and frustration. For more information, contact Barb at 519.691.0218 or email barb@barbsmithjobsearchcoach.ca. www.BarbSmithJobSearchCoach.ca

Published in Networking Today, March, 2007