On the user webinar this morning someone asked my thoughts about their situation: two advanced degrees, and not even able to get an entry level job.
I have a few thoughts on that:
The idea of a career and job has changed.
I’ve blogged about this quite a bit. No longer are we shooting for a long-term career with retirement benefits. We’re happy if we find a place where we might settle in for a few years.
My recruiter friend Robert Merrill told me a couple of years ago that he thinks we’re getting closer to becoming a world of 1099 workers. What’s that? 1099 workers are contractors. No more FTE (full time employees).
Have you seen a trend moving in that direction?
Even if you are hired as a FTE, the company treats you as a 1099, with frequent layoffs and rehiring. Crazy stuff.
That’s one reason why I’m writing the book 101 Alternatives to a Real Job.
Whether we are out of the recession or not, employers are going to be cautious/skeptical.
Until they feel really good about their market and customers, they aren’t going to commit to the salary and overhead of a new employee, unless it’s critical. (So, how do you prove you are critical?)
The pending election will probably make employers wait on big (hiring, strategy, product line, etc.) decisions.
What impact would Romney or Gingrich have on our economy, trade, markets, taxes, etc.?
What impact would another Obama term have?
Whatever you think it will be, each employer has their own opinion, and they might be waiting on big decisions until… the end of the year :s
Trivia: One of the biggest spikes in JibberJobber signups was when Obama was elected President, through the inauguration. I was amazed to see how many people started to seriously take career management into their own hands upon hearing that news.
If that’s the case, what does 2012 mean for job seekers?
As much as many people will argue, I think so long as GOP candidate wins and hold true with Congress to rein in the Affordable Care Act (a/k/a Obamacare), the likelihood of employers ramping up FTE is good. 1099 workers don’t need benes, so the company can avoid the overpriced gov’t mandate.
It will certainly be interesting to see how it plays out.