Unemployed isnt unqualified 3 stigmas that scare recruiters (and how to squash the bias)

Unemployed isnt unqualified 3 stigmas that scare recruiters (and how to squash the bias)Unemployed isnt unqualified 3 stigmas that scare recruiters (and how to squash the bias)Starting the job hunt while youre employed full-time can be draining. But doing it while youre unemployed can be downright exhausting.Thats because unemployment tends to carry several stigmas.After speaking with thousands of hiring managers while working toimprove the recruiting process, Ive become intimately aware of the biases that recruiters have toward unemployed candidates. Theyre often seen as lazy, lacking talent, and out of touch.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreRecruiters are told to go out and find the best talent, but they arent given a very good definition to guide them. Instead, they rely on indicators, like how long a candidate was at their last job or the number of months someone has been une mployed.But those facts cant tell the full story. And many qualified applicants never hear back simply because theyve been out of work for too long.Whenskilled candidatescant find jobs,theres clearly an issue. Thats why I want to squash a few of the stigmas unemployed candidates face and offer advice on how both recruiters and candidates can do a better job of overcoming the bias.1 Diversity Of AgePeople who are younger or older than the workforce average often struggle with unemployment because no one wants to take a chance on them.If a candidate is older, recruiters think theyll be set in their ways or wont fit in with a younger culture. If theyre young, recruiters worry they lack experience. Unfortunately, these candidates often stay unemployed because they never get the opportunity to prove they can be a great fit. Recruiters simply move on to someone they consider age-appropriate.To help combat this stigma, both parties need to communicate better and focus on the right indicato rs.CandidatesIf you feel that your age may negatively affect your job search, the most important thing you can do is advocate for yourself. Figure out what the company is looking for, and show them you can do the necessary work.For instance, if youre a younger candidate applying for a marketing role, do a project that shows the recruiter you can handle the email marketing or social media analysis the job requires. For older candidates, advocate for your up-to-date skillset by presenting the company with work that demonstrates your ability to thrive in the role.RecruitersIf youre concerned about whether or not someone will be a fit due to their experience level, have a conversation about their skills and experiences. Ask more behavioral and scenario-based questions. If they showcase the right soft skills and knowledge, then bring them into the bro and see how they mesh with everyone.If you see accurate signs that they wont thrive in the environment, then its fair to pass on them. But its a mistake to forgo the conversation in the first place just because someone is outside of the usual age range.2 Gaps In A Candidates ExperienceRecruiters tend to view any employment gap thats longer than three months as a red flag. This stigma exists for two reasonsSome recruiters think, If this partie is so talented, why are they still on the market?Others believe that a candidates skills have atrophied, so they wont be up-to-date with industry trends.For many candidates, neither of those points ring true. In fact, a lot of candidates spend their unemployment brushing up on industry research and learning skills they didnt have time for while working. A gap in work experience shouldnt always be a red flag, especially if the candidate can clearly articulate the cause.CandidatesIf you have a gap in your work history, do your best to explain how you spent your time off. For instance, I work with a lot of candidates who are taking classes and learning new skills while unemployed. I ve also met plenty of people who have spent time traveling and clearing their head before diving back intothe job hunt. Both of those scenarios are totally acceptable.So when applying and interviewing, you just have to showcase what you did, where you went, and most importantly, what you learned. Its about communicating why you made those choices.Recruiters My advice here is simple- ask about the gap. If a candidate looks promising, but its been a few months since they were last employed, ask what they were doing. They might have been traveling, adding new skills to their repertoire, or even taking care of a family member. Youll never know unless you ask.3 Unwillingness To Settle For A JobMany candidates use their savings to sustain them while they look for something new. Theyve made the decision that their next job needs to be a sustainable, long-term fit, and they arent willing to take the first opportunity that comes their way.Theyre not unemployed because theyre unqualified. The yre unemployed because theyre refusing to settle.CandidatesIf youre being proactive and thoughtful about your job search, explain that. When you message recruiters, tell them how you came across the company, why youre interested, and what youve been doing during your time off.RecruitersUnderstand that times are changing and people are more careful when it comes to choosing a job. An amazing candidate may have given themselves six months to find a new job, and theyre being picky because they know how important this decision is to their career.There are many reasons a candidate might be unemployed that have nothing to do with qualifications. It might be easier to pass over unemployed applicants, but in doing so, recruiters are also passing over some incredibly motivated and qualified candidates.By focusing on the outcome and being more thoughtful in communication, both parties can identify strong role fits in their search.This article first appeared on Minutes.

Will Inbox infinity be the new email trend for this year

Will Inbox infinity be the new email trend for this yearWill Inbox infinity be the new email trend for this yearFor more than a decade, many of us who get overwhelmed by clutter have aimed for that perfect moment wzu siche, by some miracle, our email inboxes have zero unread messages. Spoiler alert For most of us, that moment will never come, and if it does, it wont last long.As were flooded with emails, it feels impossible to glance over all of their subject lines - much less read their text and take the time to reply. In this environment, where people across the world are the recipients and senders of literally hundreds of billions of emails each day, a journalist at The Atlantic has pioneered a new mindset toward the correspondence tool.When technology reporter Taylor Lorenz got back to her office after Christmas, she had 2,700 emails waiting for her. That welches a paltry sum compared to some of the people she recently interviewed, who said their inboxes had accumulated tens or hundreds of thousands of unread messages.A seemingly dedicated adherent to the principle of Inbox Zero, where people aim to clear out their entire inboxes to keep everything clean and organized, Lorenz spent seven hours one day looking through these leftover emails from December. The next morning, she had 400 fresh messages. And it seems that thats what drove her to a crossroads.In 2019, I suggest you let it all go, Lorenz wrote. There is simply no way for anyone with a full-time job and multiple inboxes to keep up with the current email climate. With this wave of clarity, Lorenz created her new outlook Inbox infinity. The movement requires explicit recognition that you, as a busy worker, cannot answer everyones emails all the time.Adopting inbox infinity means accepting the fact that there will be an endless, growing amount of email in your inbox every day, most of which you will never address or even see, Lorenz wrote. Its about letting email messages wash over you, responding to the ones you can, but ignoring most.The new approach to email seems to resound with people. Only a few days after Lorenz published her essay, inbox infinity is being touted by all kinds of news sources as the email hack for 2019.But the method also has clear pitfalls. What about all of those people you email often? Friends and family, or even work colleagues who need to be able to get ahold of you?Lorenz has a solution for that, too.One critical step in the inbox-infinity method is to publicly admit that you have too much email to handle and be up front about not responding, she wrote. You can start by messaging close contacts and family members, providing them with alternative ways to reach you.She continued, A friendly message to relatives might say, Hi, Im overwhelmed with email these days. Id still love to hear from you, but if you want to reach me, Id much prefer a call on the phone. My number is X. In some cases, an out-of-office autoresponder may be the way to go, even if you re at your desk and working. If you tell people youre spending less time on email and focusing on other parts of your work, they can know why you may not respond right away and appreciate it when you do.Could this be the miracle weve all been hoping for? Will the whole world start playing fast and loose with email, unapologetically letting messages slip through the cracks? Probably not - Lorenz even admitted that quitting email led to a missed opportunity for her. Plus, those of us attached to Inbox Zero are pretty used to decluttering, so its unlikely that well be able to let go of the tremendous amount of anxiety 100 unread emails causes us just because it might be the in vogue thing to do.But Lorenzs newly minted philosophy at least acknowledges a huge problem that we have Too much zugreifbar correspondence, and no time to deal with it all. Now that we recognize theres something wrong in our offices, maybe well be able to fix it. Because the truth is, no one likes cleaning out a n inbox for seven hours just to feel on top of things. And at the end of the day, no one should have to if its not the right form of communication for them.

Prepare Properly for Your Performance Review

Prepare Properly for Your Performance ReviewPrepare Properly for Your Performance ReviewPrepare Properly for Your Performance ReviewMost of us are familiar with the performance review, a typically annual process in which you get together with your anfhrer to review your accomplishments and shortcomings from the past year, and set goals for the coming year. In many cases, the review ends at that climactic moment when the anfhrer tells you (cue the trumpets) your raise or lack of one.If the review process is done right, it can provide you with insight into your strengths and weaknesses, other roles you could play, and whether you think you should stay with the employer or launch a job search.Perhaps just as important as the bosss approval and a boost in your paycheck, the performance review can also be an effective career management tool. Thats increasingly critical in todays insecure employment atmosphere, which is forcing many to change jobs more often to achieve their career goals.F or many, that annual sit-down with the boss will come near the end of the year, before companies close the financial books on 2009 and open new ones for 2010. But no matter when your review occurs, here are seven questions you should ask yourself before you meet with your bossHow did I contribute to my employers success this year?Did I help them save money? Make money? Make a process easier?Did I help someone do their job better by sharing my help and expertise?Did I take on new challenges that were critical for the company?Is what Im doing right now making me more valuable to the company?Is this a job I want to keep for a while? Or can I use it to take on something more challenging, either with this company or with another?Do I feel a sense of accomplishment most days?You can take a proactive approach to answering these questions by documenting your accomplishments as they happen in a career journal or brag sheet. This can come in handy if your employers performance-review process requires you to fill out a self-evaluation and submit it to your boss beforehand. Its also a great resource you can refer to when its time to update your resume.Use your bosss version of the review to validate your own assessment of how youre doing, then supplement it with the good things your boss cites that you may have overlooked. For instance, if you mentored a new colleague and didnt know until your review that it saved your boss time that would have been spent helping that person, you have a new entry for your journal or brag sheet.That also comes in handy as an addition to your resume when you feel its time to move on to something else. The bottom line is to treat the performance review as both a report card on the past year and a career management guide for the year ahead and beyond.