The Great Divide

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There is so much talk about layoffs and Unemployment is at nearly 10% but what many do not realize is that there are still jobs out there. While many of these jobs are jobs that people do not want or are “overqualified for”, many jobs are still for the taking. Or at least that is the perception which also might not be the only true reality.

What job seekers do not realize is that there are STILL good paying jobs that require specific, important and specialized skill sets. Many employers are still actively hiring and they have good higher level opportunities that offer advancement, career growth and success without taking 4 steps backwards. They are just having difficulty in finding the right talent. Yup that’s right. With all the unemployment, many employers still cannot find qualified candidates for their open needs.

There are fundamental flaws in the hiring process and as the marketplace continues to evolve in our current world the divide will become larger. Qualified Job Seekers and Companies looking to hire cannot seem to find each other. Employers get leveled with everyone who thinks they qualified for opportunities but truthfully do not possess the skills for these open opportunities.

The cold hard reality is that as the employment marketplace changes there is going to be a larger gap between the lower level service jobs (Walmart, McDonalds, etc.) and the highly specialized and tough to get traditional corporate or “white collar” jobs. The leap will become greater and the divide grows bigger with each passing day.

So the obvious question begs to ask, what can we do to make a match? The answer is increase communication and get every job seeker to take a collective deep breathe and not just respond to every job they “think” they are qualified for, but actually be qualified for them!! How novel? If you are searching for a job you know what I am talking about. We all need to be honest instead of desperate to land employment. Most job seekers fall into the mind set of “I can do the job” rather then “I have the skills and abilities and may have done the job in the past”. They are completely different sides of the spectrum.
In this current world we live in, employers do not have time to “give someone a chance”, there is just too much at stake and everything is watched with great attention. It stinks but it is reality. We need to position ourselves for opportunities that we have done and can do with our given skill set rather then shooting for the stars!!! There are opportunities out there for all of us it is just that we need to go after the jobs we have done rather then those we think we can do.

Check out the article that prompted all of this dialogue

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,559961,00.html