We just concluded a survey here on TheCanned.com about job seeker priorities. As you might expect, the priorities reflect the times.
If I had asked the average job seeker what he was looking for two years ago, I bet the top answer would have been either more money or more prestige. These days, prestige has fallen off the map. Only 3 percent of our 275 respondents listed “prestige” as the most important factor in their job search. A cool-headed 15 percent said professional development which, given the times, is perhaps the best tactical move.
Ringing in at No. 1 with a 15 percent margin of victory: stability. Coupled with 22 percent of the voting pool who said I’ll take anything!, this survey paints a desperate picture.
But what does it mean to chase a “stable” job in such unstable times? Aside from working for the federal government, stability is tough to pin down. The Treasury is hiring, and I’d label that department stable. From there on out it gets murky. Perhaps, after all, the best indication of a company’s stability is whether or not they are continuing to hire. If this is true, it is redundant for jobseekers to chase stability.
Instead, try thinking two moves in advance. Of course paying your bills comes first. But after that, try looking for positions that will set you up for future career growth. You’re probably not going to get rich during the next year. But given the opportunity to develop professionally, you can be first in queue when the market picks up.
Compensation and prestige still matter; they just matter as a potentiality rather than as an immediate reality.
