5 Strategies for Surviving the 'New Normal' Job Market

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You and your colleagues sound like the slimiest "team" I have ever heard about.
I hope you made this up, otherwise I fear for your future. Someone slimier than you is bound to come along and crucify you.

raqueltio of IL 10:35PM November 27, 2010

Sounds like a real solid management team and done with such integrity - good luck!

yellowpress of NJ 11:49PM November 16, 2010

I made a drastic mistake by hiring a guy to my team without consulting my best friend Stephen while he was on a business trip to China. I also hired another friend named Wendy to the same department who was in the job market after getting laid off from another company in town. I learnt many things about the guy I hired from Wendy. After Stephen returned to town I had a private meeting with Stephen and Wendy to find information about the guy I mistakenly hired. After speaking with Stephen and Wendy I realized that I made a mistake by hiring a wrong individual to my team as he did not fit. We tried to convince the guy to leave the company but he never received the message. Then we created an atmosphere for the guy to feel that he does not fit in to our company and forced him out. That worked out for the Dumb Ass to leave my group, but not the company. After leaving my group the Dumb Ass stayed in another group. We still did not like that Dumb Ass as he did not fit to our company. Since I am a fighter, I decided to step in and convince the management to get rid of him once in for all. We planned and fed wrong information to the department’s governing body and the human resources to force the Dumb Ass out of the company tangling him on false charges. The guy was harassed few times by everybody in the management. Management was careful when they were kicking him out. Management created false documents and retained them in his personnel file to justify the guy’s termination. I cannot believe that this strategy to get rid of a guy that I mistakenly hired was really worked but at the end I won.
Roberta Santos-Constantino
Director Casino Solutions
LVSC Information Technology
One Team - Global

Roberta Santos-Constantino of NV 5:23PM September 27, 2010

Given the structural changes in the global economy, the "new normal" will probably last much longer than "the next few years".
I have a few thoughts about this advice, beyond the broad fact that there are not enough jobs for people who need them:
I think the longer interview process changes the rules in both directions. In the past, if I had applications in progress with more than one company, an offer from one company and a pending decision from another, I would ask the company extending the offer for a short time to allow the other company to complete its process. Now, if the first offer looks good and I would have to wait too long for the second decision, I would accept the first offer and bow out from the second process (without burning bridges).
The advice to "put your suggestions in an email so you are sure to get credit for them" is not always the way to go. Back and forth discussion in person (maybe with PowerPoint) is often more effective than presenting an idea via email. Have the discussion in a group meeting, if appropriate, so people can hear your idea and give you credit for it.
Regarding the statement that it would "really odd" if references were not available, the current reality is that many companies have policies prohibiting employment references (for fear of a lawsuit for an unfavorable reference). This restriction can be difficult to work around. Some large employers will not even confirm dates of employment.
@ Nick - Being interviewed by prospective subordinates can be a booby trap, or it can be a valuable part of a 360 degree evaluation. If this interview is balanced with interviews with prospective peers and higher-ups, it can give a company a clearer picture of a candidate's worth. It also gives you a better chance to consider whether you really want to work with this group of people. But the hands-off approach of upper management that you describe is not a good sign - it could set you up as a scapegoat if things go wrong. Ideally, I would look for effective communication at all levels of the organization.

Ross of MD 3:22PM September 01, 2010

I am a senior level (200K+)executive who has been in the job market or a year. The good news is that I have according to other seekers had a lot of interviews( so at least I am getting interviews). The bad news that I am typically meeting with eight to 12 people and then waiting for months to get an answer. One employer had the audacity to ding me via email after twelve interviews on one day!!
I am EXHAUSTED at this point and this week just decided to take a break to enjoy the holiday. To top it all off, my references are stellar refereces, all at the C-level.
I am trying ot remain optimistic as it does feel like I am getting closer but this is frustrating.

Linda Mitchell of MD 8:40AM September 01, 2010

That's all well and good, but interviewing takes time and has a harsh opportunity cost. It can be a complex game to try and balance honesty about being in a job search with keeping short-term / part-time consulting clients on the hook.
The truth is the companies ARE giving us the runaround, it doesn't matter if I accept that I probably would as well. If it might take until next year to find a job, why sweat desperation all this year?
I think industries are losing some of their top talent to exhaustion. Once you leave senior-level folks to flap in the wind unemployed - god forbid anyone would let us even interview for a non-senior position in hopes of growth - we start thinking about alternatives to traditional work.
I've interviewed with at least 20 companies looking for senior level talent that I know just completely changed their strategy. It feels like we're coming in and modeling clothes or something.
The worst is to interview with eight people who would be your junior if you accepted the job, and having the decision be largely up to them. Fact is the most experienced folks are typically brought in specifically to turn things around and letting the juniormonkeys object because they feel threatened - as they should - just makes us feel like our skills and experience won't be applied, and that hiring managers care more about sugar-coating the world for their incumbent staff than reaching success with their business.
Don't even get me started on the "this job is basically an amusement park" lie. ;)
I know I'm not alone.

Nick Bourbaki of CA 10:51PM August 26, 2010