Extreme job-hunting

The Wall Street Journal recently ran a piece on 'extreme job-hunting'. 
 
Not surprised.  It is becoming harder than ever to stand out in the crowd.  Resumes have turned out to become a petridish for the word-smith.  The more one tries to differentiate oneself, the more it turns out to look bloated or confusing.

No wonder that people revert to extreme job hunting methods.  However, handing out resumes at busy street corners, pasting copies in cabs, or walking around with a sandwich board is not for everyone.

So, let us Ikembu shall we?  And shift the focus from extreme job hunting to efficient matching of opportunities and outcomes.

Career advancers vs. changers vs. career entrants

While any job market has a mix of advancers, changers and entrants; why don't we take a more proactive approach towards catering to the unique needs of each segment?  I am particularly struck by the lack of serious differentiation in market solutions for these three categories of opportunity seekers.  Obviously the body of the resume could look very different, but how about making it easier to know what someone's goal is beforehand?  That would make it pretty simple, eh?  Nothing wrong with that.

So, lets Ikembu, shall we?

Best time to "look" for a job

So, when's the best time to look for a job?  Most experts suggest ... when you already have one.  But, how are you going to do that in the day of social media overload?  Digital footprints we leave behind can easily be tracked by co-workers and immediate management.  Right?  No wonder most people lose out on opportunities to look for the next neat gig whilst they are already in one.  It's time to fix that problem.

So, lets Ikembu!

Redefining job "search"

Why do we focus so much on "searching" for jobs?  Decades after we could put man on the moon with the precision of a rocket scientist, it does not require a brain surgeon to figure out that the current way of "searching" for jobs just does not cut it.  OK, so that's two cliched references in one sentence - 'rocket scientist' and 'brain surgeon'.  Sounds like a resume, right?  Well, lets go ahead changing that, shall we?

Lets Ikembu!