Category Archives: unemployment

Bifurcation

by Motivation, Politics, Success, Uncategorized, unemployment •

Bifurcation is one of those excellent words reserved for crosswords and serious conferences. It was being used yesterday to describe a rather depressing phenomenon that will affect millions of people. I was at the Employment Related Services Association annual conference and labour market trends were being discussed. Bifurcation was being used to describe the way the employment market is splitting into well paid and highly skilled jobs and low paid unskilled ones, with the middle being squeezed. Technology and globalisation mean that many of these ‘middle’ roles are disappearing and those that cannot obtain the highly skilled jobs face unemployment or jobs they do not want.

This is a concern for the affected individuals as well as a problem for our country and unfortunately there are no easy answers. Going from unskilled to skilled is not a swift and simple journey and meanwhile our knowledge employers are struggling to find the people they need. The wider the gap between the haves and have nots the more unpleasant society becomes. There are thousands of families for whom the choice is unemployment or low paid work and the forthcoming changes to the benefits system will increasingly make life without work more challenging. I firmly believe that it is better to have a job with the structure and self-respect that this brings however for many the types of job available to them will not make for fulfilling employment.

I don’t believe there are solutions to the bifurcation. The Luddites demonstrated the futility of taking on technology and markets. However go to any UK town and there will be a college offering free training. Meanwhile the quantity and range of online training is vast.

It is easy to stigmatise the unemployed and there are certainly many who abuse the system or make no effort to help themselves. However I believe the majority simply meandered through education and early adult decisions and then found themselves in a position where options were few and employment choices bleak. I don’t want to trivialise the challenges of up-skilling or being different in a community where unemployment is the norm, however the more I think about it the more the solution is with the individual and not society. Government can enable however each person has to make his or her own choice as to what discomfort will be endured in order to bring about personal change or change for one’s children.

Transferring responsibility

by unemployment, Work Programme •

There is a much quoted proverb: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”  I have been increasingly reminded of this as I have spent more time in the welfare to work sector.  There are numerous organisations that provide help to the unemployed.  They typically employ advisors who sit with jobseekers and whose responsibility it is to get as many of the people they are working with into a job.  As I have learnt more about this sector it has become worryingly clear that there is a problem.  Advisors assume that they need to do all the work for the jobseeker and the jobseeker simply falls into line with this way of operating.  This means that advisors decide what jobs their customers can do, write their CV, find relevant vacancies and then make applications on behalf of the jobseeker.  To a large extent, if the advisor does not do it, it does not get done.

On a very practical level, reduced government spending on assistance programmes means that this operating model cannot continue.  In previous years there was sufficient funding however nowadays the amount of money available is less than the cost of giving the help.  If providers cannot find a less resource hungry delivery model they will go out of business.

However I think the problem is more serious than that.  We all need to engage with the challenges and opportunities we have in our lives.  Jobseekers who don’t take responsibility for their job search are unlikely to commit to any job they do find themselves in.  Without this commitment the chances of long term successful employment are inevitably reduced.  The vicious circle of unemployment and unemployability kicks in and their brief period in work becomes simply an expensive interlude.

I don’t want to trivialise the challenges for individuals who are long term unemployed.  Finding work is hard and those jobs that are offered aren’t exactly the most appealing.  However having a job is far more likely to be a stepping stone to something better and the sense of purpose and value that employment brings are in themselves life-transforming.

My colleagues and I at MyWorkSearch have been evangelising about using technology to enable jobseekers to more actively participate in their search for work.  In many respects our message to providers has been about saving costs and efficiency.  These arguments certainly work as having unemployed jobseekers put some hours into their own job-search is a pragmatic solution to insufficient advisor availability.  But the more I think about it the more it is clear to me that having jobseekers search for their new role is also good for the individual.  Long term unemployment in a welfare society such as the UK breeds a culture of dependency.  The search for work is an important step on the journey of self-sufficiency and personal responsibility.

Year 3

2
by Business, Entrepreneurship, Strategy, unemployment •

We are just signing off our second full year of accounts and this brings home to me that MyWorkSearch is not quite the startup I consider it to be.  Indeed to be totally accurate the company is now 27 months old.  The business has gone from an idly discussed idea to fully formed business with a wholly functional technology product, numerous awards, management structure and processes, employees, customers and multi-million sales.  I still have my original business plan and whilst our core proposition remains the same it is amusing how wrong I was about so many aspects of who we would sell to, how and at what price.  On the one hand I can take pride in our ability to adapt to the market and opportunities, however I also have to recognise that a considerable sum of money was speculated on a venture that turned out very differently from the forecasts that underpinned the investment decision.  I don’t think that this is inherently bad, however it is important to recall this lest hubris sets in.

We now face our next set of challenges.  When we started we were pioneers in suggesting that the labour intensive process of (re-)employment transition assistance could instead be delivered using technology.  The prevailing wisdom was that our type of service could at most be a support resource to the assistance provided by a consultant.  We were not calling into question the value that a consultant could bring.  We just observed that in many cases there simply was not the funding to provide help in this way and that an effective alternative was necessary.  We thought it could be done through smart technology and decided to invest our time and money in making this happen.  Now that we have proven it is possible and become successful we have competition.  In many ways this is a good thing.  With very few exceptions, the absence of competition indicates the absence of a market.  Also, having competitors keeps us on our toes and ensures we do not assume our current market leadership is an entitlement.

So where to next?  We have made good progress with our employer proposition. Each week new organisations subscribe to our services and we are winning repeat business, demonstrating customer satisfaction.  We are partnering with an expanding number of organisations and it is clear that so long as we don’t do anything daft we will continue to develop our market presence.  Our government work is also progressing well.  This summer, in the UK, the Department for Work & Pensions starts the Work Programme.  Many hundreds of thousands of people per year will be assisted first into employment and then helped remain in work.  Delivery is sub-contracted via regional ‘Prime Contractors’ and with funding tight and the numbers requiring assistance high, technology solutions are one of the few methods of making the Work Programme viable.  This presents us with a huge opportunity and this week we launched our Work Programme mini-site at www.myworksearch.co.uk/wp.

Working with those whose employment challenges are more severe has allowed us the opportunity to once again embark upon intensive product development and stretch ourselves as we consider how to meet the needs of this client group.  We started work last year on our Nudge Engine® - functionality throughout our site to examine a person’s progress with MyWorkSearch and make personalised, useful suggestions – and have significantly expanded this for the Work Programme.  Our head of research, an occupational psychologist, has created a number of transferable skills questionnaires that can elicit what a person has the potential to do and then MyWorkSearch takes this data and helps both author a CV that presents the client’s capability in the best way and also finds relevant vacancies.  Other innovations include sophisticated activity management with jobseeker performance reporting provided to the Work Programme advisor helping the client, integrated chat to provide jobseekers with help when they need it and user journeys that can be customised and locked-down.  We created a table of MyWorkSearch features and were pleasantly surprised when we reviewed just how much we had developed.  At the very least we expect to positively impact upon the lives of many thousands of people who are struggling with the difficulties of extended unemployment.  However if our approach proves successful with those whose employment problems are more severe it is quite possible that we will have a transformative effect upon the welfare to work sector.

So we may no longer be a baby startup – but it certainly doesn’t feel like we are coasting or can rest on our laurels!

Common sense and practical help

by career management, Jobcentre Plus, Politics, unemployment •

MyWorkSearch is a commercial organisation and without revenue we cannot continue to operate.  We know that our service helps people back into work however we unfortunately need to charge for usage.  For the past eighteen months thousands of job seekers have been provided with MyWorkSearch by Jobcentre Plus with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) paying us.  Our research reveals that over 60% of those enrolled secure new jobs within three months and the average time is 62 days.  Thus the government has in return for its payment helped a person to come off benefits and return to being a tax-payer.

This publicly funded provision has now come to an end and it is ironic that it has done so at a time when the DWP publishes a research report “Job Search Study: Literature review and analysis of the Labour Force Survey” which looks at the characteristics of job search and what works.  This 118 page document provides a wealth of statistics and observations, however it was four of them that really stood out for me.  None of them are a huge surprise however it is easy to lose sight of their importance.

The first is the authors’ observation that: “The majority of theoretical and empirical studies of job search date from a time either before the rise of the Internet or when its use for job search was less developed and widespread”.  The second is that between April and June 2009 over 80% of job seekers used the Internet to look for work.  In other words, the majority of ‘industry experts’, advisers, civil servants and ministers learnt their skills, developed methodologies and formed their opinions at a time when offline job search predominated.  Yet nowadays, across all demographics, online is the most likely activity with the bulk of adoption in the past several years.  Indeed given the growth of online that was being observed quarter by quarter leading up to this research, 2 year old 2009 data materially underestimates current usage.

The third area that was commented on was a person’s social network.  Across a broad spectrum of roles an extremely good source of employment is an individual’s contacts.  When an organisation is hiring it is often those connected with the vacancy who are best placed to know of the opportunity and suggest a potential recruit.  So individuals with a wide network of people who are positively disposed to them and who communicate their availability are far more likely to receive a timely and warm introduction to prospective employers.  Equally, those without networks or those whose network comprises fellow unemployed, are less likely to hear of and be recommended for opportunities.  Social networks can be local and personal, such as former colleagues, fellow school parents or neighbours.  They can also be online via the many network sites that exist.

The final area is self-efficacy.  People with self-belief in their own qualities and their likelihood to secure a job are far more likely to obtain employment.  This self-fulfilling positive approach is clearly harder to maintain the longer a job search takes or when a person comes from a community where unemployment is the norm.

All of the above pre-supposes the desire to find a job and this in itself cannot be taken for granted.  It also assumes possession of minimum skills to make the person employable.

There are not enough jobs out there for every person who needs one.  But there are jobs for many people who don’t have one and are looking for one.  Reading through this report confirms my knowledge that we are doing the right thing with MyworkSearch; it also frustrates the hell out of me that an obvious, inexpensive and effective service is being cut at a time when it is very much needed.

MyWorkSearch will continue to prosper with our other contracts and I am optimistic about the future.  However I do wish we could find a way to offer the service to every newly unemployed job seeker.  Hopefully some senior policy makers will read this DWP research report!

MP-45

1
by career management, Election, Outplacement, Politics, unemployment •

Every day at MyWorkSearch we help thousands of people with their career choices.  Whilst this is a serious business that fundamentally affects people’s lives there are occasions when we look at the light-hearted side of our profession.  So on a quiet Friday afternoon and with the media dominated by the election, the MyWorkSearch team started thinking about what careers politicians could try should they not be an MP on May 7th.

The Prime Minister would be a perfect Community Diversity Officer, having successfully placated Gillian Duffy, the pensioner he branded a ‘bigot’ earlier in the week, whilst David Cameron, with his liking for (public sector) cuts and love of the outdoors would make an ideal butcher. Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, who likes putting a spanner in the works, is recommended to try his hand at plumbing should things not work out for him next Thursday. We also felt that the original ‘Blair Babe’, Jacqui Smith, would make an ideal Ann Summer’s party organiser, George Osborne an estate agent and Vince Cable, used to playing second fiddle, would be an ideal second-hand car salesman. Perhaps unsurprisingly, BNP leader Nick Griffin, who is used to being abused in public, would make a perfect traffic warden should he not be elected to parliament.

Having searched though 12 politicians’ profiles, our full list of recommendations is as follows:

POLITICIAN & CONSTITUENCY SKILLS,EXPERIENCE, PERSONALITY IDEAL JOB

Gordon Brown, Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath

 Likes meeting members of the public, not afraid to express his views,  champion of minorities (especially Eastern Europeans) Community Diversity Officer

David Cameron, Witney

 Member of the ‘Bullingdon’ club, likes making cuts, enjoys running outdoors, wants to ‘beef up’ national security Organic butcher
Nick Clegg, Sheffield Hallam ‘Man of the people’, likes putting a spanner in the works Plumber
Jacqui Smith, Redditch Original ‘Blair Babe’, knowledge of education, detention and sex laws, husband enjoys adult films Anne Summers Party Organiser
Vince Cable, Twickenham Experienced orator, good with numbers, used to playing second fiddle Second-hand car salesman
George Osborne, Tatton Used to making predictions on the economy, intricate knowledge of mortgages having been investigated over his repayments by the PSC Estate Agent
John Prescott, Hull East (Standing down in 2010) Likes fast cars, knowledge of self-defence, experience of being a deputy Police Chief
David Miliband, South Shields Expert in foreign etiquette, known for charm, used to waiting (in line to become next Labour leader) Concierge

William Hague, Richmond (Yorks)

Known for comic wit during PMQs, experience of TV presenting, preceded David Cameron, boasts 14 pint minimum

 Warm-up comedian
Ed Balls, Morley and Outwood Reputed for being aggressive & ambitious with a treasury background. Once called the ‘most powerful unelected person in Britain’ as a civil servant Bailiff

Lembit Opik, Montgomeryshire

Rated most liberal MP in parliament, known for liking twosomes

Erotic fiction writer
Nick Griffin, Barking Cambridge graduate with good writing skills, likes uniforms, used to daily abuse from the public Traffic Warden

Just because you’re out of a job doesn’t mean you don’t have skills that can be employed usefully elsewhere. Our list of alternative jobs for MP’s demonstrates this and we hope that come May 7th, if any of these MP’s do need further career advice then MyWorkSearch can help them in this search.

Have a great bank holiday and normal serious service resumes on Tuesday!

Richard

Hiring

3
by recruitment, unemployment •

I am currently hiring for a few positions and it reinforces my conviction that MyWorkSearch and MyNewJob.me are essential offerings as many candidates just don’t understand what they are doing wrong and why their applications fail.

When I was last hiring, just over a year ago, we had to use recruitment agencies as we could not get many candidates from our advertisements.  Now, from relatively little online advertising, we have been inundated with applications.  Many of the candidates were until recently earning more than we are offering and they are clearly very keen to quickly secure a new job.

I have had to sift the CVs and in doing this some could quickly be rejected.  They did not sell themselves well, they had spelling mistakes in their CV, or they had not attempted to explain why they would be a great hire.  A couple of years ago this would not have mattered so much.  Now, however, I was comparing them to a far stronger pool of candidates and eliminating these weaker applications was a fast and easy decision.

Another characteristic that stood out was the industry sector that the applicant had previously worked in.  High on the list were publishing, building services/property and financial services.  Some very capable individuals are now unemployed simply because their sector has been hammered and despite their talents they are finding it very hard to secure a new role.

In this market there really is no point applying for a job unless one makes the effort to present well and clearly demonstrate suitability for the specific role.  Fail to do this and rejection is inevitable.  Get it right and one has merely progressed to the lottery stage where luck will determine which of the amply qualified candidates secures the position.

I do hope for all our sakes that more jobs will be created.  Meanwhile I advise all job-seekers to:

  • Consider extremely carefully what you send out and ensure that there are no silly mistakes;
  • Treat each application seriously and put effort into demonstrating your suitability;
  • Remember it is a numbers game and maintain a high application rate.

All the best

Richard

The 25th!

1
by career management, recruitment, unemployment •

Our developers assure me that we will be ready to launch on the 25th. In some ways our site reminds me of a house being redecorated. As one approaches the completion date it looks an awful mess with loose ends and unfinished items all over the place. However as the clock counts down each item is dealt with and suddenly one is presented with all that had been planned for. So I hope it will be with our site!

We have now put up a holding page at http://www.myworksearch.co.uk/ and there is a video that explains our offering. Later this week, once we can start taking subscribers, our complete marketing site will go live. Given the time, energy, passion – and money – we have put into this it is very exciting.

The last few days have seen emails fly around the team as we debate the subtler nuances of our marketing website. I do wonder whether anyone will ever read it with the same eye for detail as we have. On the other hand there is the risk that our familiarity with its content means that we miss some howler of an error that will be obvious to everyone but us.

Myworksearch.co.uk and Mynewjob.me are the culmination of months of long days and creative energy. For the team it has been an all-consuming endeavour. However we must not lose sight of the very real problems that led us to create the sites. Unemployment in the UK is now at its highest level since November 1996 and is expected to continue rising, with over 3m likely in 2010. As The Times recently put it, “Applying for work has become a full-time job in itself.” Competition for jobs is now so fierce that almost 400 people are responding to every job centre advert for some occupations.

But there are jobs out there and the solutions we have created will help many thousands of people find vacancies, effectively apply for them and return to work far sooner than they otherwise would. This will make a huge difference to households up a down the country and provides a tremendous motivation to the team.

All the best

Richard