"The present moment is the only moment available to us, and it is the door to all moments." - Thich Nhat Hanh
In the movie
Sliding Doors, Gwyneth Paltrow lives two different timelines - one where she makes it through the sliding doors onto the subway, and one where she just misses the train. On both journeys, she finds hardships and rewarding experiences on her way to discovering the outcomes.
...opportunities can open and close for a hundred reasons...
Job opportunities are a lot like subway doors. Companies are in a constant state of change, and opportunities can open and close for a hundred reasons -- all a byproduct of organizations going about their daily business.
When train after train is "missed", it can be tempting for job hunters to get discouraged. Having done the hard work of narrowing down long lists of job opportunities to the most promising leads, showcasing skillsets in the most flattering light on resumes and cover letters, and enduring long days of intensive interviews in uncomfortable shoes, candidates can find polite we'll-keep-your-resume-on-file or we-decided-to-go-another-direction letters (or loud silences) to be hard not to take personally.
The truth is that nine times out of ten, job opportunities dry up because of external and internal factors unrelated to the specific job candidate. Here are ten of the most common reasons for not hearing, "You've got the job!"
Reason #1: Economic Conditions - In a recession, most companies have to stretch dollars and employees even more thinly in order to stay afloat. Jobs in most industries are more likely to disappear with the sound of the stock market closing bell. For job hunters seeking stability, one strategy is to look for positions that are "mission critical" -- for example, operations-related positions that are needed by companies in any industry, such as those in accounting, facilities, customer service, internal information technology and production / manufacturing.
Reason #2: The Market - Individual markets have their own trends. For example, nurses and allied healthcare workers are and will be in high demand as a huge population of baby boomers age, while the furniture and home construction industries are faltering due to huge changes in real estate values, and the technology market has been saturated with qualified candidates since the bust in the early 2000s.
Job seekers can provide stability for themselves in spite of these trends by developing skills that extend into different industries. For example, a website developer can expand into Web design, writing online content, usability testing or Internet marketing to make themselves more valuable in multiple markets. Read Creating Career Stability: Choosing Complementary Career Paths
Reason #3: The Company - Sometimes jobs vanish with the blink of a CEO's eye. High-level initiatives and organizational planning that require a major change in direction can bring all the gears to a grinding halt. Or the brakes may be applied in a hurry -- a company-wide hiring freeze may be put into place to prevent financial difficulties, or layoffs may be imminent. It's hard to avoid being a casualty of these lightning bolts out of nowhere, so the best strategy is to have a Plan B and keep seeking opportunities even though one job may look like it's locked in.
Reason #4: The Opportunity - Different kinds of positions have longer survival rates than others. For example, professionals in marketing, training, recruiting and website development are more likely to be laid off because their roles can
Different kinds of positions have longer survival rates than others.
be outsourced to an outside service provider relatively easily. Newly-created roles in a company are more likely to go away as they are tested out and redefined. Additional staff members who occupy similar roles may be hired to handle an influx of new business, which can go away as quickly as it arrives. As work load fluctuates within an individual department or role, positions may be combined to create one role with broader responsibilities. Managers in desperate need for immediate help may choose less carefully in order to keep things moving. Job seekers can prevent unpleasant surprises by asking smart questions in the interview process - for example, "How long has the position existed?", "What is the turnover rate in the department?", "Do major fluctuations in workload occur within the department in a given year?", or "Do you anticipate major changes in the department in the next year or two?"
Reason #5: Politics - Most companies have small wars going on between departments for resources. Any position in a department can be under scrutiny by others (especially by corporate controllers during budget review time) asking tough questions like "Is it still necessary to have this position?", "Does the job description need to be revised?", "Should the role report to a different department / manager?", "Is the salary compensation appropriate?", and "How much value does this role bring to the company as a whole?"
Or, if leaders disagree on whether a specific candidate should be hired, it may be easier to turn him or her away than face internal battles. Savvy job seekers keep their eyes and ears open during the interview process, looking for red flags that indicate a territorial dispute - especially if the position is a new one to the organization or adding another person who does similar work to others on a team.
Reason #6: The Competition - In many cases, a job seeker is competing with other candidates (sometimes many others) who are similarly qualified and just as eager to start. The best strategy in this situation is to stand out as a good match. Read An Effective Resume Fits Like a Good Suit
In addition to candidates that are applying from outside companies for positions, there are internal candidates who are already employees. An advertised position may be posted due to policy requirements, but in actuality a current employee may already be preferred. External job seekers can prevent disappointments due to these internal factors by looking for jobs in places where legitimately available positions are more likely to be listed. For example, some employers that have open positions are required by the government to submit them to One Stop employment centers for Americans on unemployment. These jobs must be valid in order for One Stop staff to assist unemployed workers in finding jobs, and can be searched online at BAYT.COM
Reason #7: The Team - Other members of the team may resent a newly-defined role, or additional staff if workload tends to be "feast or famine". They may leave or get promoted, creating opportunities to rearrange the department. And they can also propose changes to way things are done that can combine or eliminate positions. Therefore, there may be pressure on the manager of the department who has an open position to close it. Job seekers can help prevent walking into a mess like this by asking the questions listed in Reason #5.
Reason #8: Timing - A receptionist handling phone calls in a busy office knows well that human behavior is predictably inconsistent. He or she may sit for 20 minutes without one call, and then be slammed with ten calls in a row, day in and day out. Although some patterns can be identified - such as busy mid-mornings on Mondays and minimal activity between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Fridays - for the most part, there is no beating the randomness. In the same way, resumes of promising candidates can come in here and there, or come in large groups. Job applicants can't control what resumes come in at the same time as theirs, or before or after. What they can control is how powerful of a selling tool they make their resume.
Reason #9: The Match - Even if all of the above eight reasons fall into place beautifully, a job seeker may still not be a good match for a position. A candidate's background may be different than where the department is headed. He or
When a real opportunity is available, it all comes down to finding the right match.
she may appear to be so qualified as to be threatening to the manager, or less qualified than other members of the team but asking for the same amount of money. Or the manager may just get a feeling from reading a resume or cover letter that the person wouldn't be a good fit personality-wise with the team. Smart job hunters appreciate managers who are careful to select the right match for their team to help ensure the success of everyone involved.
Reason #10: Making an Unfavorable Impression - As was said at the beginning of this list, nine times out of ten job opportunities dry up because of factors unrelated to specific job candidates. There are some opportunities that go away because the candidate said something in an interview or presented something in a cover letter or email that was a red flag to a potential employer. Sometimes these are unfortunate mistakes, while other times they are important clues that help managers realize the match wouldn't be right -- in the same way that a representative of a potential employer might say or do something that is a red flag to a candidate. But no matter what, these closing doors will eventually be replaced by the next train with another opportunity.