I’m home from Washington DC and read through several email messages from unemployed Human Resources professionals. The letters are sad. The profession is changing. Some readers are desperate.
I replied privately to the readers, but I wanted to reiterate that I don’t have special answers on how to find a Human Resources job. I believe in taking your skills and applying for jobs in other professions. Go into health care administration. Become a nurse. Open a charter school and teach kids how to read and write. Claim unemployment, cut your expenses, and go back to school to develop new skills.
I know this much: you are much more than your job. Please don’t forget it.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
@laurie
I hope you don’t mind my shilling a post from HRH here in response to this.
If you are out of work and need some help, or maybe just some inspiration, go read this and follow the links from the post to the additional information.
A friend of mine who I think embodies resilience is profiled in this post, and offers some help – only to those in Phoenix rght now, but she is trying to widen the reach. Take a look at Francine Hardaway and her Blueprint for Survival.
http://humanracehorses.blogspot.com/2009/03/francine-hardaway-blueprint-for.html
I don’t mind at all. This seems to be a recurring theme on my blog and it’s totally heartbreaking to address it. I wish I had more answers, so my goal is to write about it from time to time and hope that others can also offer inspiration. Thanks, Michael, for being the guy.
Touching post, Laurie, well done. If HR people want, they should explore LINKUP.com, where we aggregate ONLY jobs from company websites. In fact, people should put several work descriptions in our search box to find other openings that still fit. As of 10:07 am, there were 15,403 open HR jobs.
See here: http://www.linkup.com/results.php#q=HR
I think people want a quick-fix answer…but there just isn’t one. This sucks. I know some really great, really talented people who are just not finding jobs. It’s not their fault, but it’s hard not to take it personally.
I know a few HR folks who are in various stages of the hiring process for jobs with their state unemployment office. It’s definitely a switch from being on the HR side…but it’s a paycheck, good benefits, and certainly a steady gig for a while.
But yeah, there’s no magic bullet here.
I have been there many times before. To those professionals out there, just remember: It is better to be underemployed for a little while, than completely unemployed.
Collect unemployment, collect your thoughts and get back to the grindstone (any grindstone) until the right opportunity comes along. In my experience finding the right job is more a function of the right timing and having employed friends =)
There are great articles and blogs on how to get a job at this time and encourage people to read it. But now, there are millions of people who are unemployed and there are only a few positions available. You can do the best interview and the best preparation, but two key things play of hiring: Luck and Timing. Those two parts are what’s frustrating job seekers the most.
Here’s some possible good news: AT&T is planning to add 3000 jobs to support its expanding national 3G network this year (http://dayton.bizjournals.com/dayton/stories/2009/03/09/daily30.html).
Unfortunately, they also cut 12,000 jobs in December (http://dayton.bizjournals.com/dayton/stories/2008/12/01/daily25.html). That’s an awful lot of painful belt-tightening, but there could be a need for compassionate HR pros to help old Ma Bell with all her staff additions and reductions.
@Gail I’m happy to encourage people to visit Link Up!
@Kerry The best short-term solution is to cut all unnecessary spending. Easier said than done. You don’t need to work if you don’t have a ton of bills.
@guajardoforesight Let’s all do a little dance for employed friends.
@Tracy Luck & timing are everything in life, aren’t they?
@kentropic Don’t we always go two steps forward and one step back in this economy.
Laurie;
Good post.
HR professionals just have to keep grinding like the many other functional professionals that now find themselves out of work, or working for far less (under-employed).
I sincerely believe that if HR is your passion, stay the course within reason. Professionals are going to have to come out their shells and market what they can do for an organization on a contract, temporary, or consultant basis; it may be uncomfortable, but it is critical to keeping abreast of the profession and finding work.
Also, I have told many HR professionals this: Don’t bang your head against the wall. If you can’t find an HR-related job then look for work closely related and/or look to industries in which you have experience.
Next, if you are an employed or established professional, it helps to look for ways in which you can help a fellow professional or two. Bring them on to one of your assignments or refer them to resources, which may assist in the job search. I agree with you that HR is changing very quickly. If you are not strategic or have very little exposure in other functional areas of business, it’s going to be rough for a while. By staying consistent AND persistent, you can take charge to a large extent your destiny.
One possible response to the letters of hr people facing such challenges is encouraging them to get their letters. While unemployed or underemployed, it may be a great time to get a PHR or SPHR certification. Part of your HR professional status is not what role you are employed in or even if you are employed, but “are” you a HR professional? Certification shows a dedication to the mastery of HR knowledge areas. By preparing in a study group, you can combine networking, supporting and improving your capacity to be ready for your next role.
@George It’s nice to read an optimistic comment. Thank you!
@Thaddeus I agree on the networking part, and I encourage HR professionals to stay current, but my SPHR never gave me access to a job.
I think people don’t like this kind of answers… They want an answer that fix their problem in X days
BTW, Your answer to their letters was great
Hi all – thanks for all the great postings. Like the millions of others, I am unemployed due to the world economic challenge (but a challenge is also an opportunity). My position in HR was eliminated along with 90 other positions. Sometimes when we get to a certain level, we become more vulnerable rather then more secure!
I am considering non-HR jobs as well as HR jobs. In addition, I am taking myself through the dislocated worker program offered in Wisconsin (I’m pretty sure all states have that resource). The program is geared more towards blue collar workers or those who have few if any marketable skills – I have a bachelor degree, am SPHR certified, plus I have lots of experience in different areas. I’m considering complimenting that business degree with something computer related because I can and HRIS might be fun. Computers seem to be here to stay. I am teachable, trainable, willing, able!).
@Laurie – Your comments are so true, sometimes when things change and seem out of our control, the opportunities are endless if we allow ourselves time to be uncomfortable and consider the possibilities. One never knows, there might be something else that we can enjoy besides HR or whatever field we thought was ‘it’ for us. As a HR generalist, there are areas that I have not played much so I’m going to consider playing. I have to be careful, though…if I try something and don’t like it, I can’t just quit (unemployment would be denied! Just a Wisconsin UI thing…each state has its own ‘rules’) and if offered a job, I can’t decline the offer – same result – no UI.
Again, thank you for all your insight and thoughts. Remember for all who are faced with uncertainty, no guts, no glory! All I can do is control how I respond to the situation/circumstance. I refuse to let others control my response!
My sister said that when life tosses you lemons, make Lemon Drop Martini’s and dance around in your undies. :0)