Hey Bobs – It’s just me, your friendly, neighborhood Career Woman!
As most of you know, I get a lot of emails from the many things I subscribe to. I sift through them and ultimately share probably 1/4 or less with you all.
Today I got an email from someone I follow containing the image below and I felt it was worth a share because there is a lot of (warranted) anxiety out there right now.
Many of you are about to graduate, and frankly…the job market is the worst I’ve seen since 2009 when I started at UW.
Back then, I recall speaking with a colleague whose daughter had just gotten her JD and was unable to find a FT job at a firm. Part time jobs, sure – those don’t come with benefits – but full time was elusive. Times were tough. UW staff were taking furlough days (day off without pay). But in some ways, this time we are living in feels a lot more challenging.
Why?
Yes, there are 200,000 former feds on the job market with anywhere from 2-50 years of experience. Yes, there’s the war. But no surprise, AI probably tops the list.
And not because it’s AI and “it’s coming for your job!!!”
But because of what it has done to hiring.
- Organizations are overwhelmed with applications
- Is this resume real or auto-generated?
- Is the applicant a real person or a bot?
- How can we parse 1000 resumes for one job while still running our business?
- Are the skills listed on the resume the applicant’s or ones dreamed up by ChatGPT?
- Even if they are legitimate skills, does the candidate really have them?
- Did they fake the virtual interview?
- Cover letters
- “Ugh – if I have to read another AI generated resume rehash….”
- “Do they have any idea what we do or why they want to be here?”
- (Asking colleagues) “Does anyone know this applicant personally?”
So where’s the bright spot in all of this? No surprise, it’s our amazing La Follette alums! It’s true all the time, but especially in times like these the bottom line is you need to be networking and connecting.
Everyone feels just a little uneasy with networking – even extroverts. It feels “fake” or “slimy” or “gross” – believe me, I’ve heard it all. The good news is our alums want to talk to you. They want to help if they can. And maybe that help isn’t giving you a job, but it might be giving you another connection that leads to one. Or it might be helping your rethink a direction.
Ultimately, it’s just two people with something in common (UW…La Follette…a passion for pivot tables) 😉chatting about that for 15-20 minutes.
And after that? Well there are a million articles, some posted right here on the Hub, about what you do to keep in touch with these connections.
Remember, I am always here to help and my (figurative) door is always open. There are no stupid questions and you are never bothering me. Maybe you just need someone to talk you down. Or talk you up. I will be around all summer.
In the meantime, remember there are seven (probably more – but I didn’t make the infographic) skills that no one can steal from you.
PS: #1 is my kryptonite. Will I ever master that one? 😉😁
