An Open Letter To Everyone Who Still Has A Job In This Crisis

As the number of total unemployment claims from the crisis passes 42M in America, I struggle daily with the reality of what’s to come. 

While last week’s U.S. jobs report offered some people a glimmer of hope, the majority of experts were quick to say, “don’t get excited”. The data is still quite grim. Double-digit unemployment is going to last years - as in more than 18 months. The search for work will take longer for lots of people. If your company laid people off, or you know people who have been laid off, don’t assume unemployment is going to take care of them. It will run out, and many of the people let go will end up in very dark places. Here’s why…

Job search is a skill that most unemployed people don’t have.

The right way to look for a job is not taught in school. Moreover, it’s not a skill the average person uses on a daily basis. Even if they do know what to do, their skills are rusty at best. Meanwhile, as the clock ticks on, their savings (if they have any) are drained and their quality of life goes down. With that comes fear, humiliation, loneliness, sadness, depression, and despair. I don’t know about you, but if I’m feeling even the littlest bit down, it’s hard to get motivated. So, how does someone who is unemployed for an extended period of time find the strength and positivity to keep looking?

It’s time for people in positions of strength and security to ask themselves, “What ELSE can I do to help layoff victims get through this and find work as quickly as possible?” 

If you have a job and paycheck during the worst economic event in our nation's history, then you can use that advantage to help others get back on their feet. The reality is, EVERY job is temporary and you could find yourself in their situation one day. Helping people now will be remembered.

The best way to do that? Get them job search coaching.

Studies show people who get job search coaching get hired 2X faster. Why? They’re given the 3Cs needed to stay focused and engaged: Coaching, Courses & Community. Let’s look at the importance of each of these…

Coaching

Getting help from trained professionals can be seen one of two ways: as a sign of weakness, or a path to greatness. Pro athletes see it as the latter. And, so should job seekers. Learning to look for work isn’t rocket science or brain surgery, but it does take some coaching to help make sure the unemployed person is doing things right. Think of the last time you got a little coaching on a skill. How quickly did you improve? I bet it was faster than going it alone.

Courses

Education is the doorway to success. Learning expands the mind and shifts perceptions. The more we learn, the more empowered we feel. Learning builds confidence which translates into actions that get results. Learning techniques to help a person work smarter, not harder in their job search is a powerful motivator.

Community

It is said we are the product of the people we spend the most time with. Looking for work can feel very lonely. Connecting daily with peers who are all learning and growing together is the secret to staying on track. A support group picks up members on their down days. They share their own successes which help other members believe they can get the same results. There’s nothing more powerful than having a community to make a person feel like the hard work is going to pay off.

So, if job search coaching is so important, why aren’t all the employers who laid off people offering it to all their employees?

The sad truth is most of the 42M people (and counting) who have lost jobs in America will not get job search coaching. Why? First, their employers mistakenly think it’s too expensive. Did you know that job search coaching historically has only been given to executives during layoffs? Yes, that’s right. The people who make the most money are the ones that usually get job search coaching paid for them. And sadly, that’s still the case. Their employers pay $1000’s of dollars so laid-off executives can work privately with elite coaches. 

I believe this is very, very WRONG. 

There are companies today that offer cutting-edge, tech-enabled (ie. phone app) job search coaching with trained professionals for a fraction of the cost, making it possible for a company to provide valuable job search coaching to every layoff victim. 

Another reason people who need job search coaching won’t get it has to do with the government.

I’ve talked with multiple company executives lately who have told me they don’t plan to offer job search coaching because, “our ex-employees will get it as part of their unemployment.” Not true. Not only are unemployment offices closed due to social distancing, but as they re-open, they’ll be so overwhelmed with claims they won’t be able to offer help. They were never staffed or designed to handle this level of unemployment. 

Some of you reading this might be thinking, “But, shouldn’t these workers invest in themselves?”

Yes, they should. But, as you can imagine, right now every expense in their lives gets carefully evaluated. Paying for help to look for work can seem like a luxury. All too often, we see people join our company, Work It Daily, after failing at job search for 6+ months. Their unemployment checks are running out and they are sickened when they learn from us they’ve been approaching the job search all wrong. They get help late in the game which makes getting hired that much harder. Even worse, the U.S. government did away with the ability to write-off job search coaching as an expense on your taxes in 2017, giving them even less incentive to invest in themselves while unemployed. Meanwhile, companies can write it off as a business expense. 

Because of all this, I’m throwing down a 3-part challenge to layoff victims, business leaders, and people who still have decent-paying jobs in America.

1. Every layoff victim who hasn’t been given job search coaching services should go back to their employer and ask them to pay for some.
2. Every manager or business leader who had to lay people off should go to their executive team and ask them to find it in their budget to pay for job search coaching for their staff.
3. Every person who currently has a solid job and can afford to help someone who lost their job should consider sponsoring one person who is out of work by purchasing a job search coaching package and giving it to them.

P.S. To all those employers think failing to offer job search coaching to layoff victims won’t matter, think again. SOCIAL MEDIA is the voice of the unemployed. 

How you treat your former employees will get documented on sites like Glassdoor, hurting your reputation and ability to hire top talent in the future. A recent survey on LinkedIn showed 86% of professionals think a company that doesn’t offer job search coaching to ALL its layoff victims will be negatively impacted.

I’ve heard executives and business owners say people will just be happy to get offered a job and won’t care about the past. You’re dead wrong. 

The most talented people (the ones you want because they’re so good at what they do) have self-respect. They don’t work for employers who don’t take care of their own. Doing the right thing for your employees now will be remembered long after this is over. Ask any company that has tried to attract workers with a crummy Glassdoor rating. The recruiting process is expensive as you try to convince top talent you are a decent employer. You’ll pay far more later than you would now to invest in job search coaching for your layoff victims.

And, let’s not forget unemployment costs. The sooner your former employees get hired, the sooner your rates will start to drop. Saving you thousands of dollars in the future.

It’s time. We need those in a position to do so to do the right thing. Give job search coaching to the people that need it. 

P.P.S. Friends and followers reading this post...

I hope the content in this article spoke to you so you will not only want to repost this on your LinkedIn feed, but you’ll also take the steps to send it directly to people you know have the means to help those in need. Helping the unemployed get redeployed is one of the most impactful things we can do for our society going forward. The dignity and pride of millions of people are at stake. You can make a real difference in how people feel about themselves and those around them. This is a deeply emotional issue with a rippling effect on the health and safety of our communities.

NOTE: For information or questions about affordable job search coaching, please message my LinkedIn account. Or, click here to learn more.