Buddy, can you spare a job?

Even when a person takes a creative approach to searching for a job, as Nick Willard did, it’s a tough market out there

By Christina Cooke

The Times, Apr 16, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (4 Reader comments)

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In Washington County, the number of jobs declined 5.1 percent, or by 12,600 jobs, between February 2008 and February 2009, Vandervliet said.

The manufacturing industry was the hardest hit, with a 7.8 percent decline, she said. The trade/transportation/utilities industry followed with 6.1 percent drop, and professional/ business services fell 6.3 percent.

The department does not have equivalent breakdowns for cities like Tigard, she said.

Dr. Sean Harry, a career coach with the Portland-based Career Management Solutions, said the recession, coupled with people’s access to online job boards, makes competition for jobs particularly difficult now.

“It’s not uncommon for me to hear a recruiter say, ‘We got 800 to 1,000 resumes for one posting,’” he said. “Even 10 years ago, there might have been one to 20 or 30 resumes submitted.”

Hunting for work

Willard is a full-time student in his last year as an international business major at George Fox University in Newberg. He drives limos to make extra money, but needs a more substantial job to pay the bills and support his wife and 5-year-old son.

Ideally, he’d like to use the business management and customer service skills he’s learned in school, he said. But that’s proving hard.

“With so many people looking for work, it’s an employer’s market,” he said. “It’s not a job seeker’s market anymore.”

Dr. Harry, who delivered a presentation on networking at the Tigard Public Library on Wednesday, said his client load has increased from 25 to 30 people last year to around 100 right now.

Looking for a job is a full-time job in and of itself, he said.

“No matter what you are before you start looking for a job, when you are looking for a job, you are a salesperson,” he said.

Willard’s approach may be more effective than a lot of people’s strategies because he is increasing the network of people who know about him, Harry said.

“The most effective method for finding a job, hands down and bar none, is utilizing your network,” he said. Searching online job boards like Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com and Craigslist is only about 3 to 4 percent effective, he said, because they turn job seekers into commodities, inexpensive and plentiful.

Harry encourages job seekers to get out and talk to people, to reconnect with classmates or talk with people who work in their field of interest. Ask them about their experiences and mention what you’re looking for, he said, but don’t flat-out ask for a job.

“Simply reconnect,” he said. “If you’re asking for a job, you’re the kind of salesperson that nobody likes. You’re the begging kind of salesperson.”

Juanita Garnow landed a part-time job last week at the Main Street bead shop Bead Bullies just that way; she developed a friendship with owner Kari Donaldson and was available when Donaldson needed extra help in the store.

On Tuesday morning, Garnow vacuumed the store’s carpet and helped a customer find a container of the sulfur material used to antique metal.

“I’ve known Kari for a number of years and have been a customer for a long time,” she said. “I love beads, and I love beading.”

Harry advised job seekers to focus only on what they can control.

“Don’t be discouraged,” he said. “Some people take it very personally, and it’s not personal at all, not in this economy.”

As for Willard, his unique approach to trying to land a job hadn’t borne any fruit. As of The Times press time Wednesday – he was still jobless.

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