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As someone whose startup is focused on helping new grads land jobs, I've learned that most job seekers focus on the job search process. They try to find better

by WillyF 16y ago

As someone whose startup is focused on helping new grads land jobs, I've learned that most job seekers focus on the job search process. They try to find better jobs, improve their resume, network, and do other things that will help them sell the existing product. Very few commit to actually improving the product. Instead of admitting that they may not be good enough, they focus on trying to convince other people why they are good enough. I think a lot of startup founders have this same problem with their products. On another note, here's an interesting blog post from Greg Mankiw (another Harvard academic) on the economic rationale behind setting a time limit for unemployment insurance: http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-agnosticism-about-ui.html http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-agnosticism-about-... The basic gist of it is that there is an optimal time limit for unemployment insurance benefits, and that that time limit should probably increase during a weak economy to help reduce income uncertainty and prop up aggregate demand. The question is how did we end up with 99 weeks? Why not 199 weeks? Or 13 weeks?

knowtheory 16y ago
Very few people commit to improving a product, because very few people understand what their role should be when joining organizations. It's not that they don't understand what their work might consist of, the real question is whether they understand how they will contribute, and why a business should justify hiring them. Beyond the fact that roles & contributions that you have in your work place, this is still a difficult task, because it requires you to understand the organization you work within, not just the market/business. And lets be honest, there is no perfect organization where tasks and opportunities come up, and the requirements flow smoothly into design, implementation and roll-out. In short, people don't get what role they should play in the workforce, because nobody ever talks about participating in the workforce from an individual perspective. You have to cobble together knowledge from the domain of personal productivity/product management, being actively involved tracking the business you work in and the structure of your organization, and lastly be capable of measured critical review of your performance. If you can do these things, congratulations, you are amongst the few. :P
- WillyF 16y ago
  You hit on the second biggest flaw that I spot in job seekers (and startup founders). They focus too much on their own wants/needs and not enough on the needs of the people they're trying to sell to.
  - knowtheory 16y ago
    What's the biggest flaw? :)
    - WillyF 16y ago
      Unwillingness to invest in themselves or work towards improving themselves (or a lack of realization that they need to do these things). Most job seekers have a "take me as I am" attitude. Even new grads who should be all pumped up about learning new things seem to think that their degree alone will guarantee a job. Even the grads (and other job seekers) who are eager to learn expect to have a company invest in training them. Why would I invest in training you if you spent 6 months job searching without once doing something that actually made you a better candidate for the job?
      - Hubbert 16y ago
        In fairness to the grads, they have just "invested in themselves" for 4 years plus a direct cost of possibly $200k or so, and really have nothing left to give at that point. Seriously: if 4 years of expensive, official, organized training didn't produce results (other than "come back in 3 years when you have PAID PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE in exactly this industry and geographic region and in exactly the domain that I'm looking for at that time, and I'll let you compete with 300 other resumes"), what should they reasonably expect from self-study? I'm very pro self-study and self-improvement. But I don't see it as a realistic solution to unemployment, particularly when the overwhelming majority of employers insist on an exquisitely precise blend of paid experience (often with equipment or information that is not available to a layperson).

by WillyF 16y ago

knowtheory 16y ago

Very few people commit to improving a product, because very few people understand what their role should be when joining organizations. It's not that they don't understand what their work might consist of, the real question is whether they understand how they will contribute, and why a business should justify hiring them. Beyond the fact that roles & contributions that you have in your work place, this is still a difficult task, because it requires you to understand the organization you work within, not just the market/business. And lets be honest, there is no perfect organization where tasks and opportunities come up, and the requirements flow smoothly into design, implementation and roll-out. In short, people don't get what role they should play in the workforce, because nobody ever talks about participating in the workforce from an individual perspective. You have to cobble together knowledge from the domain of personal productivity/product management, being actively involved tracking the business you work in and the structure of your organization, and lastly be capable of measured critical review of your performance. If you can do these things, congratulations, you are amongst the few. :P

WillyF 16y ago
You hit on the second biggest flaw that I spot in job seekers (and startup founders). They focus too much on their own wants/needs and not enough on the needs of the people they're trying to sell to.
- knowtheory 16y ago
  What's the biggest flaw? :)
  - WillyF 16y ago
    Unwillingness to invest in themselves or work towards improving themselves (or a lack of realization that they need to do these things). Most job seekers have a "take me as I am" attitude. Even new grads who should be all pumped up about learning new things seem to think that their degree alone will guarantee a job. Even the grads (and other job seekers) who are eager to learn expect to have a company invest in training them. Why would I invest in training you if you spent 6 months job searching without once doing something that actually made you a better candidate for the job?
    - Hubbert 16y ago
      In fairness to the grads, they have just "invested in themselves" for 4 years plus a direct cost of possibly $200k or so, and really have nothing left to give at that point. Seriously: if 4 years of expensive, official, organized training didn't produce results (other than "come back in 3 years when you have PAID PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE in exactly this industry and geographic region and in exactly the domain that I'm looking for at that time, and I'll let you compete with 300 other resumes"), what should they reasonably expect from self-study? I'm very pro self-study and self-improvement. But I don't see it as a realistic solution to unemployment, particularly when the overwhelming majority of employers insist on an exquisitely precise blend of paid experience (often with equipment or information that is not available to a layperson).