These 6 Questions Reveal Your 2022 Job Search Savvy
A lot has changed. Find out if you’re up to speed.
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Over the past 35 years, the median tenure of all wage and salary workers ages 25 or older has stayed at approximately five years. — EBRI
What’s changed much more is how easy it’s become to apply for jobs. Unfortunately, that means more churn and more “ghosting,” partly because of the sheer number of candidates. That’s not the only change.
“Job Hopping” and gaps in employment are not the scarlet letters they once were.
And they’re trending toward normal because they are normal — people leave jobs and take time off work because they have to or want to.
Good news. The world is catching up. It’s okay if your work history is not linear and pristine. As a result, people aren’t settling for scraps.
All you need to do to see the tide is turning is look around. Entire teams of employees are saying “We aren’t gonna put up with this,” posting “We quit!” signs on the door and walking away.
What people will tolerate is changing at all levels of industry and profession.
Read beyond the headlines. In one case, the employees who stood up for themselves by walking out on their fast-food restaurant jobs didn’t walk very far. Instead, they carpooled to another fast-food dispensary in the same town and applied to work there.
Lateral cycling like this happens at every level. Knowing more is how you break out and move up not just on.
So yes, there’s more activity but not always more progress. Test your knowledge below to see how savvy you are.
- How long should a cover letter be, and what should it contain?
- What tiny, simple element can you add to your pay increase or salary ask, making it more likely you’ll get the amount you request?
- How long does the average job hunt take?
- If you get recruited because of something you wrote, a talk you gave, or your LinkedIn profile, you enjoy an advantage over job seekers who apply. What is it?
- This “F-word” is the single most significant determinant in whether a person leaves a job in the first 12 months. Hint: it’s probably not the first one you thought of ;-)
- Where are you legally required to give two weeks’ notice?
The answers:
1 — Most people would prefer eating a shoebox full of foam peanuts to writing a cover letter. Why? Because cover letters are almost always an extra pain and fear of change and “doing something wrong” make employers cling to this antiquated secret handshake, and no one told you the secret. If one is required, here’s a checklist.
— 300 words MAX.
— Don’t repeat what you put in your resume.
— Bullet point three short “Remember this about me” sentences in the middle.
— If your thinking, “But mine has to be longer, because …” it doesn’t. IT DOESN’T!
There’s no such thing as a too-short cover letter.
2 —The way to increase your chances of getting a salary or pay increase? Stay away from even numbers. Instead of $105,000.00 ask for $105,858.00 Why? Psychologically, it engenders more trust and authenticity because it looks like the result of a thoughtful calculation instead of a gut-instinct, round number guess. And better yet, actually do the math.
3 — The average job hunt is 20 to 26 weeks for professionals. That’s average. The higher you go, the harder it can be because there are fewer seats in the c-suite than the cubicle farm. There are many variables — market, industry, geography — yet having some way to set expectations and gauge progress is helpful.
This is almost always a protracted process for professionals, so adjust your expectations and know you’re not alone. Better yet, keep your materials current and keep one eye on the door to increase the likelihood you’ll be poached away from a current employer skipping the job hunt slog altogether.
4 — The “F-word” is fit. If you leave in the first year, it’s likely a case of “This is NOT what I signed up for! Bait-and-switch hiring is a lot more common than most candidates realize.
Yes, employers lie to get a body in a seat. Employees tolerate it because they fear, “What will it look like if I leave?”
We all know job interviews aren’t renowned for their honesty and forthrightness, so mismatches aren’t always malicious. Still, the result is the same: two unhappy parties, money, and time circling the drain.
Don’t assume “fit” is a high bar and you fell short. Ha! It’s not a stretch for employers to look for someone who’ll tolerate the “grabby-but-good-hearted” office pervert or “bully-but-the-boss-loves-them” HR can’t or won’t fire. Their ‘perfect fit’ might be someone who’ll ignore the sound of labor laws breaking or someone who feels at home in an abusive, toxic environment. Sometimes, not fitting in is a good thing.
5 — If someone contacts you about a job opportunity after reading an article you wrote or attending a talk you gave, you’ve bolstered your authority, and employers expect to pay more.
6 — Two weeks’ notice is not required by law anywhere. You may have agreed to a specific notice period in your employment contract or if you’re a contract worker, so check that. Two weeks is a courtesy and
courtesy is a door that swings both ways.
If you’ve been treated disrespectfully and for many other good reasons, you can leave whenever you want. Remember, employers don’t give you notice.
Bonus Question — What costly way is my signing bonus different from my salary?
Answer: A bonus — performance, signing, and more — is considered “supplemental income,” it’s taxed differently than your salary. It and a few other things (like sick leave payouts and some overtime) get a flat federal tax of 22 percent. Starting at $1 million that goes up to 37 percent. That’s for 2021 — tax laws change, so always check.
In addition to the 22 percent federal tax, you’ll also pay Social Security tax and Medicare tax. Depending on where you live, state income tax may also apply.
Want more signing bonus information? Check out this article on signing bonus traps and secrets here.
Happy job hunting.
I help experienced professionals re-package their work to get better jobs. Visit CourtneyKirschbaum.com to learn more.
