An Open Letter from a Career Advisor

As a prior human resources manager, unemployed job seeker (as a stay-at-home mother trying to re-enter the workforce it took 18 months to get a job - not the one I wanted) and career advisor (the job I wanted - took 4+ years), I can attest that the business world has a lot to learn from the unemployed:

Leadership is not reflected in a title or pay check. It is a responsibility, demonstrated every day by the number of choices and decisions we make to move forward towards our goals, personally and professionally. The pure act that an unemployed job seeker applies for a job is an act in leadership.

The root of organizational change is people. All companies have the same quest: to make changes in products or services that satisfy the customer and remain competitive. Unemployed job seekers understand change management on a personal level. They must quickly adapt to the "new and improved” and unexpected with flexibility and maneuverability. This requires them to let go of the past and move forward towards a new beginning, to learn new competencies, downsize financially, and find a bit of humor along the way. The unemployed seeking job opportunities have proven they have change agent skills so desperately needed by all organizations to succeed.

The ability to market and promote a product, a service, a brand is crucial to any business. Everything an organization does or does not do is a reflection of who they are. Companies that have made the decision to not review applications from the unemployed are clearly communicating a brand that they are not sensitive to external factors influencing the job market and do not have strong human resources/people practices. Unemployed job seekers denied an opportunity to market their business skills, and their family and friends, should take heart and their buying power that the company is not an organization of choice.

When a customer and/or potential customer makes contact with your company respond with a sense of urgency.

Story behind my letter: After delivering a presentation to a local job seeker's support group, several job seekers spoke to me and complained about the lack of communication, after they apply or interview, from HR and/or Hiring Managers. Some even expressed disbelief that there are a handful of employers who publicly communicate in the job advertisement that they will not review applications from the unemployed. I have heard these stories before and have experienced it first hand when I was an unemployed job seeker. I stated to one of the participants that I would write a letter and try to help the business community understand that the unemployed are being tested in business lessons every day, and to expand their critical thinking and hiring practices when considering unemployed or underemployed job seekers. The main business principle being to: Always focus on the situation from a business approach, never on the person.