More Problems, Fewer Solutions!

We live in a world full of problems and maladies that are just itching for a solution. However, we also live in a world where more people are trained (and encouraged) to be "job-seeking" employees versus "solutions-providing" entrepreneurs. You don't always have to be one or the other, but rather, something of a hybrid: be the entrepreneur within a company! Don't search for jobs, search for problems for which you can provide solutions. 

Traditional job searching is soooo 1990's. It's an exercise in futility for the majority of people and basically is no different than walking the cyber streets of the world wide web with a big sign on your forehead saying, "Please Hire Me". The error of the traditional job searcher is to wait until an employer posts a proverbial "Help Wanted" sign. But what most job searchers don't realize is that it is not always their help that is wanted! Even though companies are working with skeleton crews and overloading their staff, many job seekers still can't seem to catch a break.

Each day a new swarm of job seekers hits the job boards looking for companies to post their problems. But that is the wrong approach. In effect, they are waiting for the employers to come to them, rather than the other way around. Most companies would go out of business if they just sat around waiting for customers. Why do you think companies spend so much on advertising? They are constantly in your face with a range of solutions to solve a range of your problems. Shouldn't you be the virtual door-to-door salesman knocking at your target companies' doors? Shouldn't you pitch solutions to problems you know they have instead of waiting for them to publish a job posting that you may or may not fit? 

What are you waiting for? Get out there and solve some problems! 

The Jobless Graduate

If a job seeking student graduates and is unable to secure paid employment within 3 months of an active search, who is to blame? Is it the University that bestowed said graduate with a stamp of approval (also known as a degree)? Or is it the fault of the student due to his/her own personal or professional failings? It's the million dollar question that academics and career pundits spend countless hours debating.

In reality, there must be some blame assigned. So let's look at the major stakeholders in the "Jobless Graduate's" career aspirations and see if we can spread some of the blame around:

The University

The Jobless Graduate was not promised a job by the University. The University merely offered an environment in which said graduate could pursue his/her academic goals. Students are rewarded for their ability to earn a good grade, instead of their ability to earn a good living. Better stated, universities give more weight to a student's ability to learn, rather than their ability to earn. The average university graduate is dependent on being hired by someone else, versus being able to create a job for themselves. 

The Employer

The Jobless Graduate was not promised a job by any Employer for merely being a degree-holding graduate. Employers will post jobs online and visit university career centers, but that will not translate into an employment offer for most. With few exceptions, employers don't hire the degree, they hire the person. And employers are not in the business of fulfilling the career needs of jobless graduates. Employers are not socially responsible institutions charged with making charitable hires in order to reduce the unemployment rate. And most employers have very "obscure" hiring practices that make it virtually impossible for most graduates to even get a foot in the door.

The Jobless Graduate

Woe be unto the Jobless Graduate who spent the majority of his/her university years studying cases and cramming for exams, instead of networking with professionals and creating employable value. In a perfect world, there would not exist any jobless graduates. Why? Because  universities would not allow students to graduate unless they can demonstrate that they are able to earn money using applied academics and professional practice. It is up to the jobless graduate to decide if being jobless in the pursuit of finding a job is worth more than creating a job for himself.