The most recent unemployment numbers have been released, and once again we process them as nothing more than mere statistics. But we know better. The 7 or 8 percent of the country that walks around with this label, and the countless others that have stepped out of the job search pool altoghter are not a faceless lot.
They are real people, and unfortunately, many are my friends. As I've spent my career in many facets of sales and marketing, so has this group. I've met them over various stages of my life including high school, college, summer share houses, and some were even co-workers. And I can say with conviction, that they all posses similar qualities: Hard work, pride, and expertise in their fields. But perhaps most importantly, they're all still very viable and extremely relevant.
It's for this very reason that I refuse to refer to them as "unemployed." In keeping with my tradition of incessant sports analogies, they're more like "free agents", or players without a current team. I often wish the rest of the country would adopt the same philosophy and drop the "unemployed" moniker for no other reason than to boost the spirits of the group and provide a consistent reminder that experience matters and someone will soon recognize it.
But lately I've been hearing about a common theme that has dogged the process. Many of my friends have hit a crossroads in their careers. They could continue along the same path in which they've travelled for the last two decades, or they could use their vast accumulated knowledge and try something different. Many of their industries have contracted, so venturing out into new territory seems like a viable option.
Unfortunately, most hiring companies won't allow it. They have the luxury of a huge free agent pool. If they have an open position, they can easily find someone that exactly matches their parameters. They're naturally risk averse. They don't like to gamble. If they do guess wrong, it may be their own jobs in jeopardy. So, they recycle and regurgitate a similar prototype, leaving new ideas and fresh perspectives on the curb.
Therefore, a healthcare marketer can't market real estate. A non-profit public relations exec can't cross the divide to a for profit organization. A television ad sales rep can't take a stab at selling online advertising. In the end, everyone loses. Good players looking for new teams, can't get contracts. And teams looking for new talent are stuck with clones of the old.
Why can't organizations see beyond this?
When buying a house, a real estate agent tells you to avoid focusing on the furniture and the decor. She advises you to see the home's aesthetic value and imagine your own spin on it. Thousands of homes are sold using this visualization technique and millions are transacted. However, the same rules don't seem to apply in the employment game. The majority of employers only see most job candidates as the house you currently are, and not the house you could become.
Digressing once again into sports, the same rules apply. If the Yankees adopted the approach, they may have missed out on one of their legends. Babe Ruth began as a very successful pitcher for the Red Sox. He won 20 games twice. One year he stuck out 170 batters without yielding a home run. In other words, he was well on his way to a hall of fame pitching career. But then he was traded to the Yankees, most likely for his throwing prowess. One day, they realized that they had something else in Ruth. A hitter. If the Yankees didn't give him a shot, Yankee Stadium may not be known as the "House That Ruth Built." Maybe his dominance as a pitcher gave him valuable insight into how a batter thinks. Maybe he already threw every pitch that could be thrown, putting himself and his mind's eye into a better position to hit them.
A similar phenomenon happened in music. Dave Grohl cut his rock and roll teeth as a drummer for Nirvana. His pounding style was a legendary part of the grunge movement that began at this time, led mostly by the group that he was in. But then Curt Cobain self destructed, bringing the band down with him. Picking up the pieces, Grohl could have joined a new band. Or start his own. He chose the later. The interesting thing was he didn't stay the course as a drummer. Grohl was quoted as saying:
"I was supposed to just join another band and be a drummer the rest of my life," Grohl later said. "I thought that I would rather do what no one expected me to do."
It looked good on paper, but why would a record label take a chance on a singing drummer playing guitar? They did, and the Foo Fighters became bigger than Nirvana.
I don't mean to delve into the world of Malcolm Gladwell, but you see my point. People surprise you. And experience matters. In these case studies, and so many others existing or yet to be written, the results can be the same.
When you hire someone who doesn't perfectly align with your job description, it's not risk. It's opportunity. You have to see beyond the old furniture in the house.
Our free agents are standing by, waiting for your call.
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