Seth Godin had a great post today wondering why more companies don’t put as much marketing into hiring for open positions as they do into marketing their product. Most companies, he says, just go through the motions and put in 10% of the total effort all companies expend in hiring, and wind up with people in the bottom 90% of the employment pool. The companies that get the top 10%, the best of the best, he says, put in 90% of the effort to find and retain these people.
Although I’ve said I’m on hiatus for hunting from full-time, permanent positions until November 10, I’ve had a few recruiters contact me, saying, “If you change your mind and want to start back early, here are the details of a few positions we have.” I don’t mind them doing that. But the position descriptions tell me nothing about whether I would want to work at those companies, because they’re all the same. “We’re looking for someone with 5-8 years experience as an enterprise developer, with an emphasis on ASP.NET, SQL Server, and (C# or VB.NET, depending on the position). Knowledge of Java, CSS, Apache server, and MySQL are pluses. Candidate is required to have a complete understanding of object-oriented development, must be able to process workflow diagrams, must be able to work in a fast-paced environment as a member of a team. We offer full benefits including 401(k), health plan, and vacation.”
You know what? That kind of generic job description tells me NOTHING about whether I would actually want to work there. What kind of environment is it? Is it constant stress from one day to the next? Or is it a place where people can relax while they work? Is it a suit-and-tie place, or can I wear jeans and sandals like I did at the last job? Are there good restaurants nearby where I can enjoy my lunch break? Are the people who work in the department fun and interesting, and people I can learn from? Are they sticklers about punctuality, or do they give employees latitude as long as the work gets done? I live Downtown – how far of a commute will I have to work? Any possibility of telecommuting on some days, to save on gas?
It amazes me that hiring managers don’t think to include answers to those kinds of questions in their job descriptions.
So, yesterday marks three weeks since I was laid off. I told everyone I was not going to start seriously job-hunting until Monday, November 10. I’ve used the extra time off to really build up my new websites – I’ll be rolling out four new ones tomorrow, as a matter of fact. I’ve probably been working more than 40 hours a week on them. But I’ve been doing it at my pace. If I find myself wide awake at 6:30 AM, I get started. I felt like taking a half day off after the election, and I did. Today I ate lunch at China restaurant on Jefferson, and afterward I felt like taking a walk… and I realized that the boss doesn’t mind if I take an extra long lunch break before I get back to work, because I’m the boss now.
The commissions I make from my websites are rapidly accelerating. I told my health guru AL how much I made in October and she was astounded. It’s not enough to support me full-time yet, but it’s headed in that direction, which motivates me to work on my sites even more.
Considering what I have written above, I have decided to extend my hiatus from hunting for full-time permanent jobs until December 1. The only reason I’ll consider applying for something sooner than that is if the position is truly outstanding in some way. In the meantime, I’m going to work hard for myself, enjoy some time with my friends, and remember what it feels like to be alive.