Ronald Reagan believed that the nine most terrifying words in the English language are “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.”
As we approach the home stretch of election season, I find it troubling that candidates from both parties are presenting “job creation plans.” Can the government truly create jobs? I haven’t seen much success of this in my lifetime. Here is a really good article that discusses this issue: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/magazine/job-creation-campaign-promises.html?pagewanted=all
Through the years I’ve been asked by job seekers for my opinion of government programs as it relates to employment. Unfortunately, I just haven’t seen many success stories come from these. The intended consequence rarely coincides with the actual outcome. When it does work, it is usually more attributed to relationships rather than skill sets.
It is important to understand that companies do not sit in board rooms and ask, “How can we hire more people?” In fact, most organizations will try to get by on as few workers as possible for as long as they can. The trend for many firms now is to hire more part-time and 3rd party help, rather than full-time employees so they can save the costs of benefits.
Many job seekers that pursue government assistance for retraining believe they need to acquire new skills in order to be hired. While this could help, what I view as more important is developing a new mindset towards work, so you can take advantage of the opportunities that are currently available. Having a willingness to take several part-time opportunities demonstrates you’re willing to meet employers where they are in the marketplace. By creating your own employment mutual fund, it can provide greater security than the traditional full-time job too.
I encourage each of you to heed Reagan’s warning and not look to the government to solve your employment crisis. Instead, learn to create your own opportunities through effective networking and relationship building, and you’ll be on the right track to getting rid of your employment anxiety for good.