How to Deal with a Drought

My parents spend a majority of their spare time in a mountain community of 60 houses. The trips have slowed recently due to a water shortage. After five years of drought conditions, the community well is virtually dry.

That the well had limited water was a "known issue," but it was not considered a crisis until a consumption limit was imposed: houses are limited to 50 gallons a week. This is challenging, especially when you consider that the average American uses 100 to 176 gallons of water at home every day. On average, a shower head uses five to ten gallons of water a minute; a flush takes five to seven gallons. Water conserving faucets, toilets and shower heads reduce consumption, but it’s not enough. My parents compensate with sponge baths and antibacterial hand wash. They collect rain water for toilets (it does rain, but drought conditions have a cumulative effect).

There are parallels between my parents’ water challenges and the needs of the job seekers: In drought season, basic needs trump everything. Before the Wall Street meltdown, priority number one for many of my clients was "to stand out in the applicant pool," land the "perfect job," and enjoy their work. Today, there’s a sense of urgency with regard to job security, as many people ask: "is a job even out there?" As my mom says about the water, "It is one thing to hear there is a drought, and we were always really careful with our consumption. But it was hard for all of us to ‘get it’ until the severity of the problem limited what we could use."

Here are five lessons and "career" parallels, I draw from the well:

1. "Rock bottom" forces change, making changes beforehand is easier.

Game changing events such as layoffs, job and personal burn-out, and wells without water force quick decisions on next steps. They also frequently result in fewer options for exploration and deliberation. As with many things in life, addressing a problem head-on at the first sign of trouble can ease a transition.

2. Giving up isn’t a long-term survival strategy.

Just as my parents’ community cannot survive long-term without water; most of us cannot survive without jobs. It’s easy to stay glued to MSNBC and follow the ticker on layoffs. Turn off the TV and don’t personalize it: The news doesn’t guarantee that you can’t get a job, but a lack of effort will increase your chances of a lengthy search…

3. The chance of success increases with a team.

The water crisis brought my parents and their neighbors together to come up with a joint solution to a shared problem.

Statistics show that your job search will probably end in a similar fashion: consider the perennial job search statistic that between 70 to 80% of executive-level job offers are a direct result of networking. In this economy, it’s most likely to be your extended network—the connections of "your friends and colleagues"—who can offer you the most assistance. (Chances are good that your friends already know what you are looking for.)

Be a great virtual neighbor: Create a strong presence and network on LinkedIn, share connections, and swap information on ideal jobs and experience as appropriate. Your good will may make you top of mind as a point of referral when an opportunity appears…

4. If one well runs dry, explore other sites.

My parents’ community solved the "well crisis" by going elsewhere: They are digging a new, deeper well on an alternate site. If work continues to progress, the new well will be up and running in six months.

Likewise, if you can’t see long-term opportunities in your current industry or job function, consider making a switch to a new field or position that offers you stronger prospects. Here are tips for positioning your skills for a new industry and a list of five places to look (courtesy of my friend Lindsey Pollak).

5. Flexibility is essential: what’s new could be the "new normal."

My parents may have a new well soon, but they will not return to life as it was before: brushing teeth with the faucet turned off is the new norm. They expect revised community guidelines, and they will be ready to implement them. You may find the same of your job search: current market conditions may require flexibility in time, position responsibilities, location—and even compensation.

I may have over ten years of experience working with job seekers, but I'm observing and borrowing the above-mentioned strategies from my parents to help my clients in this current market...The irony of this isn't lost on me; these are tough times in which we can all learn from one another.

What are your lessons and survival strategies for the "jobs" drought? I'd love to hear them.

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My favorite outcome of all this is how cutting back and buying less stuff is the new norm. Great tip on the teamwork - lots of people could benefit more if they would spend less time hiding their unemployed status in shame.

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I agree fully. My experience and numerous other people that I have talked to have similar experience as mentioned in point #3. Had great success when hired people through references. Currently busy building a job site which emphasizes the importance of getting jobs by reference (aka jobsbyref.com). It is an attempt to make it more job focussed, unlike other professional networking sites, and help job-seekers and organizations find each other easily without going through the pains that we all normally go through in a regular job site.

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