Digging Into RecruitingBlogs.com v2.02

Digging Into Recruiting Blogs v2.02

(Jan 10, 2009) This week, I moved into a big house on the beach (well, almost) in Bodega Bay, California. The town, which is on the Sonoma Coast, is where Hitchcock's The Birds was filmed. It has beautiful beaches, a golf course in my backyard, a bird preserve around the corner and a lifetime supply of fog.

The town even has a blog.

Moving sucks. Even in my compact state, it took a week to box up the library, both pieces of furniture, my three shirts and my massive stamp collection. Okay, I'm kidding about the stamps. It did take a week to get it all done. I'd planned for just a couple of days. I'm exhausted from the sheer physical work.

I've made a couple of key New Year's resolutions as a result of the move. I am never going to buy anything again. Ever. And, I will always use a moving company in the future.

Focused on the details of logistics, I've been completely out of touch with the news, the community at RBC and everything in my life that can't be lifted, bubble wrapped and put in a box. All of the big picture stuff takes a clean backseat when you move.

Grumbling aside, I am feeling extremely lucky. I made a decision to live my dreams and this was one of the steps along the path. After years of wanting to live at the beach, I did it. It's the first of many things that will unfold in 2009.

Out of the corner of my ear, I got the sense that the panic about economics continued to dominate public discourse. It's really amazing how badly some people want this to be bad. The data about job losses continues to worsen but no one ever gives it context. The object is to scare you with things that sound bad.

The American Workforce has 150,000,000 people in it. This doesn't include a very large number of small business people (like lots of Recruiters) who don't work for a W2. Some estimates put the total number of workers as high as 200,000,000. So when 5,000,000 are out of work and filing for unemployment, it's a bad sign. But, it only involves 2.5% of the total workforce. If 600,000 jobs were lost each month of 2009 (and none created), it would be about 5% of the total of 150,000,000.

It's unpleasant, yes. But it's not the end of the world. Most people will just be scared by what happens over the next couple of years. Those who are directly affected wil have an unimaginable opportunity on their hands. The freedom and excitement available when everyone else is scared silly is bracing.

I'd like to encourage you to find and live your dream. There's no time like a downturn to make the kinds of changes you've always wanted to make. Live like your dreams just might come true tomorrow. Once you are willing to tell the world exactly what you want, it has a way of coming true very quickly.

Recession or not.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Maureen Sharib on January 8, 2009 at 11:01pm

Thanks for reminding us.
We needed that.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Nuroo on January 8, 2009 at 11:48pm

I got a redundancy during the Tech wreck post 2000 ... I was shattered. I took some time, found a way to supplement an income stream and then decided what I wanted to do. IT WORKED OUT... still doing it today. I can look back now and smile (as I hoped I would) and now tell people you will. NOW for the next dream... Thanks John

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Permalink Reply by Susan MacDonald on January 10, 2009 at 9:25am

THANK YOU for posting this. I worry we are living a self fulling prophecy and are caught up in all of the emotion and media interpretation of what is going on in the economy today. Yes things are bad but why are we putting so much energy into making it mean that the world is going to end?
THANK YOU!

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Permalink Reply by mattmartone on January 10, 2009 at 9:32am

Great post. Thanks for it. I think you're spot on. Ive always wanted to do what I'm doing now. Seeing so many people who played it safe, get beat up this past year by housing and the stock market has inspired me to go out on my own and live for something bigger than monthly wages and a 401k.

In a recession, it seems much more acceptable to hit rock bottom and for some reason that comforted me enough spark my giving it a go.

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Permalink Reply by Maureen Sharib on January 10, 2009 at 10:09am

Why do you think the media is so obsessed with the "end times" scenarios they keep playing...it sells papers.
It brings down eyeballs.

I am so disappointed in the history channel -for the last coupla' weeks - that's all they have on at night from Armageddon to (last night) 7 things that will end our world to the world is slated to end on Dec 21, 2012 to ...you name it - one histrionic scenario after another.

I'm sick of it, personally.

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Permalink Reply by John Sumser on January 10, 2009 at 2:00pm

I don't think it's possible to overestimate the impact that the media is having on perceptions of the Recession. Provoking fear (which requires a load of status updating and reassurrance) is the best way to sell news media.

The more scared you are, the more you have to check to see if there's still a reason to be scared.

It's very primal stuff (and very manipulative).

When you consider the fact that the folks in the News Media are all insecure (because their jobs are going away), it's reasonably easy to see the way their fears are amplified. It's a great big echo chamber.

Around here, the restaurants have waiting lines and the malls seem reasonably busy. There are a lot of vacant houses (where do those people go?). Since there's no banking or manufacturing, most jobs are reasonably secure.

I really like this chart (courtesy Brian DeGroodt) . It shows the ups and downs of the stock market (DJIA) since 1928. We aren't even close to the worst it's ever been.

So, like I've been saying, focus on the dream and make room for it to come true. This is a powerful time to get clear about exactly what you want. It's a skill that will serve you in any economic climate.

If you believe that your dreams can't be fulfilled, then they won't be. The hardest time to dream is when everyone says not to.

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Permalink Reply by Maureen Sharib on January 10, 2009 at 2:41pm

John Sumser - The Dream Merchant.
We need more of this.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ~ Mark Twain

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Permalink Reply by Jim Durbin on January 10, 2009 at 6:31pm

My wife and I spoke, and we decided not to take part in this recession.

That's what it comes down to. The strategies for doing well in a recession are the same as for working in flush times. It's just that recessions tend to focus our minds, and we're more likely to watch out cash flow, pay more attention to the quality of our hires, work hard, and seek out clients who can pay.

People who lost their jobs in boom times and struggled to find work were in the same boat as people who lost jobs recently. I don't mean to make light of someone who lost a position, but if you are out of work, you should be spending 8 hours a day looking for work.

Personally, I'm going to make 2009 my best year ever. I'm going to double what I made in any other year - no matter what it takes to do so. That's my dream - because my wife wants a house on the beach too, though I've told her we'll just rent in Del Mar and live in Texas. Cheaper on the income taxes.

John Sumser said:

I don't think it's possible to overestimate the impact that the media is having on perceptions of the Recession. Provoking fear (which requires a load of status updating and reassurrance) is the best way to sell news media.

The more scared you are, the more you have to check to see if there's still a reason to be scared.

It's very primal stuff (and very manipulative).

When you consider the fact that the folks in the News Media are all insecure (because their jobs are going away), it's reasonably easy to see the way their fears are amplified. It's a great big echo chamber.

Around here, the restaurants have waiting lines and the malls seem reasonably busy. There are a lot of vacant houses (where do those people go?). Since there's no banking or manufacturing, most jobs are reasonably secure.

I really like this chart (courtesy Brian DeGroodt) . It shows the ups and downs of the stock market (DJIA) since 1928. We aren't even close to the worst it's ever been.

So, like I've been saying, focus on the dream and make room for it to come true. This is a powerful time to get clear about exactly what you want. It's a skill that will serve you in any economic climate.

If you believe that your dreams can't be fulfilled, then they won't be. The hardest time to dream is when everyone says not to.

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Permalink Reply by Jorge Albinagorta on January 10, 2009 at 6:51pm

The recession is 99% in you head, I say. Shake it off and replace it with aspirations and delivery capacity.
Have a great '09, trust that you make good use of the golf course
jorge

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Permalink Reply by David Perry on January 11, 2009 at 9:14am

John,
The house sounds like a fantastic place to live and reflect. I'm insanely jealous. Send us all pictures of the view - especially us in Canada - so we can live vicariously through you.

The media... well what can I say. Until people in general learn to think for themselves [unfortunately I don;t see that happening in my lifetime] instead of allowing the media to interrupt reality for them --- well the economic gyrations will continue like a roller-coaster.

I still think we need to form an independent think tank for the industry - along the lines I suggested. The challenge the media face is that most need to grind out news everyday and there's very little that's more newsworthy than death/destruction AND mayhem. Little else is cause for people to stop and take notice! If only we could organize a national "no news week" no tv, newspaper or radio --- I think people would be cured of most of their neuroses --- a chance to reboot civilization --- but I digress.

I think 'people' need another source of 'interpretation' for the news. Perhaps I'll try to get something we can integrate with the John Steward or the Colbert Report because I can't see our version of "The Naked News" working for us --- unless we get some better looking spokesperson....

Call when you have a minute. I've spoken with my editor at Wiley about another 'book idea'. One ypu are uniquely suited to write AND I think you would enjoy.

All the best for a peaceful new year.

David

David