My Jobs Plan

Since both political parties are touting their own plan to get America back to work I thought I would present my own Jobs Plan.  As I listened to both candidates speak at their respective conventions on how they were going to encourage companies to hire more people, I realized that their plans were one sided.  They hope their policies encourage companies to spend their cash reserves on new employees that add value.  What about the potential employees?  Are they simply sitting and waiting for the government to encourage these companies?  Are they sitting waiting for those jobs to be posted on company websites?

Here's the traditional way of thinking about job growth:

1. Employer posts job on their website or Monster
2. Potential Employee submits resume
3. Automated service sorts through resumes and ultimately randomly chooses who to interview
4. The lucky ones get an interview
5. A very lucky person gets the job (or more likely the person who had a friend who knew the hiring manager)

My Jobs Plan which I am calling "The Hustle Plan" requires the unemployed to approach companies with ways they can add value.  Notice the difference.  This is a push strategy vs. a pull strategy.  Potential employees are out in the marketplace hustling and pitching employers on how good they are.  Most of jobs in my career have come from this method.

Here's The Hustle Plan in practice:

1. Job seeker ("hustler") goes to lots of events to meet lots of people 
2. Hustler researches companies they want to work with
3. Hustler designs website or video outlining how exactly they can help that company
4. Hustler searches wide network on LinkedIn (see step 1) to find a friend of a friend who works at company
5. Hustler asks friend of friend to send info to decision maker
6. Company is curious and asks Hustler to come present to company
7. Company likes presentation and wants Hustler to "hustle" for them

And that my friends is how our future generation will survive in the marketplace.  A future blog post will spell out exactly how we can enhance our education system to embrace our current economy.