Today’s Tip: Time To Get Controversial!

My blog is new and, as a consequence, my readership is still low. But that doesn't mean you should be quiet about things I write! So, in hopes that you will start replying to my posts, I am going to start introducing topics that are a bit more controversial and emotional. And with that in mind, today's topic is all about discrimination. (I hear clickity-click already! <grin>)

If you've heard me speak at networking events then you know that I have "Kevin's Laws" and law #4 is: Discrimination EXISTS! As a recruiter for over 20 years, I have seen just about everything. Unfortunately, I do see a lot of discrimination, but it is often disguised and the true message never gets back to the candidate about the real reason why (s)he was not selected for the position.

I see discrimination against job seekers in the following categories:

• Age - mainly against older workers, but let's face it, college grads are left wondering whether their investment was worth it. Note: It was worth it, but it just doesn't seem that way to many unemployed, under-employed or discouraged college grads.

• Salary - companies are realizing that paying 2005 wages is not necessary since the unemployment rate is approaching 20%. Yes, I said 20%! That is the real unemployment rate. Economists call it U6, but the media reports the unemployment rate at 9.7%, which is the U3 number. That's a story for another blog post...

• Passive vs. Active - Too many Hiring Managers feel that the best employees are the ones that aren't looking (the passive ones), while the people that are actively looking for a new opportunity (the active ones) must be the rejects of society, otherwise why would they want to leave. Something must be wrong with them!

• Employed vs. Unemployed - If you are employed, you must be a superstar, while conversely, if you don't have a job, it must be your fault.

• Contractor vs. Full-time Employees - If you have been in a contract role, a lot of Hiring Managers will not consider you for a full-time opportunity. They feel that you are getting paid a premium and will not be loyal when another contract role is presented to you.

• Location - Assumptions are made about your commuting distance.

• Length of time you have been out of work - If this gets to be too long, the Hiring Managers don't bother on learning the reason why, they just assume you are not employable.

• Government workers - Working for the government is perceived by some to have less skills or experience than in a corporate role.

So, how do you win against being discriminated against? You have to be tricky! You have to fight incompetence with fire. You can't play poker with your cards face up, and you can't obtain that dream position by following the rules. Keep subscribing to my blog, listening to my speeches, signing up for my webinars, coming to my classes, and you will learn all about how to cash in on that dream position.