April 17, 2011

Let employers know how innovative you are

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For much of the last couple of years, the economy has slowly climbed out of the deep hole of the Great Recession and returned many corporate balance sheets into the black. However, most of the multitudes who were laid off since 2008 have struggled to find new work. Well, those days may finally be coming to an end.

For the first quarter of 2011, at least, the so-called "jobless recovery" appears to be evolving into a positive hiring environment. Unemployment has now fallen back to pre-recession levels and corporate confidence is growing, according to the forecasts of several economic analysts.

In its recent Global CEO Survey, PwC (the clever post-recession re-branding of PricewatershouseCoopers) found that the North American corporate CEOs interviewed had a confidence level of 47 percent that revenues would grow in the next 12 months, which is nearly a return to the heady days of 2007 (52 percent) and up sharply from the nadir of 15 percent in 2009. Innovation is also the watchword of the day, as 72 percent of CEOs in North America told PwC that they expect to generate "significant" new revenue opportunities over the next three years through innovation.

As the strategies of the hiring managers change, so should those of job seekers. Companies are looking for candidates who know how to innovate, solve problems and improve efficiency, so your resume ought to reflect these skills.

For instance, have you have ever worked at a company that has espoused a "continuous improvement" program, such as "lean" manufacturing, Six Sigma or Total Quality Management? If you have taken a training course for any of these programs, be sure to move them to the top of your skills list. Even if you think Six Sigma (a business management strategy developed by Motorola in the 1980s that uses statistical analysis to reduce variation and errors in a process) is more trouble than it's worth, just having training or experience with the methodology can be a big plus come interview time.

According to a recent annual report by the executive research firm Avery Point Group, many recovering companies are looking to build on their economic momentum by hiring people with talent for running continuous process improvement programs. After analyzing nearly 6,700 online job postings, Avery Point found that demand for talent with lean manufacturing or Six Sigma experience has increased by 90 percent since last year's survey, mostly due to a strengthening economy. Of the two methodologies, lean manufacturing -- a method developed by Toyota in the 1950s to reduce production wastes by simplifying processes and reducing excess inventory -- seems to be more sought after, with lean demand outpacing Six Sigma by 35 percent in the survey.

"Companies are seeking lean and Six Sigma talent as a way to help their organizations better leverage their performance during the ongoing recovery," said Tim Noble, managing principal and partner of the Avery Point Group. "They don't want to add back one-for-one on headcount, inventory and operating cost as the economy recovers and volume returns. Rather, they see continuous improvement talent as an enabler to help them gain and maintain significant performance leverage."

Another analysis by the Artisan blog, representing creative talent, found that one of the few beneficiaries of the post-recession economy has been the freelance web developer sector. "As company after company downsized and cut operating expenses, the effectiveness and reliability of their websites became ever more important," the blog said. As a result, Artisan predicted that companies in 2011 will rely more heavily on freelancers with PHP knowledge to maintain and improve their web presence. So, to those web developers who are despairing about finding permanent gigs, take note: Freelancing may be the way to go.

As tough as it still is out there, perhaps the time has come for job seekers to stop blaming the poor economy for the lack of plentiful jobs and to look instead at your tactics. Are you promoting the skills that are in demand? Are you letting prospective employers know you're willing to innovate and solve their efficiency problems? Now is the time to do so.

Randy Woods writes about job-search tools, networking techniques and other tips to help you land your dream job.

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