When an animal displays a high level of intelligence and sociability, biologists and nature lovers praise the creature for its almost human qualities.  The inference is that human beings possess the most highly evolved brains of all the life forms on Planet Earth.  However, there is much that we can learn from the animal kingdom, particularly those of us who seek gainful employment in this lean economy.

Consider and contrast the ostrich and the chimpanzee.  The ostrich, at the first sign of danger, takes the most expedient route by burying her head in the sand.  While this strategy protects the most vital organ, the brain, it leaves the rest of the animal exposed to an untoward fate. It also effectively cuts her off from the rest of the herd (there is indeed safety in numbers).

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Commanding officers and enlisted service people in every branch of our military often strategize and live by an interesting and sound concept whose adage advises, “If you want to eat an elephant, eat it one bite at a time.”  Unless stranded on the African veldt or the jungles of India with the barest of supplies, our armed forces are not advocating initiating a giant barbeque featuring a pachyderm as the main menu item.  Rather, the United States military recommends that, when confronted with an enormous task, one should break it down logically and methodically into manageable parts and then tackle each portion one step at a time.

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Several years before Taylor Hicks was crowned the 2006 American Idol winner at the famed Kodak Theater, it was a much smaller stage that he claimed in his native Birmingham, Alabama.  In a venue called The Open Door Cafe, Hicks and his band mates tossed up a mixed salad of classic-bluesy rock and Southern rock, a Ray Charles’ heartbreaker, and some of Taylor’s original material.  Peppering his set with observations tossed out to the audience, Taylor noted rather wistfully that, “The blues don’t pay.”  Quickly and prophetically, he then added, “But they will someday; they will.”

Although Taylor’s public pep talk underscored both his devotion to his music and his commitment to landing a lucrative record contract, it also presented a dichotomy.  The kind of music that swept commercial radio represented a calculated, formulaic route too narrow to allow the undeniably talented and diverse, albeit unknown, artist to set off on a path of his own making.  Taylor understood that in order to get his foot in the door, he had to reinvent or repackage himself, balancing the primal need to remain true to his musical roots with the necessity to market himself to a broader audience.  As demonstrated by his song choices and as demanded by the judges throughout the Idol process, these were the decisions that informed Taylor’s strategy.

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In an ailing economy, a rigorous job search can be can frustrating and intimidating, particularly as some sources state that as many as 85% of available jobs never appear in newspapers or Internet job boards.  While the statistics vary, the truth underlying this certainty has long been known among astute job seekers.  Candidates hoping to expand their opportunities by way of this hidden job market need to identify its most viable points of access.

Every serious candidate is aware of the significance of networking through direct contacts in the business world.  By attrition, however, the swelling ranks of applicants either unemployed or confronting imminent unemployment has diminished the potential openings available via this avenue of traditional career networking.  Consider using different approaches to yield greater results.
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In the 1978 blockbuster motion picture Superman, Lois Lane falls from a rooftop in New York City.  Recognizing her peril, the “Man of Steel” swoops down to catch the falling Lane.  “Easy, Miss. I’ve got you,” he says with his trademark grin.  “You, you’ve got me? Who’s got you?” replies Lane, looking down over his arms to the sidewalk hundreds of feet below.

In works of fiction, it seems that most all of the “good guys/gals” portrayed have a guardian or safety net protecting them from the direst consequences that life may present.  How about you?  In your life and, most particularly, your career, do you have a safety net?
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In the words of Shirley MacLaine, “Perception is everything.”  To aging parents whose health is failing, a child who chooses career over family can be perceived as uncaring.  To a potential employer seeking an applicant with a consistent work history, a candidate who interrupts his/her career to care for loved ones can appear out of touch with current practices and tools.

Once family obligations have been fulfilled and you prepare for serious reentry into the job market, the solution to the employer’s preconceived notions is to alter those perceptions.  How do you accomplish this?  Depending upon the nature of the position you are seeking, you may be able to demonstrate during an interview that your absence from the workforce did not mean that you allowed valuable skills to lay dormant.
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