Why Aren’t We Geeking The Job Search?

Let's be honest here, my progeek kin (Progeekin?), the job search is a nightmare.  if you have your own business, the search for clients is probably somewhat saner, but I'm not ready to reach that conclusion because I'll probably get a good talking-to from people with their own businesses.

But anyway, it stands, the job search is crazy.  HR is ossified, overstressed, or both.  Recruiters slog through insanity for us, but need our help.  The resume and cover letter are a pain.  Job search sites are sometimes not helpful, and the more they experiment, the worse it gets.  The interview process is . . . well, you get the idea.

OK we know it's awful.  Part of what I post here is how to deal with the job search, along with my usual random complaints and charmingly witty observations.

But I just want to post a question here for us to think of – what are we doing to change this?

We're geeks, for Roddenberry's sake.  We built most of the technology we use to do the job search we complain about.  We know how to do things with Word Processors most people can't dream of.  We build web pages for fun.

So what are we doing to improve the job search for ourselves if not others?  How are we innovating?  What are we sharing?

My guess is there is a lot of innovation, but it's individual, it's in pockets, it's here and there.

My guess is we've got good ideas but we're afraid to try them as they may be too wild.

My guess is in some cases we're right that our ideas are crazy, but hey wouldn't you want to try them just once?

My guess is the economy is so bad we don't want to take chances.

But you know what?  it needs to change.  So why aren't we geeking the job search and improving it?

Steven Savage