Indianapolis Jobs are Everywhere…or Are They?

Robby

There are many Indianapolis jobseekers out there. Tens of thousands if you believe the US Department of Labor. Most every week, I’ll run across somebody who asks me if they can send me their résumé. The economy may be in recovery, but plenty of Hoosiers are looking for work.

Pretty much anyone who wants an job in Indianapolis (or in Hamilton County, Hancock County, Boone County, Morgan County and so on) seems to tell me the same thing:

There are no jobs in Indianapolis! At least, there are no good jobs anyway.

At the same time, I’m in touch with quite a few people who are on the other side. These are recruiters, hiring managers, career coaches or other people who are experts in the central Indiana job market.

And you know what they say?

There are not enough jobseekers in Indianapolis! Where can I find people to fill my jobs?

How could this be? How is it possible that these two groups of people have completely opposite perspectives on the job market?

I think the reason is actually rather profound. It’s because jobseekers are looking for jobs in the some of the worst places, and hiring managers are looking for candidates in terrible places as well.

Jobseekers often think that the only way to find a job is to look at job listings. But if you ask successful people how they advanced in their career, most of their success comes from knowing people, not applying to listings.

Hiring managers often think that the easiest way to find candidates is to file job listings. But filing a listing is expensive, and it mostly attracts people who are good at completing applications.

Instead, both groups should use the job boards as one source of information. They should then network with people in their lives that are connectors. People who work for companies they respect; people who have succeeded in areas where they hope to shine one day.

There’s tons of Indianapolis jobs out there. There’s tons of great candidates. You just have to know where to find them—over coffee conversations and reconnecting with old friends.

Tags: career planning, classifieds, jobs, jobseeker