Do you want to work for someone else or do you want to work for yourself? Think about it. You have probably never been asked this question about your career aspirations. Many people dream about starting a business, but few do it. It’s not for everyone, but more people are capable of starting businesses, than are actually doing so. Plus, there are many local, state and federal programs to assist with the formation and growth of enterprises (see text box for a list of resources). The reason entrepreneurship is so important is over the last decade small business have created between 60-80% of all new jobs. A vibrant and growing small business community equals economic vitality in the region.

The Roanoke region consists of many small businesses providing many jobs, but sometimes they are difficult to uncover because these companies do not have the resources to promote their jobs like larger, brand name companies. Therefore, these firms do not connect to the masses in the job market and job seekers are unaware of their opportunities. Most employers in the Roanoke region are small businesses. As a result, job seekers must understand how to seek employment opportunities in a region filled with small businesses to become successful. Here are some tips to enhance your search.

(1) What is your billable skill? Many people have good skill sets, but no billable skill. Billable skill sets are desired by the private sector because these firms can “bill” customers for these unique skills, and therefore, realize a return on their investment in hiring the employee. If someone is skilled in engineering, health care, information technology, accounting, architecture, trades, etc. then their skills will be in demand in this regional economy. If someone is not skilled in one of these sectors, there are opportunities available, but they must know how to present themselves to obtain these positions. 

(2) Differentiate yourself from the crowd. To prevent from being under-employed, one must differentiate themselves by being a unique job candidate. Perhaps sending an overnight FedEx of your application and resume to the employer differentiates you. Maybe it is your personality or rapport you build with your initial point of contact at the company. Creative tactics such as these are how people get high demand jobs where competition is stiff. Whatever the tactic, be different, stand out and take a chance. There is nothing to lose.

(3) Relationships are king. For the local market and most markets as a whole, 80 percent of all jobs are never advertised. These jobs are “hidden” and are typically the best jobs in the region. These “hidden jobs” are uncovered through personal networking and relationship building. Many new job seekers do not search by personal relationships because their default impulse is to search via the internet. Also, whether someone is starting their career or moving to a new area, these jobs seekers probably do not have established relationship with people who can help them with their job searches. Monster and Career Builder have built effective businesses on this passive job search model; however, only 10 percent of people obtain jobs through the internet. Many local firms, aside from their company websites, are not publishing their available jobs on the national job search boards such as Monster and Career Builder. Invest in relationships.

(4) Spend enough time job searching and do it wisely. A couple rules of thumb have been used to estimate the amount of time it will take to find the job you want. First, for every $10k you want in salary, it will take one month of job searching. The second rule is it will take three months of job searching 40 hours a week to find the job you want. The math equates to 500 hours of job searching. Further if we know only 10 percent of jobs are filled via the internet, spend only 50 hours online. If up to 80 percent of jobs are received through networking, spend 400 hours establishing, building and nurturing relationships. This strategy will result in a good return on your time invested.

(5) Make yourself employable through lifelong learning. If you were asked 20 years ago what a webmaster did, could you answer? No. Likewise, 20 years from now there will be jobs in demand that does not currently exist. The economy is constantly changing and new skills will be required in the future. Therefore, it is essential to invest in lifelong learning by acquiring new skills to create new employment options. Lifelong learning can be informal (reading, other people) or formal through classes at an institution of higher education. Make a commitment to continuous learning.  

So, what’s your answer? Do you want to work for yourself or for someone else? Below are resources regardless of how you answer.

Helpful resources for entrepreneurs

Small Business Development Center – www.roanokechamber.org

Virginia Department Business Assistance – www.vdba.state.va.us

CIE Partners – www.ciepartners.com

VT Knowledge Works – www.vt.knowledgeworks.com

City of Roanoke – www.roanokeva.gov/econdevl

Helpful resources for job seekers

Roanoke Connect – www.roanokeva.gov/connect

Jobzcafe.com – www.jobzcafe.com

NewVa Corridor Technology Council – www.thetechnologycouncil.com/jobs

Trailing Spouses – www.thetechnologycouncil.com/spouse

Roanoke Times – www.jobs.roanoke.com

The Renick Group – www.renickgroup.com

Express Employment Professionals – www.expresspros.com