Recently, Fortune published some advice from Verizon’s SVP and Chief Talent Officer, Christina Schelling. In a brutal job market, Schelling offered some advice to help young job seekers stand out. She told Fortune, “I always tell people to do a stretch assignment or volunteer to be a part of a project. No one’s going to say no to free work and turning down additional resources.”
Last year, Fortune published advice from Squarespace CMO Kinjil Mathur. Mathur recalled how, in college, she called up businesses and offered to work for free. That “foot in the door” helped her first job after college.
That advice is easy to dispense from a cushy office and secure role as part of a company’s leadership team. Neither of these leaders has searched for a job in today’s market, and it’s safe to say that things have changed substantially since they were young job seekers.
The advice likely feels hollow as long-term unemployment in the U.S. (defined as unemployment longer than 27 weeks) keeps growing. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, long-term unemployment has reached its highest level since early 2022.
The job market is bleak, and the advice is incredibly tone deaf. So what advice should jobseekers follow?
Working for free is worker exploitation
In the U.S., the Department of Labor has strict guidelines about unpaid internships. Courts have recognized that there is a line and, if crossed, the student becomes an employee and is entitled to compensation. Mathur’s example of calling up employers and offering to work for free might have been a labor violation on the employer’s part.
Schelling’s statement, “No one’s going to say no to free work,” is particularly telling. It benefits the employer and not necessarily the employee. The employee has to hope that the additional time and effort will be the experience needed to land a future role. (And, of course, this advice doesn’t work for anyone currently unemployed.)
This market is bad enough without telling workers — especially those early in their careers — that the only way to get ahead is to work for free. People still have bills to pay and groceries to buy. If someone has the ability to volunteer for a non-profit while unemployed, go for it, and it could certainly look good on a resume. But working for free for a for-profit company is a WILD take.
I’ve written before that people should say “no” to corporate volunteerism, or working outside of one’s defined, paid role. Extra work should come with extra pay, not just a potential boost on a resume. In fact, such work might not benefit you at all.
A friend of mine told me that she had been doing the work of a Director at her company, but without the formal title. As a result, she was having trouble applying for Director-level roles elsewhere. She’s put in the work, but without the formal recognition of her efforts, she couldn’t get ahead.
Follow people who are *working in* the job market
I re-entered the job market in early 2021, after spending 15 years with one company. At the time, the market was on fire. I got a job at a marketing agency, even though I had almost no experience. Later that year, when I started to look again, I found another job within a few weeks. During that short-lived Great Resignation, workers had the upper hand.
Just a few short months later, in early 2022, it all came crashing down — especially in the tech market, where I worked. I lost my job later that year and the prospect of finding a new one seemed bleak. I chose to freelance instead, and count myself fortunate that I was able to build a stable business quickly.
Last year, I was asked to participate in a panel and share my advice to job seekers. In reality, I hadn’t been in the job market for two years. Finding clients as a freelancer is much different than applying for jobs. I shared my thoughts, but I’m not sure how relevant they were.
Today, I wouldn’t feel comfortable offering any job-seeking advice, because I think it’s uncharted territory. And I say this as someone who was a recent college graduate during the 2008 financial crisis and survived two company layoffs during that time.
The current environment is brutal, both in the sheer volume of people looking for jobs and how candidates are treated during the job application process.
If you’re looking for a job and struggling, get your advice from someone who is actively working in the market. Adam Karpiak is a consultant, Erica Klics is a technical recruiter, and Bonnie Dilber is the recruiting lead at Zapier. All three offer solid advice for the complete disaster that is the current job market.
Advice from HR executives (like “work for free!”) ignores the reality that most people simply can’t afford to do that. These same execs are deftly shifting the burden from companies (who have the ability to improve their hiring processes) to workers.
Instead of listening to executives reminiscing about how they got their first job 20 years ago, follow people who are in the trenches. Their advice is grounded in today’s realities, not yesterday’s tactics.
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Wow, the part about 'working for free is worker exploitation' really stood out too me, you totally hit the nail on the head. How do these people even sleep at night?