The thought of retiring is going to be a novel idea in the near future, at least according to a new abcnews.com poll. In a recent survey of Americans (my bold):
Half the population in this new ABC News poll thinks both job security and retirement prospects in the years ahead will remain worse than their pre-recession levels. Four in 10 also see worsened prospects for the availability of jobs and advancement, and, consequently, their own spending power.
No surprise there. The second aspect regarding worsened prospects for the availability of jobs is phrased in a negative manner. However, it is only 40%. This effect occurs in these difficult economic times – times will never be as good as they once were.
I have seen this effect in some candidates recently which is never a good approach to landing a new job. As a recruiter, I am not looking for a naive optimist – the times are difficult and sales cycles are extended. Yet there are still deals to be closed and almost every opportunity will be highly competitive. This economy separates salespeople from pretenders in a fast mode.
My recent sourcing activities have involved finding sales candidates who acknowledge the economy while expanding on the modifications they have made to their sales process. Increased prospecting, budgetary qualifying, time-frame discussions, etc. are all important adjustments that should be forthcoming from strong candidates in this economy.