WE must begin by debunking the concept of ‘finding a job’. You find something that was lost, either by you or by someone else. This figure of speech reflects the capricious manner in which many people approach the issue of work. It is more accurate to replace the concept of ‘finding’ with that of nurturing or creating a job. Work is worship.

Work is how you pay rent for occupying space on earth. Your talents and skills are God’s gift to you. What you do with them is your gift to God.

A job is really a process or condition in which persons exchange time, talent, skills, knowledge and experience for some form of compensation. When you do this with one person or entity we call them the employer, with you being the employee. When you exercise this option with many other people at the same time, we call them customers and we call what you do a business.

New education paradigm

Our earlier education model was based on the paradigm that those who can’t use their heads would have to learn to use their hands.

This led us to create an education system that separates academic education from technical and vocational education.

The result has been the production of many educated people who are not employable.

Many companies also have the problem of low level employees who cannot be upgraded as the work processes evolve, because they were untrainable.

They lack the core competencies associated with numeracy and literacy needed for the building of higher levels of understanding.

At one major company in Jamaica, we measured the median level for reading to be at the sixth grade, meaning that 50 per cent of the staff were reading below that level.

In fact, 30 per cent were reading below the grade three level. The company had been spending millions of dollars on workplace training with minimum impact on the work force.

The next step was to raise the minimum entry level to the ninth grade and to incorporate a literacy programme in the work place. Today, that company is world class.

We now realise that this was a serious mistake with the earlier paradigm. HEART Trust/NTA is now promoting the concept that “education makes you trainable, but training makes you employable.” To this, a third component has been added: “Attitude makes you successful.”

Questions to ask yourself

To begin your search for employment, you start by asking yourself the question: What needs exist?. This does not refer to your needs. We mean the needs of your community, Jamaica, the Caribbean and as far as you are willing to travel or relocate.

The second question is: What skills, services or product can I provide? This helps you to honestly identify what you are bringing to the table. When I hear the answer ‘any little thing’, I know that is the code for ‘nothing’.

In the new work order, many jobs have changed from simple tasks to multi-dimensional activities.

The result is more scope for growth and learning, fewer simple tasks for simple people, but more complex tasks for smart people who are willing to learn.

This often requires higher entry requirements.

From 1998, Grace Kennedy’s Douglas Orane has articulated the position that “manual workers will need clerical skills and decision-making abilities.”

You also need to assess yourself to verify if you are a world class worker. The new work order requires people to exercise judgment and do the right thing, people to figure out what the job takes, and to do it.

The result is that workers will need to learn new skills every three to five years and face the possibility of changing careers – not just jobs – every 10 years.

The special behavioural skills needed for the new work order are quite specific:

. How are your problem-solving skills? Are you results oriented? Are you proactive? Are you a creative thinker?

. How are your People skills? Your self knowledge, empathy and tolerance level?

. How are your integrative skills? Your ability to communicate? Your business skills? Your mastery of information technology? Are you competent?

In the new work order, hiring criteria has also changed from narrow qualifications to DATA:

Desire – Do you really want the job?

Ability – Are you good at the tasks required?

Temperament – Does your personality fits the situation?

Assets – Do you have other resources that the work requires?

Your answers

If your self-assessment finds you lacking, your needs are more serious.

You now need to go back to the two foundations – education and training.

No one can stop you from learning if you want to. It is also true that no one can force you to if you don’t. You run things. Remember however, that it is better to go out and work for nothing rather than stay home doing nothing.

Under the former, you will at least gain some training and develop some skills; in the latter you will only gain weight from sleeping and eating all day.

Dr Semaj is a frequent facilitator for strategic planning retreats, cultural alignment and organisational restructuring. He conducts staff selection and development programmes for different business sectors across the Caribbean.