The Red Queen Effect

Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that! - Red Queen, in Louis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass.

Even a fictitious queen from 19th-century children's book gets to be snotty about job searches.

It's an endless, full-speed cycle this job hunting business: Network, stalk recruiters, scour job listings, pump hands, pitch, sing and dance like Gene Kelly, take peyote and learn to say your name in Middle English and write it in runes. (Well, that's almost the pattern. But you'd be surprised how often those obscure things can be helpful. Not often, BUT it is great fun to recite the Canterbury Tales intro in Middle English. My ninth grade English teacher had me memorize it. Yeah, I can forget algebra and every bit of science but that jewel never gets burned out of my brain pan.)

Perhaps even more obnoxious (and relevant to job searchers) is the fact that there's a whole evolution theory tied to the Red Queen (the Red Queen Hypothesis). Described as an evolutionary arms race, it basically says, "Oh, you can't reach that? You're arms are too short?* Well mine aren't. And my whole species' aren't. You ain't gonna last long around here." (This is an extremely technical description, so if you have questions let me know.)

And such is the scatter-patter of job searching. Your arms better be longer, your experience better be better, your salary reqs lower and btw, please exhibit the skill sets of five completely different jobs.

There's talk that jobs are opening up, but unemployment continues to rise. There's talk of salvation (and success stories), but there's also talk of frustration.

Me, I'll just push forward with the Red Queen's advice and see where I end up.

* Disclosure: My family calls me stubby arms. It goes over really well during Rummikub games when I can't reach the tiles.