Applicants willing to take jobs with unfavorable conditions
By Cindy Krischer Goodman
cgoodman@MiamiHerald.com

Cheryl Siedlik, a business analyst, enjoys spending evenings with her husband. On a recent job interview, she was asked whether she would accept a position with night hours. Seitlik immediately answered yes. ``My thinking was that I would just get my foot in the door.''
Unemployed seven months, Siedlik, like other job seekers, has redefined her compromises tied to work life issues. Listen in on a job interview and you rarely will hear the conversations raised that once took place. Yesterday's deal killers such as tedious commutes, long hours and travel no longer factor into whether candidates accept a job. ``People are open to things they never would have considered,'' Siedlik says.

Employers now have the upper hand. Manpower's Employment Outlook Survey found that 73 percent of more than 28,000 employers surveyed expect no change in hiring plans. Even worse, companies still are cutting workers. Challenger reports January had the highest job-cut tally in five months.

Deal killers tend to differ depending on personal situations. For example, Siedlik will compromise on hours, pay, even title, but not on employers' unrealistic expectations. She recently interviewed for a position similar to the one she left, but at a company in a different industry.

Running lean, the company didn't have the manpower to train a new employee. ``The expectation was that I would hit the ground running with no training. It can be done, but it requires more effort on the employee's part and that's little scary for me.''

In this weak job market, one commonality emerges: The longer someone is out of work, the shorter his list of deal breakers.

Americans are coming to grips with the realization that they must make compromises to pay the bills or secure health benefits, especially with the average duration of unemployment now at 30.2 weeks and COBRA coverage, the safety-net health insurance, running out for millions of workers.

Ken Kogan, a graphics designer and the family breadwinner, has been out of work for 11 months.

``I'm going into it expecting to be on call 24/7. If they need me to come in on Saturday or Sunday, I will have to do it. I don't think going in as a new employee, you can't say you are not willing to do that, unless you are in a specialized field.''

Not surprisingly, studies in 2007 found a growing number of executives, even those at the most senior levels, were asking about work-life balance in interviews. At the time, 85 percent of the recruiters surveyed said they had candidates who rejected job offers because they couldn't get the flexibility they were seeking.

Not anymore.

Recruiters now are prepping job candidates to avoid bringing up flexibility, vacation time or job hours on interviews. Melanie Rose, an information technology recruiter with Teksystems in Fort Lauderdale, says whether or not it's accurate, employers have the perception that they can be picky and specific when filling positions. ``Some even won't look at a candidate out of work more than a year.''

Some companies, for example, consider it a deal breaker if a potential executive wants to commute rather than relocate. Tim Tolan, recruiter with Sanford Rose Associates in Charleston, S.C., says corporations believe that when executives are commuting on the weekends, they literally have no down time. They no longer will allow it.

But recruiter Kim Bishop says more candidates are compromising on relocation.

Indeed, she's seen some employees do the unthinkable to avert location from becoming a deal killer -- paying their own relocation costs.

Still, high unemployment doesn't mean every job seeker will jump at every offer. Outplacement expert Melvin Scales says there are people who lost jobs and are rethinking their work/life issues.

``This has been a terrific opportunity to rebalance their lives,'' says Scales, senior vice president of global solutions at Right Management. ``Some people are realizing they don't want to go back into the situation they left.''

Those individuals typically are turning to self-employment. Start-up activity among jobless managers and executives reached a four-year high in 2009.

When self-employment is not an option, personal development counselor Charlotte McGinnis urges her clients to consider ``temporary'' compromises. ``Put out the fire. Get the money coming in even if it's not the ideal work life situation. Just know what steps you need to do to eventually get your dream job.''

On the flip side, employers are wary of hiring overqualified individuals and candidates who make big compromises.

``If they are driving an hour and a half for a job and making much less pay, it's not going to be long term,'' Rose says. ``We tell them even if the candidate begs for the job, don't give in because it definitely will bite you.''

Send your comments and ideas to Cindy Krischer Goodman at cgoodman@Miami Herald.com.

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