Job looking out has remodeled since 2011; sensible job seekers should adapt.
In keeping with a recent Prudential study, 26% of American staff can be job searching this yr. Because the economic system begins to restabilize post-pandemic, a lot of staff ought to look to affix or rejoin the workforce within the coming months. Nevertheless, given the speedy advances in expertise, the job utility course of has undergone comparatively dramatic and, on the similar time, nuanced modifications within the final decade. To assist guarantee extra profitable job trying to find the hundreds of thousands that can be on the lookout for employment alternatives this summer time and fall, the FlexJobs career coaching team has identified 10 ways job searching in 2021 has changed since 2011.
“In working with hundreds of shoppers over the previous few years, we’ve seen the identical job seeker misconceptions pop up routinely,” mentioned Brie Reynolds, Profession Growth Supervisor and Coach at FlexJobs. “Most of the missteps we see revolve round a misunderstanding of how the job search and utility course of has modified within the final decade, so we hope that highlighting the variations will assist individuals be extra profitable of their job search,” Reynolds concluded.
Beneath are 10 keys to profitable job looking out in 2021 that weren’t part of the job looking out course of in 2011, in accordance with the FlexJobs career coaching team.
1. Resume-related: Focus on keyword-rich resumes
Many employers use an applicant monitoring system (ATS), which permits looking out resumes by key phrases. To make sure a resume is “seen” by the ATS, it must be tailor-made particularly to every job by using relevant keywords from the respective job posting. Moreover, recruiters and hiring managers are solely spending a median of six to seven seconds taking a look at resumes initially, so these key phrases must come out immediately as a way to appeal to their consideration.
2. Be ready for video interviews
Video interviewing has turn into a extra normal and accepted strategy to conduct interviews, particularly because of the pandemic. As a result of this can be one of many first methods a possible employer “sees” a candidate, preparing a background is an important step to incorporate into the interview preparation process. When getting ready a background for a digital interview, job seekers can both use a bodily background or a digital background. If utilizing a bodily background, prepping it is crucial. Maintain it easy, free from distractions, and uncluttered.
A background mustn’t take away from the candidate or what they’re saying. Attempt to keep away from backlighting and incorporate pure mild, if potential, or discover a place close to lighting that comes from in entrance of you. If utilizing a digital background, choose one thing with a clear and easy illustration. It might be finest to go together with a conventional workplace look versus a closely customized background. Lighting concerns additionally apply when choosing a background. All the time apply with a background previous to an interview, whether or not bodily or digital, to assist create the very best presentation.
3. Perceive AI-led job interviews
Typically referred to as an asynchronous interview (AI), a one-way interview is a prescreening tool employers use for figuring out whether or not or to not transfer candidates to the subsequent spherical of interviews. Many employers are switching to one-way video interviews to have the ability to interview extra candidates, widen their expertise pool, and assess job seekers’ expertise expertise. If introduced with a one-way interview, be ready to reply 5 to seven normal interview questions recorded on a video display (with no interviewer on the opposite finish) with about 30 seconds in between. Candidates are often given a deadline to document their responses on their very own time.
4. Spotlight distant work aptitude
Job seekers ought to rebrand as distant staff with success working in distant, versatile, and distributed settings, and carry this all through their resume, cowl letter, and LinkedIn profile. Within the skilled abstract part, state the variety of years you’ve labored remotely and embrace among the expertise techniques utilized all through your profession. Additionally, embrace “distant” subsequent to job titles within the skilled expertise part of a resume. A number of examples could also be 100% Distant, Totally Distant, and Partial Distant with Globally Distributed Groups. Lastly, create a technology section specifically stating the remote collaboration tools and different platforms you’ve gotten labored with. This demonstrates a candidate’s consolation with expertise and versatile working environments.
5. Resume-related: Solely embrace the latest 10-15 years of expertise
Focus is now expected to center around the most recent and most relevant experience, somewhat than a complete profession historical past. Even when a job seeker has completed spectacular issues for a few years, something past the final 10-15 years of labor historical past can really do a disservice to their candidacy for a job, particularly because it pertains to safety in opposition to ageism.
6. Resume-related: Go away off the references and road address
Employers count on candidates to have references, so there’s no must take up beneficial actual property on a resume with these names and make contact with data! As a substitute, references may be offered later when requested in the course of the interview course of. Older resume formats usually included a header on the high of the web page that included the job seeker’s title, tackle, and make contact with information. However right this moment, there’s no cause to incorporate a house tackle, significantly when making use of for a distant job. Though some employers would possibly must know the place a candidate lives if the job has a location requirement, it’s widespread apply to solely add town, state, and zip code of residence. Leaving off a road tackle (and different private information.) can even stop the potential for identification theft ought to the resume wind up the place it doesn’t belong.
7. Select knowledgeable and pleasant salutation
Utilizing “expensive hiring supervisor or recruiter” is okay as a final resort, however attempt trying to find the hiring supervisor or recruiter’s title on-line first. Keep away from utilizing Mr. or Ms. as a result of it might misgender the hiring supervisor. Not everybody identifies as perceived, so job seekers will need to concentrate on cultural norms round gender and language. As a substitute, use their title, and keep away from utilizing “to whom it might concern,” as this phrase is not in use and may sign {that a} job seeker didn’t do any analysis on the corporate.
8. Be selective with electronic mail supplier
Use a present electronic mail supplier, like Gmail. Others, equivalent to AOL, Hotmail, and web service supplier electronic mail addresses are outdated and never really useful anymore.
9. Have an internet presence, beginning with LinkedIn
Over 90% of recruiters and employers will look for a LinkedIn profile to compare to a candidate’s resume. Additionally, utilizing a pattern dimension of 24,570 fictitious job purposes, one examine discovered that resumes that included a link to a comprehensive LinkedIn profile received far more interview callbacks than resumes that included solely a bare-bones LinkedIn profile or no profile in any respect––a 71% greater probability.
10. Resume-related: Use a summary and skills section instead of an objective
An goal assertion was once widespread apply for job seekers to inform the employer what sort of place or business they had been looking for for employment. This assertion is not a regular apply, as a result of now it’s crucial {that a} candidate consists of the abilities they create to match what the corporate is on the lookout for. Spotlight high expertise and accomplishments within the abstract, and be sure you tailor every resume by using key phrases and phrases from the job description.
Job seekers can even now entry a robust database of Q&As from the FlexJobs career coaching team, who supply resume critiques, one-on-one teaching classes, mock interviews, and different assist.
For extra data, please go to https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/job-searching-changed-last-decade/ or contact Kathy Gardner at [email protected].
About FlexJobs
FlexJobs is the main profession service specializing in distant and versatile jobs, with over 100 million individuals having used its sources since 2007. FlexJobs supplies the most important database of vetted distant and versatile job listings, from entry-level to govt, startups to public corporations, part-time to full-time and freelance. To assist job seekers in all phases of their journey, FlexJobs additionally affords expert advice and career coaching services. As well as, FlexJobs works with main corporations to recruit high quality distant expertise and optimize their distant and versatile office. A trusted supply for information, developments, and perception, FlexJobs has been cited in high nationwide shops, together with CNN, The Wall Road Journal, The New York Instances, CNBC, Forbes journal, and plenty of extra. Observe FlexJobs on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
