Career advice to those who may be considering a move over the next while!

Hi folks, so it’s fast-approaching that time of year when people have one eye on a new working year and what their plans may be personally but also professionally!

If we look at the year we're currently in - 2022: Twenty-six percent of job-seekers say finding a job is easier in 2022 than it was before the pandemic, while 23% of employers say hiring new employees is easier now. Twenty-one percent of both workers and employers don't see any changes in the degree of difficulty of finding a job or hiring employees.

Here I’ve collated some useful tips from my interactions with both candidates and clients this year thus far and I hope they may prove useful to my network -

So what can you do or what Options are available to you when it comes to your Career and a likely change over the coming months?

You could –

Reinvent yourself and really spend time thinking about what success means to you. The power shift is still for now at least with the employee.

Ask yourself - What does work mean to you?

How does it connect to your purpose and integrate with your life?

Perhaps revisit your values, skills and gaps. Take this time to reinvent yourself and your definition of ‘success’ and you'll be ready to hit-the-ground-running with your job search in early 2023 :-) 

You should take time to consider your values and find a profession that aligns with these. This will help with longevity and being happy ultimately in what you are doing.

Clarify your search targets and your Goals - Establishing clarity about your goal helps you to remain focused and streamlines your search for quicker and more satisfying results. 

Tracking your job search progress is a fantastic way to stay organized. It will help you measure your progress and setbacks and will help you gauge how best to spend your time and resources.

How to Organize Your Job Search:

You’ll need to do two things here: make time, and find a system that works.

Most applications are done entirely online these days – so maybe consider creating a folder to help you keep track of your applications. This will give you a record of where and when you applied.

Highlight Your Skills & How They Translate:

Like always, a can-do attitude is key. Also, I recommend presenting yourself as a lifelong learner. Change is the new normal. Use the 'Profile Summary' section at the top of your CV as your 'Cover letter' / 'Elevator pitch'.

Don’t Be Afraid of Disrupting The Status Quo:

The job market is looking for intrapreneurial individuals who are not afraid of disrupting the status quo

Be Clear on Characteristics Of The Job You Want:

Be clear on what the characteristics are of the job you want. Check in frequently with that to make sure the wealth opportunity is not swaying you in the wrong direction, away from your vision

Consider Current Core Values & Career Aspirations:

This is a fantastic time to be looking for work, as organizations are fighting for talent. So, if you’re seeking work, be sure to consider your core values and career aspirations, as these may have shifted post-pandemic.

Upskill for areas with Talent shortages:

Companies continue to automate, go digital and become data-driven. My advice is to develop skills for the new growth areas with talent shortages.

Network and Interview with confidence:

Focus on opportunities you are passionate about that will help keep you sharp, helping you grow and maintain your relevance in the market.

Journaling:

For job-seekers, the job application process can sometimes be overwhelming and there is always that tendency to apply for many roles just to give yourself a chance of securing one role ultimately. Whilst it is certainly ‘good process’ to have your CV Profile in front of as many audiences as possible, this policy can be fraught with pitfalls.

Applying to many roles can be make it very difficult to track everywhere your details have been sent to and it’s harder to find the time to follow up on applications etc when you’ve applied to so many.

A good journaling (tracking) system will set your job application journey up for real success!

This could be as simple as writing down on a Monday morning what roles you have applied for, through what medium (i.e. company website, LinkedIn, job site etc), job title & ref number etc…

The follow-up:

When for instance you apply for a role on a Monday, the suggestion is to diarise five working days ahead to follow-up. So when you come to the next Monday morning as a job-seeker you already have a focus that morning i.e. to follow up on your applications from the previous Monday. This way you will fill your days with proactive activity and you’ll get a real positive energy from this, which should help if you happen to be called for an interview subsequently.

I would also suggest following up by picking up the phone if at all possible as its harder to build a relationship over email. Find a point of contact to follow up with is good process too.

To summarise, your CV is your document, so it’s important to apply a measured approach to job applications. Control where you are sending it, if dealing with Recruiters, get them to confirm via email when and where your CV has been sent as this will ensure a second Recruiter doesn’t send your CV for the same role – this is vital for your brand.

So take the ownership of your CV Profile, establish a consistent journaling technique and always follow up. Treat the job search & application process as a job in itself and you’ll never know where it might take you.

Happy hunting!