Blog / The Changing World of Job Searching
With many workers looking for career advancement and growth, the job market can become saturated with potential candidates. This can make it difficult for you to stand out to a potential new employer. In addition, there have been significant changes in how job searches are conducted, so it’s important you reacquaint yourself with those changes. If you don’t update your approach to job searching, you could be missing out. Here are some changes you should be aware of:
- Resume - Managers will spend about 15 seconds or less before deciding if they will revisit your resume, so you need to stand out immediately. When including job descriptions, be sure to point out what you did in previous jobs that the potential employer would be interested in. Focus on what you would be able to do for their company. Keywords are also important. Find specific skills or qualifications that were used in the job posting and use those same keywords in your resume.
- Cover Letters - Although cover letters are not as common as they once were, they are still used. Write less in your letter and use bullet points, highlighting your skills. Use the cover letter as an opportunity to offer new information the resume does not provide.
- Networking - It doesn’t matter if people are in your industry or outside of it, if they are influential, you want them in your network. The more contacts you can make, the better chance you have of “talking to the right person at the right time”. Building relationships and networking is crucial in order to be successful in today’s job market.
- Social Media - The biggest change in job searching in the last ten years is social media. You can use Linkedin to establish a name for yourself that goes well beyond your resume. Since potential employers will more than likely look at your Linkedin account when considering hiring you, you want to add information that enhances what is already in your resume.
With the growth of technology, many things about job searching have changed. To ensure your approach is sound, you need to use the latest tools. Try following some of these suggestions and you’ll be landing job interviews and job offers in no time.