The labour market is no longer stable. As the workforce rebounds from COVID-19, unemployment rates continue to drop, and competition for top talent continues to increase. Employers adapting to these unique challenges within their local markets are bound to successfully hire new employees through innovative recruiting strategies and practices.
While job seekers may feel like the financial crisis is over (and the jobs will come back!), this doesn't necessarily mean that their options are about to appear. As companies continue to remain cautious about how they operate and especially where money is concerned, it's likely for some time that candidates with expertise in areas of financial management will be all the more coveted by recruiters as a result. So just like during a recession, job seekers need to focus on getting noticed so that when opportunities arise, they're provided with the chance to prove themselves.
Make personal branding a priority: It's always advantageous to build a solid personal brand, and it's a must for some roles. Recruiters look for candidates who maintain a professional online presence. While most job seekers will optimize their LinkedIn pages for their search, if their other social media profiles feature self-indulgent or pessimistic content, this may raise a red flag for recruiters.
Focus on Efforts: To gain recruiter's or employers' attention, job seekers should only focus on positions for which they are qualified, rather than inundating recruiters or employers with resumes for any and all positions. This approach may attract the wrong kind of attention, causing the candidate's name synonymous with always being unqualified.
Exhibit Knowledge: By sharing news, information, and knowledge with their networks during their free time, job seekers can have an advantage over their competition. As recruiters search the internet and resume databases for top talent, the more options there are, the more they look for characteristics that make a candidate stand out.
Stay Updated: Few things are more frustrating to an employer than an interested candidate who fails to update their contact information. Depending on whether there are plenty of qualified candidates available, recruiters may either take the time to locate the candidate's contact information online or move on to the next eligible candidate.
Learning is key: A continuous learning record makes job seekers attractive to recruiters and employers. In addition to hiring for education, skills, and experience, employers also wish to hire candidates constantly seeking to learn new things. This can be more difficult for those currently employed in a demanding field.
Volunteering: Recruiters and employers favour volunteerism regardless of industry. In the hiring process, recruiters often evaluate how a candidate may fit within a company's culture by examining what they do in their spare time.
The workforce is constantly shifting and evolving. With unemployment rates decreasing, artificial intelligence, big data, and applicant tracking systems have been employed to streamline talent identification. In addition, they are also causing recruiters' roles to change throughout the hiring process, forcing job seekers to remain adaptable. While knowledge and experience will always be in demand, candidates must focus on the skills and attributes that will set them apart from others with similar backgrounds. They must also learn how to showcase these skills and characteristics to recruiters. Regardless of changes in the job market or recruiting technology, candidates who follow these steps will have the best chance of succeeding in the job market.