I read an article recently on the Acorns site, Grow, the current economy has created a job seeker’s job market. With unemployment being at one of the lowest levels in years; the number of vacant positions outnumbering available applicants; new positions being created; and pay growing at a healthy rate, ZipRecruiter CEO, Ian Siegel, says this is a great time to pursue your next career opportunity.
So, what could this perfect storm mean for you if you are not happy with your current job situation? It means that you could be blessed with a job with better pay, benefits, and perks; you could break into a new career field; and/or you could take your career to the next level in your current field.
As favorable as the current labor market conditions are, don’t think for a moment that you can passively seek your way to job search success. Another Grow article pinpoints three resume missteps that job seekers make and one step that man leave out of their job search equation, which could you out of a new career opportunity, 1) Not using keywords; 2); Providing the wrong information; 3) Using the wrong resume format; and 4) Failing to network. Let’s look at how you can strategically avoid these job-search faux-pas.
- Most employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to rate candidates, so it is imperative that your resume contains keywords that link back to the requirements of your position of interest. This advice relates directly to my training module that teaches you how to analyze a vacancy announcement. When you decide to apply for a position, you must dissect the vacancy announcement to identify the most-impactful duty statements. Once you do that, you tailor your resume and cover letter to the vacancy announcement.
One misconception that many job seekers have is that tailoring your resume has to be an exhaustive process. It doesn’t have to be. You see, every career field, or niche within a career field, has their own keywords, so in many cases, once you ensure that your resume contains the most common keywords for that niche, it typically does not take much to tailor it for future submissions, if needed.
- A thorough analysis of the vacancy announcement for your position of interest can also help you identify where/how you gained the competencies needed for on-the-job success. This ensures that you are sharing the information that the ATS and/or the manager need to determine your job-related qualifications.
Once your resume is tailored to the most-impactful duties of the job, you’ll use your cover letter to relate your hands-on experience to the position by helping the hiring manager envision you as a member of their team.
Even if you don’t have as much directly-related experience as they would prefer, you can present your transferable skills in a manner that will let the hiring manager know that you have the potential to quickly get up to speed in performing the job, so don’t self-eliminate too quickly.
- Your resume format can help or hinder your candidacy. As a hiring manager, I see instances where I feel like the applicant spent more time deciding on their resume’s format than they did on planning the document’s content. Your resume and cover letter are the manager’s first impression of you. So, it’s much more important to ensure that you showcase your career-impacting work projects and highlight how you used that experience to contribute to your current employer’s success. So, the keys to selecting an appropriate resume format are simple layout; easy to read; showcase info with bullet points; no bright colors unless applying to a position in a creative field; and good white space balance.
- Let’s admit it, many of us would rather get our annual flu shot than to network. It can be intimidating, but if you keep in mind that most people feel the same way about networking, hopefully, that makes it a bit easier to endure. One way to ease the anxiety that we associate with networking is to begin online. Join local online groups and/or local meetups targeted to people who have similar interests as yours. You can test out the networking landscape by Googling meetups in your area. Find a meetup that interests you and attend their meetings. As your comfort level increases, go to their next in-person meet-up and have a goal of talking to at least one person during the event and getting at least one person’s business card.
The bottom line is planning, attention to detail and effective networking can lead to your next new, awesome career opportunity. Do your due-diligence and step into your best career life.
Career Search Success to You! Go Get Your New Job!
