An excerpt from a white paper on the state of the job hunt, with insight from top professionals.
By Arnie Fertig
The changing nature of résumés, use of applicant tracking systems, LinkedIn and other social media sites, Skype video conferencing, big data applications and more are all impacting the way employers and hope-to-be-employees find, communicate and interact with each other.
Employers have ever more candidates to evaluate in their search for the perfect fit solution to their need for talent. And in the continuing wake of the Great Recession, career expectations have changed for new grads trying to get a career started, baby boomers with dated skills and just about everyone in between.
With so much chatter online and elsewhere about the changing landscape, it can be difficult to determine what the real story is, what trends are newly emerging and where we are all heading.
The following 10 points are excerpted from the report with permission from the Career Thought Leaders Consortium:
- There is increased use of targeting to build company brand as an employer of choice to ideal candidates. Online and offline tools are being used to actively engage with potential candidates, and helping prospects navigate the organization to create interest and determine fit.
- Mobile apps will be the next big thing for applying for jobs. This trend has already emerged and is projected to grow rapidly.
- Younger job seekers approach career communications differently. Millennials are more comfortable with video and online representation. They think a paper resume is stagnant; they can’t “post or tweet” it. They are shunning email.
- Recruiters are overwhelmed with various technologies and crunched for time. The average resume review time was 20–30 seconds. Now, six seconds is the reported norm. Recruiters won’t consider candidates who don’t connect with the employers’ problems.
- Resumes will become an aggregation of social media. Some project less content but with more links to work, social media, video bios, contact options, infographics, and other online bio bits.
- LinkedIn is a complement to the resume, not a mirror. LinkedIn profiles should be more personal and more engaging than a resume. And as LinkedIn has become more robust, with the capability to link files, videos, portfolios, and other beneficial information, it often provides a portrait that is richer and deeper than a resume. Multimedia presentations, projects, and videos are more common elements of LI profiles. Summaries continue to become more creative in presenting motivation, passion, and individuality.
- Twitter is valuable for following companies and searching for job postings. Unlike LinkedIn and Facebook, recruiters on a low budget can post opportunities for free.
- Group interviews are commonplace, and candidates need to prepare for both scenarios: either responding to a team of interviewers, or being one of several candidates being interviewed in the same session.
- Companies are using writing exercises. Candidates may be asked to write emails introducing themselves to the company – or be required to discuss what they will accomplish in the first few weeks in the job. Even for internships, writing samples are being required.
- Follow-up/thank-you notes are most commonly sent by email, ideally within 24 hours of an interview. Candidates should reference key points uncovered during the interview and provide evidence about how they would approach these challenges.
When you keep these insights in mind as you create your own job search strategy, you will have a better understanding of the process as a whole, and you will be able act on tips that will foster your success.
Article link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2014/03/04/10-emerging-job-search-trends-tips-and-tactics