The worldwide job market is a crazy place right now. The situation we find ourselves in is unprecedented. There are many jobs out there, but a large number of jobseekers also (many of whom weren’t expecting to find themselves so). Yet, with that being the case, many employers find themselves unable to find the skills they need to fill their roles.
Why is that?
While it’s impossible to say entirely, one thing’s for sure: the way you job hunt will need to shift in order to stand out from the crowd. If everything around you is changing, it’s time to adapt. In an ever-evolving job market, that may just mean trying something new, taking a different approach.
Here are our top three new approaches to take to your job search during the pandemic (and after, for that matter!)
Reverse engineer your job search
Stop looking for job opportunities – start looking for amazing organizations you’d like to join. Instead of trawling the job boards and throwing your name into the hat, begin compiling a list of companies you’d be proud to work for; businesses whose values align with your own, and where you know your skills could add value in one way or another.
Next, do your research. Do you share any connections with their decision makers on LinkedIn? If yes, someone who formerly worked there, chat to them to learn about their culture and what it was like. If you know someone who currently works there, all the better – how are things, what are the future plans and goals, and how might you fit within them?
There may not be an open position that’s going to be a perfect fit right now, but your aim should be to develop an understanding of – and ideally, a relationship in some way with – a company you could work for at some point. When you feel it’s a fit, make a professional approach with your value proposition at the forefront, and see what happens.
Highlight relevant skills AND complementary ones
At this point, standing out from your jobseeking peers is crucial. Invest in your application package and take the time to understand what it is that a potential employer is looking for. Read each job advert you apply to carefully; comb their website for some buzz words and key attributes to mention.
Next comes all recruiter’s favourite piece of advice: tailor your resume.
And when doing so, instead of just inserting the odd key phrase here and reordering your skills, add some new ones. Think about the skills you know they want, and logically work out which skills you have that are going to really complement these. Try to touch upon both what the hiring organization wants and what they may need. It’s these additions that will stick in the minds of the individual reviewing the applications. Yes, it’s more effort per application – but your conversion from application to interview will thank you.
Solve problems and offer ideas
Now that you have their attention, instead of talking about how your skills fit the job advert so perfectly – talk about why. What problems are you going to solve for the business? What improvements can you make? What challenges can you help them overcome? Further to this, what ideas can you bring to the table? Where do you see room for innovation?
Jobseeking now should be more than a focus on whether or not you tick the boxes. It’s about the value you can add. The what, why and how of yourself as a key new hire.
Jobseeking during the pandemic with NLG
The great thing about all of the above? When you partner with a staffing agency like NLG, we do exactly this for you. We work closely with every candidate on our books to identify the most suitable opportunities – live vacancies or not – and work together to proactively approach your job search.
The pandemic has changed a lot, but the value of a solid recruitment partner has never been more evident.
We’re excited to help – don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team of fantastic consultants today.