Recessions change the way we spend money. They change the way we invest in stocks and the way we save for retirement. They also change how companies recruit employees. No more courting prospective employees.
Hiring business managers with generous starting bonuses is a thing of the past, and gone are also the days that job seekers had multiple offers.
So how do job seekers proceed and succeed in the current difficult job market? Let’s take a look at the following four ways job searches have changed and some tactics that may help you in your job hunting efforts.
1. No more passive job searching
Before the coronavirus-caused recession, many skilled and qualified job seekers were courted by prospective employers. Recruiters selected candidates that hardly had to do anything to land the job. You don’t find that anymore.
2. Fewer jobs, so more competition
In the recent past, jobs were more plentiful. If you didn’t get a certain job, chances were that there’d be another job just like it. Nowadays, however, the odds are definitely not in job seekers’ favor.
All of a sudden, the unemployed number has risen drastically, and job seekers must demonstrate more value and fit. Today, in this challenging market, the job seeker needs to be more energetic and bolder. We all know that choosing a career path isn’t that easy, and things haven’t gotten any better.
Job seekers are required to demonstrate a willingness to go above and beyond, that they’re ready to work hard and tirelessly, and they need to take more initiatives to get the job of finding employment done. In that way, the job application isn’t the same as in earlier days as well.
3. Mistakes, however small, are unacceptable
Just a few months back, before the coronavirus crisis hit us so hard, mistakes in job applications or during a job interview were, though not ideal, not automatically deal-breakers either.
When an applicant misspelled a word on his résumé or made a grammatical error, employers might have let the errors slide. In the contemporary job market, however, there’s no more room for any errors.
It has to be flawless. Nothing less is tolerated or accepted in a job market where there are more candidates than available positions.
So to avoid making this sort of costly mistake, you should proofread your résumé through and through and also have someone else read it carefully.
Make sure you’re fully prepared for the job interview, research the company thoroughly, and practice answering interview questions.
Your resume is generally the first introduction of you to an employer or recruiter, and it should be professional! You can find numerous formats and styles online, and if you use a good spelling correction app, you’ll definitely find the best way to present yourself.
4. Social media matters more than ever in recruiting
In earlier days, human-resources teams were better equipped to manage hiring processes. Now, many companies are downsizing, leaving their HR offices short-staffed and overloaded with resumes.
The job interview has changed as well, and recruiters and employers are more and more focusing on hiring millennials that have their skill sets and preferences. They want the best talent, and millennials are actually the first group of employees that grew up with online communication and is social media savvy, and that’s what employers are looking for.