How Job Hunting Has Changed
Job hunting used to be simple.
A person searched in the newspaper, submitted their resume,was hired with a company and they worked there for over twenty years until they retired and received a pension from the company. But those days are gone. 401K’s have replaced pensions. Job security no longer exists. So what do you do when you find yourself out of a job? Job hunting has changed significantly in the past two decades. So where does that leave you? Searching Craigslist (most jobs are no longer listed in the newspaper like they were years ago) and worrying about your mortgage payment.
If the last time you applied for a job was over a decade ago, you’ll need to research first to even figure out how to apply for another position and get hired. Job hunting is not as simple as it used to be.
The resume has been replaced by LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network with more than 433 million members in 200 countries and territories around the globe. The website connects the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful. When you join LinkedIn, you get access to people, jobs, news, updates, and insights that help you be great at what you do. Company recruiters use this site to find potential employees for their business. In fact, if you don’t have a profile on this website, most hiring managers won’t even look at you if you apply to their company. Also, because their are so many candidates competing for each job (you’re not just competing against other people who have lost their jobs, but also college graduates), hiring managers only scan resumes now instead of reading them. The average time reading a resume is at the most 60 seconds.
Another must now to getting hired is social proof. You need testimonials, recommendations, and endorsements of your business talents and work history. One huge, pricey mistake is for a hiring manager to hire the wrong candidate. It costs a company more to hire, then fire, and rehire a new employee. This is another reason a LinkedIn profile is useful. Your page will hold all of your endorsements and recommendation in one spot. Are you seeing the importance of having a profile on this website?
Almost all companies refuse to accept paper resumes now. They either make you fill out an application through their website or a google form. And if they do decide to accept a resume and cover letter from you, you have to send them through email or an application system. But do not expect them to be printed out and read. It will be glanced at over a computer screen. This means your cover letter must be in the body of the email and your resume must be formatted to make screen scanning easy to the hiring manager reading it.
Typing is NO LONGER a skill. over 99%of the population applying for jobs can type. Target your application and resume towards the available position instead of generalizing your skills and paying the hiring manager finds something unique among your listed skills.
Due to volume of massive lay-offs, work gaps are not a problem anymore. Employers realize that hunting for a job is easier said than done, and some even appreciate candidates who have showed some type of initiative like part time jobs or starting a business during their period of unemployment.
Now that you have some tips on finding a new job, go out there and put them to use.