Have you lost your job after many years with the same company? Has it been more than 10 years since
Was that the last time you looked for a job? Do you know how to navigate a job search in this market? Are you a no?
millennial? If you answered “yes” to even one of these questions, you should read on.
According to a recent “Workforce 2020” study by Oxford Economics
There are some big changes happening in the
labor market, including the growing number of intermittent/seasonal, contingent or consultant workers
employees, difficulty hiring employees with entry-level skills: companies and employees are
unprepared for the growing need for technological skills and the globalization of the labor supply.
Here are some interesting facts from the Workforce 2020 study:
- 82% of Canadian businesses say they are increasingly using contingent, intermittent/seasonal,
temporary employees or consultants
- 60% of Canadian executives say that when a senior role leaves, the company tends to fill the
role within the organization
- 30% of employees are most concerned about job change or obsolescence
So if you’ve recently lost your job, are returning to work after a period of absence, or are considering
changing jobs or careers, consider some of these strategies to help secure your next career
chance:
1. Take a personal inventory: Your passions and experiences may have changed considerably since
Last time you did a job search. Start by listing his greatest achievements to date. Takes the
most recent resume you have, as you will need to decide what to change, add, or remove.
Identify any new skills, strengths, training/certifications you may have acquired since your
last search. Also, identify what you are not good at or any areas of development you need to work on.
in or direction in an interview. Take the time to really understand yourself, your strengths, abilities
and be discerning about what appears on your resume. Your resume needs to paint a picture
who are you from
2. Know what you want: Start with a review of what’s most important to you: Is it flexibility? Prayed
Is it a base salary of x? Or is it something else? It is important that you know the difference.
between what is negotiable for you and what is not. Sometimes you need to take a step back
your career for what could be a potentially ideal role for you. Waiting for a 6 figure job alone
because that’s what he earned before could result in him losing the opportunity to walk
to work or have the flexibility to work from home 2-3 days a week. A recent client of mine left
a permanent role to take a maternity leave contract role at another company by 33% higher
salary (because income was important to her at the time). It worked for her. After being in
contract for more than a year, he was offered a permanent position and another salary increase.
3. Do a reality check: By now, you may have decided you really need that 6-figure income
and a permanent job in your preferred industry. But guess that? Although that may be your
desired outcome, which may not be realistic or even available to you at this time. you need to do
some homework and that means going out and talking to people. Maybe registering with a
coach, one or two recruiters, or with people who work in the industry. The more research you do,
better prepared you will be to understand what is available to you now, how to sell better
yourself, and land your dream role.
4. Develop a plan – Doing the 3 steps above is really just the beginning. Next, you need a plan to
How will you do your job search? How will you search for potential jobs? If you’re trusting
on online recruitment websites alone you will miss out on many job opportunities as 4 out of 5 jobs are
are still found through network connections. How and when will you communicate, follow up,
prepare for interviews, prepare for networking meetings? Looking for a full time job, IS a full time job
working time and you should treat it as such. Working with a recent client, I shared that he could
expects to apply to about 100 jobs (applied for 87), meet with at least 2 dozen people in
in person or over the phone, to get a handful of interviews, maybe 1 or 2 second interviews
which would give him a job at his level. She got the perfect role for him, and he had to
make some concessions.
5. Take action: There are many, many actions to take. In the job search process (and it is a
process), order and sequence are important. Like tracking your daily, weekly and monthly
activity, whether it’s who you’ve communicated and connected with, or what jobs you have
applied, or with whom you are now following. This is not the time to procrastinate.
Whether you’re an old job search professional or a newcomer to this changing work environment,
sometimes you need a little help. You may need some motivation from time to time (or a kick in the
pants support), you may need help developing your plan, or you may need a responsible partner to
help you stay focused on your goal. Regardless of your job search needs, a career counselor can help.