We are in one of the most interesting labor and financial markets in recent memory.
Unemployment is historically low, GDP and consumer spending are up, however financial markets are tenuous with elections and global conflicts along with major companies tightening their belts on hiring after 2+ years of crazy spending to recover lost talent from CV-19.
What does this mean for people currently seeking employment? The good news is that, right now, there are almost 6,900,000 open jobs on LinkedIn. Today.
And these are just jobs on LinkedIn, not including other platforms AND jobs not even posted that you don’t know about.
More good news is that companies are preparing or have already prepared their hiring budgets for 2023 and beyond.
They will likely not be overestimating previous forecasts that had Covid-19 estimates in an unprecedented hiring climate.
Market segments like professional services, hospitality, clinical healthcare field roles, project management, supply chain and manufacturing prospects look strong for 2023. Financial markets have also responded favorably to the recent slight reduction in inflation numbers, so hopefully that will continue in the right trend and accelerate company investments and need for talent in other segments.
For those job seekers on the hunt, make sure to take a breath amid market uncertainties and be razor sharp diligent in your approach to land your next role, focusing on these key steps:
1. Get Your House in Order
Make sure your resume and online profiles are not only up to date, but pinpoint alignment of your primary core skills and accomplishments to the job for which you are applying.
2. Be Clear About Location, Location, Location
Make sure that you are VERY clear about your current location, openness to hybrid, remote or on-site work and areas/HQs that you may be willing to travel to for quarterly/monthly meetings, QBRs and check-ins with your corporate parent
3. Don’t Spray & Pray – READ the Job Description!
“Spraying and Praying” infers a haphazard approach to job search where people apply to everything without actually reading the job description.
Applicants see a title that may be part of what they did without looking at the level, the role, the function and the location of where that role sits
I cannot stress this enough – READ the job description!
The better you comprehend the role and how you directly match your experience and messaging to that role, the better shot you have.
4. Be a Detective – Track Down That Hiring Manager
Job platforms can certainly appear like a “Black Hole of The Application Abyss”, which can be very much the case, especially when job applicants don’t practice the above steps.
I hear it all the time: “I apply and apply and apply, but I hear nothing back.”
More times than not, job descriptions state the department or reporting line of where that role sits.
Final Thoughts
Take matters into your own hands. Put on your Detective Hat, research that company and department, and see if you can find that hiring manager or senior hiring manager on LinkedIn or the company’s web site, send them a simple, detailed and direct note with your resume attached and/or call them. You might surprise yourself.
Good luck with your searches and endeavors for the rest of this year and beyond – happy hunting!