QUT alumnus Gillian Kelly is a seasoned professional career development coach, and personal branding strategist. She recently spoke at Readiness, a webinar series presented by QUT Alumni, here Gillian shares her summary of current recruitment trends.
Below are six key trends that are affecting your job search. Capitalising on these opportunities can help you land your dream gig and realise your career goals.
1. Sell your hybrid work skills
The market is hot so hirers are using multiple channels to plug opportunities and find talent. Don’t restrict yourself to job boards. You’ll get your eyes on more opportunities if you spread your net. Remote and hybrid work means hirers no longer have to restrict themselves to finding talent 30km from the office. Neither do jobseekers. Look outside your own backyard and get comfortable selling your hybrid work skills.
2. Be easy to search
New tech means hirers can scrape the web and approach applicants before the job even hits the market. Make yourself easy to find. Optimise your LinkedIn profile to include the skills being sought for your target roles.
3. Explore other ways to connect
Tech like Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are part of the hiring process but humans are 100% of the ultimate hiring decision. Bypass tech and find other ways to connect and show your talent. Strategic targeting, portfolios of work, introductions and referrals - anything that gets you out of the system and talking to the hirer. If you do have to go via an online application, optimise your content to their keywords and keep your format clean and modern.
4. Find companies who embrace you and your career journey
Covid taught us we are all just human. Things like pandemic gaps, time out of the workforce for kids or health, restarts and blips, limited experience - these are all part of careers and life. Find organisations who will embrace you and your career. Find your tribe. Not enough experience? Find companies who want to shape and mentor. Returning to work after kids? Look for family-friendly hirers. At the same time, find ways to refresh your skills or address any shortfalls.
5. Use your LinkedIn profile as your pitch
LinkedIn is becoming a key conduit to candidates but a resume is not the same as your LinkedIn profile. These are different tools - your resume is not your story - it’s your pitch for one specific job. Your LinkedIn profile is a proactive tool for building credibility, connections and relationships. Use them appropriately.
6. Brush up on your virtual presentation skills
Virtual hiring has accelerated the use of video interviewing. Get your digital presentation skills honed for both one and two way interviews. Make the most of jobseeker tools like Big Interview being offered by QUT to its alumni.
More about Gillian
Gillian Kelly is an award-winning multi-certified resume writer, seasoned professional career development coach, and personal branding strategist, who has helped thousands of people to capitalise on their talents and realise their career goals. As Head of Talent Marketing and founder of Outplacement Australia and The Career Agency, Gillian has supported the staff of workforces across Australia undertaking complex transformation, and completed a Bachelor of Business Management at QUT.
Connect with Gillian on LinkedIn
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