The job market and the job search are changing rapidly. Take a look at 8 new trends that every job seeker should know.
With the rise of social media, everyone is more connected than ever. As the way we communicate with each other changes, so does the way that people look for a job. Just five years ago, the job search was still following the model of submitting your resume to companies and hoping to hear something back.
In today's world, most people are finding jobs through a combination of online job boards, their social and professional networks and referrals from other professionals. All of these changes have happened so quickly that it can be a challenge to get up to speed.
If you are just entering the job market, here are 8 trends that job seekers need to know about.
(In order to explore each one in depth, I'll share 4 here, and 4 in my next post):
- Keep your resume short – It used to be that a resume was a document that listed every job you ever had chronologically, every bit of education you had ever received and would run on for several pages. Today's resume is short and just lists relevant job experience first and groups the non-related jobs closer to the bottom. Bullet points should be streamlined and the focus is on marketing yourself with the resume rather than using it as a reference tool.
- Employers use Google more than ever – If you want to be found by the company of your dreams, then you have to be able to use the search engine to your advantage. Create a website to showcase your resume, minus the contact information of course. There are many places where you can create a blog for free, and write about what type of job you are looking for and what your skills are. You may find that it helps to post industry related blurbs at regular intervals, this way when employers are using Google to search for potential job candidates, they will find out about you.
- Use social media sites like Twitter – You can easily set up a Twitter account and post your resume on your profile. Then, get involved in the Twitter community to talk to others in your industry. As you participate in conversations, you will have a great opportunity to network with others and get your name out there to people who matter in your field.
- Clean up your internet profiles – You might not think that what you do online matters, but almost any potential employer is going to Google search your name and contact address to find out what information is available online about you. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that they won't be able to find out anything, web searches only take seconds. Do your own search to see what information is out there, and if you don't like what you find, take the steps to correct it before you apply for another job.
Stay tuned for Part Two of this series, where we will go over the last 4 trends job seekers need to know about.
What do you think about these job search trends? Do you think they are true? Let me know in the comments.
If you are looking for a job in Logistics, visit LogisticsJobsite for the best logistics job listings.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for LogisticsJobsiteBlog, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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