Learn how to navigate the unsettled and competitive job market from expert career coaches and recruiters.
Originally recorded on July 18, 2024.
Hosted and moderated by: Jim Panagas, corporate communications consultant at Corporatevoice
Featured panelists include:
John Gates, recruiting executive, salary negotiation coach, and author of the best-selling book, Act Your Wage
Jenn Walker Wall, Career Coach, Consultant, Job Search Strategist, and host of the “Careers at the End of the World” podcast
Steve Levy, Co-Founder and Board member of the Association of Talent Acquisition Professionals
Context:
The landscape has changed.
Even though the unemployment rate in the U.S. remains low, many knowledge workers are enduring long job search cycles without landing a desirable/appropriate job, without landing an interview, without being contacted at all – despite submitting hundreds of resumes. It’s leading to intense anxiety and economic hardship.
There exists an inherent disconnect between employers and knowledge workers vis-a-vis expectations around remote work. The global pandemic shifted behaviors and more people than ever before seek remote or hybrid situations, yet many employers are demanding in-person compliance. This standoff persists, despite mounting research that productivity and performance are higher when workers have choice and flexibility.
Companies sift through resumes using applicant tracking system technology. AI is being used to write resumes, cover letters, job descriptions, and rejection letters.
The good news is that AMA-Boston wants to help you navigate this brave new world. They assembled a panel of recruiting and employment experts from across the country to share their insights and tips for adding some humanity back into a (joyless) job search.
OVERVIEW
The American Marketing Association Boston chapter hosted a webinar on July 18, 2024, featuring three expert panelists, who shared their perspectives and tips on how to stand out, stay engaged, and succeed in a technology-driven, complex job market.
This document offers an overview of the main points and advice from the panel discussion, which covered four topics:
- The realities of the job market
- The role of networking
- The importance of personal branding
- The best practices for video interviewing
“Don’t just apply… You have to find a way to get into the side door or the back door as the applicant tracking system (ATS) is most certainly the front door… and it’s very crowded!”
~Steve Levy, Principal Talent Advisor, DHI Group & Co-Founder, Assoc. of Talent Acquisition Professionals
The Realities of the Job Market
It’s not just your imagination that the job search process is soul-crushing.
The panelists agreed that the current job market is challenging and complex, with several factors affecting the hiring process and the job search experience. Some of these factors are:
- The low unemployment rate (4.1%) does not accurately reflect the millions of professionals who are out of work, underemployed, or unhappy with their current roles; it feels off.
- The applicant tracking systems (ATS) and AI tools that companies use to screen and evaluate candidates are becoming more sophisticated and prevalent, while also more impersonal and soul-crushing to applicants.
- The expectations of employers and employees are often misaligned, especially when it comes to remote work.
- The job search process is taking much longer and requiring more steps, such as multiple rounds of interviews, in-depth assignments, and assessments.
“Practice the Law of Reciprocity… which is so powerful across nearly every culture in the world. It posits that if you do something nice for someone, they implicitly owe you something back – so think how that relates to networking.”
~ John Gates, recruiting executive, salary negotiation coach, and author of the best-selling book, Act Your Wage
The Role of Networking
Even introverts can play this game. Start where you are.
The panelists emphasized that networking is essential for finding and landing a job, especially in a crowded and competitive market. They offered some suggestions on how to network effectively and authentically—even for introverts—such as:
- Focus on building relationships, not transactions, and offer help, support, and value to others—without expecting anything in return.
- Start with your existing connections, such as your friends, colleagues, alumni groups, and mentors, and ask them for referrals, introductions, or recommendations—something that will create a warm opening.
- Use LinkedIn to showcase your expertise, share your insights, and engage with your target audience. Use the [HEADLINE] space effectively to tell recruiters who you are – it’s that space right under your name in the profile, which is prime real estate and a missed opportunity for many!
- Tag, comment, and share the posts of people and companies that you are interested in, andoffer them value, such as relevant articles, resources, insights, or feedback.
- Write and publish your own content, such as blog posts, podcasts, or videos on topics that demonstrate your knowledge and skills and tag the people and companies that you want to attract.
- Join and participate in professional associations, groups, and events, such as AMA Boston, and connect with the speakers, organizers, and attendees.
The Importance of Personal Branding
Qualifications + Performance = Gold Star Candidates
The panelists stressed that personal branding is crucial for standing out and making a positive impression on potential employers. Develop and communicate a clear, compelling, and consistent personal brand, which includes:
- Your value proposition: what you can offer, deliver, and achieve for your target audience.
- Your unique selling proposition, more pointedly, how you can help solve the pain points for the hiring manager/recruiter. Find out what’s keeping them up at night and focus on how you can offer them a solution. What’s the problem they are trying to solve? It may not be so obvious, so try to dig it out.
- Your professional story, or how you convey your background, achievements, and goals, in a way that is engaging, memorable, and authentic. Focus not just on qualifications, but also performance by using metrics and specificity whenever possible.
- Your professional assets, or the tools and materials that you use to showcase your brand, such as your resume, LinkedIn profile, portfolio, website, and testimonials.
“Demonstrate your understanding…of the needs of the hiring managers versus your enthusiasm for the brand; reflect back what you are hearing and how you can execute.”
~Jenn Walker Wall, Career Coach, Consultant, Job Search Strategist, and host of the “Careers at the End of the World” podcast
The Best Practices for Interviewing
Have your ‘I am awesome’ list prepared.
The panelists shared some tips and best practices for preparing and performing well in interviews, which are becoming more common and complex in the job market. Some of these tips are:
- Do your homework on the company, the role, the industry, and the interviewer; tailor your communications, resume, cover letter, and answers accordingly.
- For job searchers and recruiters alike: avoid the “spray and pray” approach; use sniper-like precision and focus on the roles/candidates that are excellent matches and put your efforts there.
- Prepare your own questions to ask the interviewer, based on your research, and try to uncover their pain points, expectations, and goals.
- Have the “I am awesome” list prepared for your video screening or interview call, so that when they ask about a capability, you have a cheat sheet ready with high-impact, relevant stories to support your candidacy.
- Follow up no more than twice after an interview. If they ghosted you, give them an emotionally safe way to recover, without feeling sheepish over it. There are tactics to rekindle the conversation, but don’t be needy.
- Know your worth and allow yourself grace and self-compassion.
Find a link to the original article on LinkedIn here.
Webinar Executive Summary created by:
Michelle Massa, Vital Assets Marketing, LLC
Flexible Strategic Marketing Resource for Funded Startups, Social Impact/B Corps, Executive Education providers, and Top-Shelf Agencies.
Member of the original ‘inbound marketing’ generation; we now have a seat at the strategy table 😊
Michelle’s LinkedIn Profile – Let’s connect!
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