Job Search Strategies

With the job market becoming very competitive, the question you should be asking, is not only how you get a job, but identifying those jobs of the future.

This article is not a definitive overview and you should be aware, that statistics and projection on growing and diminishing occupational fields might prove to be inaccurate.  However, there are certain trends, which could affect jobs, which in turn will enable you to make better career choices for yourself for the future.

General trends

The continuing trend of globalisation

We are all familiar with the offshore call centre, but this trend continues unabated in all areas, from web programming, technical support, accounting, through to PA support.  The reality is that you can hire an Indian worker with an MBA and impeccable English and pay $10 an hour for their services.  Hence, more and more companies are hiring virtual staff, if the job can be handled remotely.  This will impact on areas such as programming, technical support, financial support, through to secretarial services and data entry.

A continuing decline in jobs in manufacturing in Australia

The Bonds decision to close manufacturing in Australia and move to China is indicative of the general decline in jobs in manufacturing within Australia.  These job declines will be the result of growing economies such as India and China taking over manufacturing processes and improved automation and productivity on the remaining manufacturing sites in Australia.

Demographics of the workforce

 An ageing population

The work force will continue to get older and older.

Those that have left the work force will require greater assistance.  Hence predicted high growth in the area of health care and support services – with the fasted growing occupations involving registered nurses, nursing aides, orderlies and attendants, and home health aids.

Increasing number of woman

Women’s participation rates are predicted to grow, as woman become more economically independent and the growing need for two incomes in a household to maintain a reasonable standard of living (by western standards).

Greater diversity

The work force will continue to become racially and ethically more diverse, as immigration rates from diverse ethnic backgrounds continues to grow.

The green trend

Polluting industries will be in the decline as emission cuts take place and the race is on for new green technologies.  So for example, jobs in coal mining will decline and will be replaced by greener alternatives such as technicians in the solar industry.

The continuing move online 

The web continues to make a slow, but steady impact on how we receive services and shop.  In spite of a recession, online services continue to steadily grow, as more and more people go online to shop.  If the trend continues, then there will be increased demand for people in expertise in online marketing, through to delivery services and drivers.

Likewise, as the trend in retail moves online, retail jobs might decline.  Plus with the growth in self-service scanners in retailers such as Big W, there will also be a decline in cashier jobs in retailing.

Make my life simple

Automation in the manufacturing and domestic sector will continue to grow, along with a growing demand from overworked and stretched workers for services that makes their lives easier.  Think domestic help and grocery and meal deliveries.

Think twice before doing a law degree

If you are thinking of doing a law degree you might like to review this decision, because the demand of lawyers is declining in many areas, as business turns to alternatives to expensive litigation and legal services become more competitive, resulting in fewer lawyers and more paralegals.

While there will be continuing demand for intellectual property, tax planning and lawyers highly specialised in growth areas of the economy (e.g. copyright), the number of law graduates on the market place will be far greater than the shrinking number of law jobs available.

If you are still not deterred, be prepared to come top of your class at law school and select law subjects that are going to be in demand and that add real value.

High-Tech and Highly-Skilled

The fastest growing occupations will be those in the professional and technical fields, all requiring the highest levels of education and skills.  (Areas of predicted growth include those in marketing and sales, technicians, service providers, managers, professionals and those in the trade, such as electricians and builders, namely skilled jobs that can’t be handled remotely).  Some predicted emerging careers include artificial intelligence technician, information broker, retirement counsellor, robot technician, hazardous waste technician, through to water quality specialists).

With increased automation, the trend of globalisation, and import substitutions, there will be a decline in the need for workers with little education, such as labourers, machine operators and assemblers.

 

 

 

It is a rare creature that lands the perfect job and climbs the career ladder, without any preparation or planning.  Ironically we plan for success for our employers, but don’t plan for our own success.  We engage in meetings to see if we can enhance processes at work, we might be involved in complex projects and we ensure that they are completed on time and on budget, or we ‘bust our guts’ and prioritise and plan, so tasks are completed every day.  Yet very few people actually engage in planning for their own career success.

Finding the right opportunities, getting a company or agency to invite you in for an interview, and competing with so many other candidates for the same job can be a daunting task.  I mean if you are working full time, how to even get the energy to find open positions, let alone staying motivated after rejection, or spending time prioritising job search activities, such as increasing your networking, improving your resume, writing complex and tedious selection criteria and contacting recruitment managers (or rather chasing up recruitment managers).

The key to all of this is developing your own job search and career program.  You need to think of your career in a different way. Shaping your career is something that is an ongoing activity.  It is not about updating a resume when a new job arises, or networking only when you are shown the exit door or your current position becomes untenable to you.  It is something you work on as an ongoing activity and the best time to work on it is when you are fruitfully employed.

So start career planning and break the whole process down into a series of simple steps, so you will know exactly where and how to find that dream job and ensure career success.

The key components to your plan should be as follows:

Program goal

Set a goal, as this will help you focus on what you want to achieve.  Make sure the goal you set is realistic, but will stretch you beyond your comfort zone, so you are moving upwards, or into a position that is more suited to you as an individual.  Once your goal is set, then try your best to meet it and reward yourself for your efforts, not just the results.

Job search approaches

Set your strategies in regards to what you will be actively doing everyday while looking for a job.  If your focus is on government jobs, then your approach and activities will be on searching job listings and developing strong claims to selection criteria.  If your focus is the private sector, then you need to select your various approaches, such as networking and referral building, contacting potential employers, informational interviewing, contacting recruiters, through to searching specialised job listings.

Daily and weekly actions

Make a list of daily actions that need to be completed and make these realistic and stick to the plan.  You could even set yourself a 30-day plan, or develop a worksheet.  Daily and weekly actions could include:

• Research industries, job or employers for 3 hours every week
• Network online for 1 hour a week
• Call industry contacts for 1 hour a week
• Contact 1 new industry organisation each week
• Review resume and revise and update
• Write to a person at a target company every day
• Touch base with a contact officer at an agency to gather more information
• Send resume and cover letter to 2 recruiters each week
• Follow up with recruiters weekly
• Spend 2 hours per week, searching specialised job listings
• Develop your LinkedIn profile
• Develop an online profile through a web portfolio, writing articles, making presentations, and developing a blog.

Identify areas that need improvement

Identify those areas that are hindering your career progression and remedy them.  For example:

• Improve your resume and responses to selection criteria
• Enhance your interview skills
• Learn how to network effectively both online and offline
• Enrol in new courses, to enhance skills and knowledge

Attitude is everything

No plan will succeed, unless you have the right attitude and understand that rejection is part of the journey to success.  You also have to ask yourself whether you are resisting the process and avoiding setting a career goal or plan, due to some past negative experiences.  Are you afraid of failing?  Succeeding?  Looking silly?  Being rejected?  What is it that is preventing you from planning and achieving your dream career?

All the planning and goal setting will not succeed, unless you discover what attitude is holding you back.  Make a conscious choice to change what is stopping you and then develop your goal and implement your plan.

In past generations people went to work for a company, stayed a lifetime and enjoyed job security.

Today, you are responsible for your own job security.  No matter what your position, you cannot assume that your job is safe, or that the company is stable (including government jobs).  So you need to prepare, even when you are employed.

Since many experts agree that more than 70% of jobs are found and filled through networking – creating and maintaining a network will be vital, so you can quickly find new employment, or new opportunities.  (The reason why networking works, is because a typical employer prefers to hire someone that is known through a network, or someone that comes recommended by a friend or colleague.  Job boards are used as the last resort, not first resort by employers).

[Read more…] about Networking your way into a job

Not all potential employers are created equal, so it is really important, before you decide to accept a job offer, or even before you prepare a job application, to decide whether this is the type of employer you really want to work for.

Remember this is your career, so before you invest time in preparing an application, or accepting a job offer, it pays to ensure this is the sort of position you are interested in and that it provides good career prospects.

Below are some vital issues that you need to consider, plus some sample questions to ask a potential employer before, or during the interview.

Is this the type of work culture you would be happy in?

We spend so much of our time at work, so it is important to ascertain exactly the type of work culture the organisation has. I mean it might be well paid, but is their an expectation that you will be working 50 plus hours a week, and that you will be contacted during the weekends and even on holiday? It might turn out that on an hourly basis, you might be getting paid less, because of the number of hours and the work culture within the organisation.

Likewise, is the work culture highly competitive, with lots of office politics? Find out, before you enter a highly politicised or competitive work environment.

Are the bonuses, superannuation and work requirements in line with your requirements?

It is important before you accept a job offer to ascertain exactly what your bonuses, superannuation and the work requirements are. For example:

Is your superannuation more than the 9% compulsory superannuation scheme and is the salary, inclusive, or exclusive of the superannuation amount (it can make a huge difference to your retirement fund and take home pay).

If there is a requirement to travel occasionally – is occasionally just 10% of your time, or 40% of your time. Being away from home 40% of the time, can be quite a burden in particular if you have family, so find out, exactly what the employer’s requirements are.

Are the bonuses legitimate bonuses and will be provided in a timely manner? For example you might be told that you will get a bonus on achieving a certain target, but what if that target is not achievable or unrealistic. Will the bonus program be phased out, once you have been in the company for a certain period of time? Plus, when you ascertain exactly what your bonuses are, make sure you get all salary-related statements in writing, before you start work.

So just how do you find out about the work culture and job?

Consider the job description and ask yourself whether the level of responsibility is appropriate and do the duties of the position sound like something you would enjoy?

Call the contact officer, or HR BEFORE you apply for the position and ask appropriate questions. This is particularly important if applying for a government application that requires hours of your time, addressing selection criteria.

Carefully consider the compensation package and be clear on exactly what your level of remuneration, bonuses and superannuation will be.

Ask around – friends and colleagues can sometimes have inside knowledge of an organisation and might be able to provide some feedback.

Ask questions during the interview (just remember to not ask questions that can be easily ascertainable from the companies website or job application documentation.)

Sample questions to ask a potential employer

1. Why is the position open?
2. How often has it been filled in the past five years and what were the main reasons for prior employees leaving?
3. What would you like done differently by the next person who fills this position?
4. What are some of the objectives you would like to see accomplished in the functional area and by the person that fills the position?
5. What are some of the more difficult problems one would have to face in this position?
6. What type of support does the position receive in terms of people, resources?
7. What significant changes do you foresee in the near future?
8. Is there any pending legislation that will affect the role?
9. Are there any mentoring programs or formal training programs?
10. What is the work area’s management style?
11. If you are hired, what are the three most pressing issues that would need to be resolved?
12. What are the most important skills and attributes they are looking for in filling this position?
13. How would you describe the agency’s/organisations culture?
14. What major challenges are currently facing the management team?
15. Do the majority of employees achieve the bonus?
16. What advancement opportunities are available if I’m successful in this position?
17. How would my performance be measured and reviewed?
18. There is a requirement of travel, how long would I be required to be away from home?
19. Why do people leave the organisation?