Job Seeking Trends for 2018

Job Seeking Trends for 2018 The New Year is right around the corner. If you had a job change in mind or you are currently seeking work, there are some job trends you should be aware of for 2018. Usually, the Holiday Season is a slow time of year for finding work, but it does not mean you should stop looking and prepare yourself for next year!Hiring for PersonalityThe competition is still great for job seekers with currently more than 7.1 million unemployed workers in the US, a number that has barely budged since August 2017. That means lots of people will be going up for jobs and recruiters and hiring managers will be very busy.Hiring managers will be looking for candidates with core skills for specific jobs. However, personality traits will become more important as employers look more for people who fit the company culture.People will no longer be hiring just from your resume, alone. A resume can only convey a personality so much. The ability to interview, trainability, and how you communicate afterward will w eigh greatly on a hiring manager’s decision. Your core skills still matter, yes, but they will not be enough in 2018. You will also have to follow up.Social Media Footprint Will Become More ImportantA survey performed in June 2017 showed that employers were screening candidates more than ever before. 70% of employers now look at the social media footprint of a job candidate before hiring them. 54% of these employers said the job candidate’s social media accounts made them less desirable for hiring or an interview.Ironically, 57% of these employers said they were less likely to hire a candidate who cannot be found online.The moral here: If you are going to have a social media account, then keep it professional and only have your social media profiles on services that you actively monitor. Be your own PR rep.Growing Importance of Digital Resumes or PortfoliosThe job seeker’s most powerful tool for finding work is the internet. It is useful for networking, applying for jobs, comm unicating, and searching for available jobs. It is also a way for people to represent themselves as “the ideal candidate”.A good idea for 2018 is to find yourself a resume writer and start creating digital resumes and portfolios. More and more employers will be using internet tools to find you that way in 2018, so you need to have a professional digital resume or portfolio.In 2018, digital resumes and portfolios will be important. However, what has not changed are the formats and expectations of the resume itself. Hiring managers still expect a simple and reader-friendly format. This expectation has stood the test of time. Only now it has transitioned from paper to digital. Job seekers who want to expand their reach outside of job boards will rely on professionally created personal websites, online portfolios, and LinkedIn connections.ConclusionThe expectations that once existed outside of the digital realm of job-seeking will now be a part of finding work digitally in 2018.Runn ing down the list:You had better get a handle on your social media activity. Get yourself a personal website to display your resume. Have a professional prepare your resume. Be your own PR representative for yourself. If you do not like taking part in online activity, at least have a professional LinkedIn profile.Ultimately, start treating yourself as a “professional brand”. If anything online misrepresents you in an unprofessional manner, get rid of it for the purposeof job seeking. The expectation for professionalism still exists. The only thing that has changed are the tools we use to display it.