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Do You Know What Skills Employers Are Looking For?

Do you know someone who is currently unemployed? Whether you’ve been unemployed yourself or you know someone who’s been affected by the economic turbulence over the past four years, it can be quite frustrating. Having experienced unemployment before, I can tell you it’s terribly frustrating. Do you know what skills employers are looking for?

One reason among others, why unemployment is so frustrating, is the fact that the number of unemployed workers outnumbers the number of unfilled jobs 4 to 1.

Seems rather strange wouldn’t you agree?

There’s a gap in the skills employers require and workers possess.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics they’re currently 12.1 million unemployed persons in the United States.

Approximately 50 percent of the 1,361 U.S.based companies surveyed indicated in a recent survey by Manpower, U.S.companies are having difficulty filling open positions . Positions include high skilled jobs requiring advanced training. Additionally, the study showed American companies are less likely to invest in training than their foreign counterparts.

Similarly, a USA Today article cited 58% of high skilled Manufacturing and Engineering jobs go unfilled for at least three to six months.

Why?

Well one reason is training. Job Training is a major issue in the U.S. If employers want to fill high skilled jobs, they’ll need find the right talent.

Similarly if potential hires are pursuing careers in one of these sectors, they’ll need to find out what skills employers are looking for.

Furthermore, what does this mean for job seekers?

It means job seekers will have to shift their thinking and how they view work in the new economy.

In order to fill highly skilled jobs, candidates should consider adopting an entrepreneurial mindset. This includes exploring three ideas in how they approach their job search:

Find the need and fill it.

Find out what specific skills employers are looking for. Then find out how to acquire those skills.

Do you have to obtain formal training from a university or community college?

Are workshops and seminars available?

Google is a great research tool to find free and paid events in and around your city related to your industry.

What skills are hot right now?

Try attending industry workshops and seminars to find out what direction the industry headed.

Who are the leaders in the industry?

Using LinkedIn can be a valuable resource to research companies and leaders within those organizations.

Answering the questions above is the first step to help you develop a plan to narrow your professional skills gap. It will also help you determine how you can differentiate yourself from other job seekers.

Finding Work Is Your Business

Potential hires have to look at finding work as their business and not the headhunter or corporate recruiter. Every interview is like a new lead that could lead to a new job.

How many leads do you have in the pipeline? Look at this way. The more people you meet, the more leads you’ll be able to generate.

Additionally, treat the employer like a first class business would treat a customer. Think of the company hiring as a client.

3. Find a Network that’s Working

In a previous post, I posed the question “Is Your Social Network Working?” and the importance of utilizing your online network to find work. Basically, if you’re not on LinkedIn, join.

Start developing you’re online portfolio by building your online network. Creating a LinkedIn profile will help you build your online portfolio.

As I mentioned before, I highly recommend creating a profile on LinkedIn if you’re looking for work or a career change. Join groups and find people on LinkedIn that are working in your specific industry. LinkedIn also recognizes the “Top Influencer of the Week” for members who share information that others either like or post a comment. Begin networking people who are proven leaders in your industry.

Don’t be intimidated. Remember, they were once job seekers themselves and sat in the same seat you are currently seated.

What about you? What are your plans to acquire skills to improve your job search and career?

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Keep Networking Contacts Close (And The Competition Closer)

Job seekers should be networking enough in their professional niche and networking contacts to know what and how their competition is job searching. As hard as it is to get job interviews, it shouldn’t have to take many shots to make one basket so to speak.

But it does, it will, and you must remember: Job hunting is competitive. Know what your competitors are doing and how if they are exceeding. Then do what they do when you can.

If you know how your competition is scoring interviews and getting job offers, then by imitating their techniques, you can achieve similar results.

OK. Maybe. But there is no shame in imitation. Not to be confused with plagiarism. Your network contacts are likely on your team and competition.

Job seekers must understand the uniqueness of his or her skills set and core competencies. Although job seekers can emulate strategy, you have your own accomplishments and results to showcase. If you have researched the company, know what it takes to succeed in the position. Bring solutions to the table so you can compete. If you don’t, you lose. You know your networking contacts could help you with your competition. That is if they aren’t the competition already.

Two job seekers can compete as part as a way to spur another person on so you can get double your efforts by sharing leads, employer profiles, and networking contacts. One has to keep in mind, that the job search is a competition.

Feelings could potentially get hurt while striving to get the upper hand. If two or more job seekers agree to spur each other to greatness in the job search game, they should agree that the competition is only to keep one another motivated.

If you don’t want to, then I hope you crush them.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Book Review: How to Find a Job Now by Jim Stroud

After listening to Jim Stroud’s podcasts, and watching his videos, I knew that if I read this book that it wouldn’t be a traditional discourse of job hunting with links and references to boot. His style of writing and presenting would satisfy traditional book readers but engulf others who adapted a learning style that requires a visual approach to learning. How to Find a Job Now (And Never Have to Look Again!) infuses conversation, commentary in one thoughtful and demonstrative training guide.

He states at the front of the book that,

“My approach in writing this book is to write as little as possible. (Crazy right?)”

“How to Find a Job Now” is.the first job search book that I’ve read in the last 16 months (I’ve read many them) that I wanted to have a conversation after reading it. That’s a good thing too because Stroud breaks it down by showing you more than telling you. And for readers and non-readers, you are not laboring to learn as you would in academia. The educator in me would say for job seekers to read a portion, implement it, continue.

Here a few reason’s I recommend Stroud’s book:

1. You hear the recruiter’s point of view

Stroud explains how recruiters use Google to “source” (look for resumes) to find qualified candidates. To tone of “How to Find a Job Now” is not just preparing your résumé but also your online portfolio.

2. Resources that you have never seen

Stroud provides some resources that you are unlikely to hear if you are not pursuing a consulting or freelance career. He makes a great point about using freelancing to get paid for giving advice (as part of the keeping a job part of the book).

3. How to use Facebook to search for jobs

The discussion about privacy settings continues as a job seeker needs to ensure that the best attributes are accessible online, and perceived as negative. Stroud suggests terms to search using Facebook to find potential opportunities.

4. About freelancing

Here is a convincing long-term answer for staying employed: Position yourself to refuse work! Beautifully said as most of us would love to have more choices to make a living. One of the best sections in the book.

The book is free through TheRecruitersLounge.com and JimStroud.com. It is a good reference and guide for those either beginning or continuing a job search.