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7 Ways to WOW Employers During Any Recession

Design by Mark Anthony Dyson

It appears we’re at the dawning of another recession, and the layoffs of 2022 right before the holidays can scare job seekers into pausing their efforts to find new opportunities in 2023. On the contrary, this job market will require creative and bold ways to stand out to employers and recruiters. Companies will always hire or reach out to great talent. You have to be visible to be included ahead of passive job seekers.

Part of the challenge for job seekers is many depend solely on job boards, bracing themselves for interrogation during the interview process and hoping to get picked. What’s unfortunate is waiting to be chosen, often by the company, as if it were the NFL draft. Many will even go with companies that are the wrong fit for them.

When it comes to your competitors, they settle for being the hired hand instead of being the shepherd of their career. They do enough to say they did something. It’s an intrinsic battle most of us fight once during our careers. I did it when I needed the check. It’s not the worst decision ever, but unfortunately, for some, it’s the only way to navigate career moves year after year.

Yes, you can have a say in where you work. You can determine if a job has the ideal culture for you. But it’s work you must do, and connecting with the right people is an essential part of the work.

WOW them before your first interview. Remember, there are no quick fixes or immediate results here. Build an online presence over time, make meaningful connections consistently, and be twice as helpful as what you receive. The result: You have built a direct and indirect referral engine (more powerful than Google).

Here are a few suggestions:

1. WOW employers by weathering the storms

Resilience is a powerful attribute to show. You showed it during the pandemic’s recession. You can do it again. If you’re telling your story online and offline, part of your story explains how you navigated the challenges and overcame fears. Show how you create workarounds without complaining about obstacles. It’s tough to do, but it’s doable. Show them you are flexible, adaptable, and capable.

2. WOW employers with your diverse network

Showing you can work with different types of thinking and people from various backgrounds demonstrates you’re relatable and are a skillful communicator. You will also notice your networking opportunities will open global possibilities for jobs. You maintain composure when it’s challenging to understand a dialect or language different than yours—or show no indifference if a culture or race is new to you.

3. WOW employers with a consultant mindset

Good personal trainers assess your physical movement before prescribing exercises. They will only offer training to weaken a weak body part if the exercise strengthens the muscle. The trainer may defer to your doctor for further tests or a physical therapist who can rehabilitate the weak muscle. In the same way, the consultant mindset finds the problem, facilitates team solutions whenever possible, and targets, plans, and implements short and long-term fixes.

4. WOW employers, with your agility

Job seekers who are getting it done are adding skills valuable to many different industries. They also invest in the training instead of expecting a company to pay for it. They perpetually scale their careers and prioritize networking to connect with employers, recruiters, and referrers.

5. WOW employers with a bold delivery of solutions

While video applications have yet to be widely used to apply for jobs, it increases the chances recruiters and employers will get to know and grow to trust you. When using these mediums as storytelling tools, you can ensure ways to be memorable. Creating a podcast or being a guest on a podcast, radio, video, or television show changes how you are remembered and valued.

6. WOW employers with your use of video

Video can help you reach employers in many ways, and you can optimize its use on LinkedIn Live and Instagram Stories. Recruiters and employers actively use both, and there is a growing use of Instagram to show their culture and employees as brand ambassadors.

7. WOW employers by extending your resume to the web

Your resume needs more than accomplishments and results to stand out in a competitive job market. Blogs, vlogs, and podcasts are slowly growing as a way for job seekers to demonstrate expertise. An article on JobMob.co.il shows 17 examples of people who found creative and bold ideas to present their credentials to target employers. When it didn’t work for the original target employer, it helped them stand out to other companies like the intended employer.

It takes time to find out what employers want at the beginning of your job search. Since so many job candidates don’t have anything, online employers want to see, for you, it’s where you want to lead them. So many people need to put in the consistency and the thought to build an impressive online presence.

Consider this advice an opportunity to make it easy and insightful for employers to find you and, at times, discover you before you know they are looking.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Forget A.I.: 10 Never-Changing Job Search Tactics to Use in Years to Come

Forget A.I.: 8 Never-Changing Job Search Tactics to Use Today and in Years to Come by Mark Anthony Dyson

Despite all the talk about how A.I. is taking over industries, pushing people out of jobs, and reshaping the hiring process, I’m here to tell you that as long as “human” remains a central element of “human resources,” you can rely on a few surefire job search tactics that reach people.

Here are some timeless ways to find job search and career success today:

1. A Well-Written Resume

Many career analysts and insiders claim the resume is dead, but you have permission to ignore them at least for one more year. Many companies still use screening technologies that hinge on parsing resumes, so a well-written, keyword-rich document is crucial to your career.

2. Consulting and Independent Contracting

You’ve heard the predictions that more and more people will become independent contractors over the next few years. Why not get in on the trend now? Nothing will ever replace human-to-human business activity, and this is one area where advances in technology are set to help instead of hinder. Thanks to smartphones, you can be easily accessible to your clients and offer the kind of on-demand services that so many organizations want now.

3. Flaunting Your Recommendations

LinkedIn recommendations are a powerful way to publicize your value to the world. Last year, I heard the story of a virtual assistant who received high praise from a businesswoman on LinkedIn. The post was viewed more than 10,000 times and generated hundreds of comments – many from people hoping to hire the assistant.

4. Networking

Networking’s value can never be overstated. Everything is networking, and networking is everything. Don’t forget to explore how to leverage your “weak ties” on social networks.

5. Staying in Touch With Your Field

Staying current on the latest trends and involved in relevant conversations helps you to actively promote your brand, your work, and your value. It will also keep you informed of what changes might be on the horizon for your industry – which lets you get the jump on those changes and position yourself for success.

6. Producing Content

Producing audio or visual content that presents your original thoughts to the world can be nerve-racking, but it’s necessary. This content produces value for other people – including people who may want to hire you based on how great your content is.

7. Volunteering

I call volunteering “the new work experience.” Not only does volunteering show employers you’re proactive and passionate, but it also gives you a chance to sharpen your current skills and develop new ones. Volunteer work with the right organization allows you to achieve your goals, learning outcomes, and marketability.

8. Soft Skills and Personality

Hiring managers and other decision-makers want to envision themselves working with you. Set yourself apart by using your soft skills and personality to show off how much you’ll thrive at their company. Don’t limit your conversations to dry, technical matters. Exchange ideas, share stories, laugh a little – start adding value before you’ve even got the job.

9. Emotional Intelligence

My friend, workplace futurist, and author Alexandra Levit told me a few years ago, “Professionals must “develop the skills they need to compete with small machines: empathy, intuition, judgment, and interpersonal sensitivity.” Machines aren’t programmed for emotional intelligence. Only humans can employ these attributes without relying on anyone to process them.

10. What tech-relevant tools are in your industry?

The easier you can navigate the constant changing of technology, the interviewer can imagine you in their vacant role. Employers today prefer less time training for more contributions by new hires. It’s better to invest in yourself to get updated training to control your career advancement. In some cases, you may need to invest time. In most cases, you’ll need to invest time and money. Volunteering, as mentioned earlier, can help you find a place to hone your newly attained skills.

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A.I. is only in its early stages in recruiting and hiring. In the future, it may radically alter the landscape, so pay attention to new developments as they come along. If you’re wondering about the value of your skills in general, research how many industries demand the skill(s). That will tell you how and if they could be scaled as is, or if new training is needed.

But until A.I. really does take over recruiting and hiring, the tactics offered above will help you achieve success – no robots required.

Originally published on Recruiter.com!

by Mark Anthony Dyson

6 Signs Your Career is a Wilting Plant

Many professionals coast, wait in the cut, or disengage from their job search because the Department of Labor numbers indicate it’s a “job seekers market.” Many more professionals dread the stress of the application process, scrutiny, and potential rejection of their efforts. In any economy, starting a job search is tricky because there are many things to manage, and it’s never easy. You don’t have to apply for a job to stay engaged in a job search.

My wife told me a story once of how she planted sitting for her roommate, and eventually, the plant died. Then she bought another plant to replace that one, and shortly after a while, the new plant resulted in a similar fate as the first. I know very little about plants, and it will show, but stay with me.

Many professionals work with their heads down, focused – until the announcement of your position has been phased out. Is your career watered and nurtured? It’s not too late to keep it moisturized and nurtured. Cut the still green parts, and cut the finished pieces – this is your career!

Recent history should have taught us that remaining engaged in improving and moving your career along requires more attention you give your plants:

1. Prepare and cultivate the soil of your experience
2. Plant the seeds of new skills
3. Water them regularly, growing new experiences
4. Prune old and useless weeds of skills you won’t need
5. Offer an array of vibrant and radiant personality

A plant is a living organism. Your career growth is similar to a plant’s health. It needs your attention. It will die if you’ve left it to fend for itself.

Like an unattended plant, your career lacks water (or life):

1. If you water your plant now and then

You’ll find out your company wasn’t using “cutting-edge” technology after all.
Budgets crumble, management changes, and innovation stifles, but mostly, they never used cutting-edge technology. The “cutting-edge” technology part was right ten years ago. You didn’t research or network with others outside your company in your industry to see if they claim it is true. Let’s not make that mistake again.

2. If you don’t prepare the soil

You waited for the company to pay for the training to make you marketable
When companies spend money on training, their specific business need is at the forefront, not your career aspirations. You can find other business needs requiring the same activity or control of your career and invest in the resources for skills other companies demand.

3. Oops, now you’re drowning your plants

By tomorrow, you have to update all of your marketing tools (resumes, cover letters, etc.). Just as flooding your plants with water is not correct, neither is binge preparation.
Athletes train in their off-season to remain competitive to keep their position during training camp. Similarly, successful professionals keep their resumes updated and ready to compete.

4. You may need to see if you have enough seeds

Your references and network have moved on in their careers (and they’re not rushing to your rescue)
Like jobs, former references become irrelevant and, perhaps, have moved on and no longer offer a relevant job reference. If they’re not more than ten years removed from your exploits, keep up with them. Don’t forget to add others who can offer testimonies about your work and, if possible, write favorable Linkedin recommendations for you.

5. Gone before you noticed, and the loss is overwhelming

For many professionals, losing a job is similar to losing a family or family support. The narrative needs to shift as companies change staffing, or selling is a new norm. Absorb the shock of a sudden job loss by engaging with your network, professional development, or industry organizations.

6. Afraid you’ll get caught watering other plants

Getting caught looking is not just a baseball batter’s worry but a legitimate career concern, too! There are many ways to find work while working, and it’s easier now than ever to protect your current employment. You can conduct a stealth job search easier with many of the resources available on your mobile, as well as other ways to find job leads.

If you neglect a plant for long periods, it will die quicker than if you watered them regularly. Similarly, your career goals will fade away or die if they go unattended. Then again, your career reflects the life of a tree planted that grows in water. It’s big, healthy, and often has a long life – but it stays in the water, surviving any drought.