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Forget A.I.: 8 Never-Changing Job Search Tactics to Use in Years to Come

Forget A.I.: 8 Never-Changing Job Search Tactics to Use in Years to Come

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 in 2018:

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.

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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.

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!

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers," career consultant, job seeker advocate, career writer, and founder of this award-winning blog. I help the employed, unemployed, underemployed, and under-appreciated find jobs using job search strategies to navigate the new job market. I aim to give a safe place online to those with different needs, cultures, and ethnicities to find their voice in the job market. Thousands have read my career advice throughout the web as I write about everything from job search strategies to the mobile job search. I have published more than 400 articles on this blog and some of the largest career sites such as Recruiter.com, YouTern, and Come Recommended. I've been quoted in major online publications such as Monster, TIME/Money, Fortune, Business Insider and MSN. FlexJobs, JobMonkey, Aerotek, Career Pivot, and CareerSherpa listed my podcast as one of the top podcasts to help your job search. Love for you to sign up for the weekly newsletter. I share the latest articles I've written, new podcast episodes, and answer any questions you may have. The new job search is scary and if you need help, I am here for it!

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5 Ways to Use Your Smartphone to Land a Job

5 Ways to Use Your Smartphone to Land a Job

Speed matters when you’re applying for jobs. If you’re always waiting to get to a laptop, it might be too late.

That’s one reason for you to get comfortable with using your phone for more than Facebook videos and Instagram posts. Your phone is the most important communication tool you own. It’s time to unleash its potential in your job search.

Ready to use your smartphone to land a job? Try these tactics:

1. Report Live From Professional Events


via GIPHY

Are you at a professional event? Why not give a short synopsis of it on Facebook or LinkedIn? Some of your connections can’t make it to the event, but streaming it live is a way to include them nonetheless.

Perhaps you can interview the speaker(s) at the event. Not only will this yield valuable information for you, but someone will share your video with their connections, heightening your professional profile.

2. Record the Volunteer Training Session You’re Facilitating

 

Volunteering is an excellent way to fill employment gaps and is also useful for your online profiles.

By recording training sessions you lead, you not only help other volunteers, but you also demonstrate your competency to a wider audience. Employers and recruiters get an opportunity to see you in action. Published online, the video can offer hiring authorities a face, a voice, and proof of your potential.

3. Take Assessments

More and more companies are using pre-employment assessments as part of the hiring process. If you can take these assessments on the go, you’ll save time and prove your aptitude faster.

4. Engage With Companies on Social Media

via GIPHY

Many companies are actively engaging job seekers on social media, but they aren’t posting 24/7. Timeliness is everything, especially when you see companies post about job openings or receive a direct message about your resume. Recruiters and employers frequently promote job openings on social media. Your response time is critical if you want to land an interview.

5. Help Others

Mobile allows you to be useful in a timely way when it comes to opportunities with small windows. Forward job openings to your friends and colleagues as soon as you see them!

I see it time after time: People who actively help others experience reciprocation. This use for your smartphone is the most powerful of all. The more value you provide for others, the more efficient your job search will become. You’ll get noticed. You won’t have to convince anyone you’re a team-player when your timeline proves you are.

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If you’re trying to differentiate yourself from the pack, you must consider your phone’s capabilities. Employers are expanding their talent searches to mobile, and they are engaging with potential job candidates via this channel. No one enjoys the laborious, confusing, and tedious online job search process. Your cell phone is your opportunity to stand out from the hundreds of candidates competing for your dream job.

This article was originally published on Recruiter.com.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers," career consultant, job seeker advocate, career writer, and founder of this award-winning blog. I help the employed, unemployed, underemployed, and under-appreciated find jobs using job search strategies to navigate the new job market. I aim to give a safe place online to those with different needs, cultures, and ethnicities to find their voice in the job market. Thousands have read my career advice throughout the web as I write about everything from job search strategies to the mobile job search. I have published more than 400 articles on this blog and some of the largest career sites such as Recruiter.com, YouTern, and Come Recommended. I've been quoted in major online publications such as Monster, TIME/Money, Fortune, Business Insider and MSN. FlexJobs, JobMonkey, Aerotek, Career Pivot, and CareerSherpa listed my podcast as one of the top podcasts to help your job search. Love for you to sign up for the weekly newsletter. I share the latest articles I've written, new podcast episodes, and answer any questions you may have. The new job search is scary and if you need help, I am here for it!

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Facebook: Please Create a Job Search Mobile App

Facebook: Please Create a Job Search Mobile App

Dear Facebook,

You have charmed billions. You are a daily fixture in the lives of at least hundreds of millions of people. You’ve introduced so many to the seasoning of chicken, pet adoption, polarizing politics, and fake news.

Facebook is where the people are. We are obsessed with you. You know our dirty secrets, lies, medical conditions, and family news.

You also know our career aspirations, plans, and goals – even if you don’t know our talents or training. You know our travels, but you don’t know our itineraries. We tell you the great news about our careers.

Recruiters hang out here. Employers do, too. Job seekers are active here as well – not all, but many of them. And we’ve all heard you are the next place to look for a new job, that you may be even better than a job board. That would be cool because I trust my Facebook connections collectively.

I bet you would make an excellent job search app.

Click To Tweet

It would be great if the capabilities of a mobile job search on the Facebook app would mirror the search on your desktop/laptop page.

Read 8 Cheap Apps That’ll Make the Entire Job Search Process Easier

1. I Want to See Not Only What Companies Post, But Also the Jobs My Friends’ Friends Post

Not only would this expand my network, but it would also give me a better shot at landing the jobs I see. A company’s job post will attract thousands of fans who might share it, but I could easily contact the employer through someone I know.

2. Give Me a Longer History of Hashtags Than LinkedIn Does

Facebook hashtags have been used for many years now. Because people often use their Facebook pages to post Twitter hashtags as well, I can quickly follow postings and career conversations on both networks. Both also house unique content that is helpful to me.

Facebook, you have a variety of hashtags related to both job postings and advice. To have access to all this within an app would be glorious.

3. The Casual Environment Can Be More Comfortable for Networking

“Professional” conversations aren’t always the most comfortable for me. Facebook, you offer more casual conversational threads for me to follow and engage.

 

4. I Could Make Myself More Personable to Recruiters

I know recruiters and employers lurk to see how employable I am. Years ago, this was taboo because Facebook was for family and friends only. Now, I want to lead employers and recruiters to my page so I can show some personality and professional acumen. It’s the best of both worlds.

5. I Could See If Recruiters Were Human! 

I could use your mobile app to see who recruiters are – to see if they’re a “fit” for me. Is he friendly? Does she have a friendly personality? Values are important to me, too! Integrity matters just as much to me as it does to them!

Read 16 Ways to Enchant Job Seekers to Use Your Job Search Mobile App

6. I Could View Company Culture Through the Lens of an Employee – Without Anyone Knowing

Sometimes, I want to see how employees feel without the branding filter. I can do this more on Facebook than on LinkedIn. I can also find other employees who may feel the same and gather intel on culture both positive and negative.

7. My Friends and Intimate Connections Could Be More Transparent With Job Postings

I appreciate job postings from contacts, but when there is no contact person to whom I can direct communication, it’s just as challenging as applying through a job board. Since my connections on Facebook are more intimate and natural, I can gain much more information and better present myself to employers.

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Overall, Facebook, your mobile experience is king – except for when it comes to job search right now. Most of us have dropped the desktop and laptop for the mobile phone when it comes to you. You can make the mobile job search much more fun than it is now!

And Facebook, you can also help make the job search a little more comfortable, thanks to your casual environment that attracts employers who value personality. I can be fun within reason and attractive to like-minded companies. That’s what we all want, right?

 

This article was originally published on Recruiter.com!

 

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers," career consultant, job seeker advocate, career writer, and founder of this award-winning blog. I help the employed, unemployed, underemployed, and under-appreciated find jobs using job search strategies to navigate the new job market. I aim to give a safe place online to those with different needs, cultures, and ethnicities to find their voice in the job market. Thousands have read my career advice throughout the web as I write about everything from job search strategies to the mobile job search. I have published more than 400 articles on this blog and some of the largest career sites such as Recruiter.com, YouTern, and Come Recommended. I've been quoted in major online publications such as Monster, TIME/Money, Fortune, Business Insider and MSN. FlexJobs, JobMonkey, Aerotek, Career Pivot, and CareerSherpa listed my podcast as one of the top podcasts to help your job search. Love for you to sign up for the weekly newsletter. I share the latest articles I've written, new podcast episodes, and answer any questions you may have. The new job search is scary and if you need help, I am here for it!