Career change Archives - The Voice of Job Seekers

Job Search Trends and News Cycles With Emily Wong and Marcelle Yeager

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I was invited to Emily Wong’s Career Cohort podcast to discuss takeaways from news cycles and what is valuable and unuseful to job seekers. We are in an age where the news creates many polarizing discussions out of aged old issues. Are issues created and make news cycles for every job seeker? Emily and I explore this topic. Listen to our entire discussion and subscribe to Emily’s podcast.

Marcelle Yeager joins me on the podcast to discuss job search trends affecting her clients and their efforts.

Highlights from our discussion:

“…people now are trying to work, to live instead of living to work.”
Retirees looking for projects or purpose that fits them rather than their former roles
Nursing and teachers are challenged with pivoting to new careers
Making career changers more aware of broader choices
Some should consider eLearning possibilities as there are many remote roles

More about Emily:

She is a Certified Professional Resume Writer and a Career Transition Coach. She has contributed to several resumes writing books and is a coach for the Resume Writing Academy.

More about Marcelle:

Marcelle is the founder of Career Valet, an international career consulting firm helping with job search and resume-related needs. She is a former U.S. News and World Report contributor and has a podcast.

You are more than welcome to join the discussion. Here are three ways you can:

– Call and leave a voicemail at 708-365-9822, or text your comments to the same number

– Go to TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com, press the “Send Voicemail” button on the right side of your screen and leave a message

– Send email feedback to mark@thevoiceofjobseekers.com

Contact me on LinkedIn or Twitter for more job search tidbits, news, and advice.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

Summer of 2022 Job Search Looks Different From Here

Summer of 2022 Job Search Looks Different From Here! by Mark Anthony Dyson

With lifted COVID restrictions everywhere, you can expect people will not stay inside unless this latest COVID concern lands in America. Your job search efforts should ramp up if you want to change sooner. The job competition is high now but will die out from June-August. No matter what season you choose to ramp up your search, a new job won’t be a walk-in.

You cannot follow the wide road and do what everyone else will do. Think of how you can tread some uncommon waters in your job search strategy. I’ve always told you job search is a lifestyle. It’s hard to do, but it’s more challenging when looking for a job without a job.

Consider these counterintuitive but unorthodox ideas:

What is it can you do to reimagine your next job? I know it sounds lofty and unrealistic, but the goal is to idealize solutions an employer wants.
Get the discussion off of your resume and into thoughtful dialogue. The employer sees thousands of job candidates with similar qualifications, but how many candidates can recreate possibilities? Show that you’ve done it, and point to how you’ll do it for them.
Agility and creativity win the day. Rigid routines have some benefits, but employers are interested in your flexibility and versatility. Employers ask you how to fit a square peg in a round hole. Will you be the one to tell them how you’ll find or create another hole for the peg to fit?
Who benefits when you’re hired? Show and demonstrate how the team wins, not just you: research and network deeper to find those answers if you use informational interviews wisely. Don’t just ask many questions and mindlessly increase your connections without a strategy.
Be the incessant learner. Those who approach interviews like a consultant have a competitive advantage. You are learning the employer’s needs before you offer solutions.
Lean into strengths and sure up weaknesses. Everyone wants to exploit their strengths rather than their weaknesses. But if a weakness weakens your ability to use your strengths, then anything you do is a liability. A grip is as firm as its fingers.
If it’s too easy, something is wrong. Another good reason to research everything from the company itself to the coworker you will sit next to is to determine if the position is as advertised. Jack Kelly, Forbes Senior Career Contributor, included me in this article about avoiding a job change you may regret. There’s a lot of jobfishing happening. You want no part of it.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

The Big Shift and its Tiny Window

With the number of job openings, it seems the job market is overwhelming in favor of job seekers. We can argue for how long, but the navigation of it is complex. I don’t know if I can break it all down at all, but I’m going to acknowledge its existence. There’s a tiny window of opportunity.

Reports from CNBC and other sources show four million workers who resigned in May have fallen into several categories. Whether you call it the “great resignation” or “the big shift,” a mass exodus is occurring and can’t be ignored. In August 2019, resignations were exceeding four million. It didn’t get the same attention from May 2020, but softer landing places were immediately available. In August 2019, there were approximately 7.3 million job openings compared to the 9.3 million openings in May 2021.

Through speculation and Twitter chatter, here are reasons people left:

Those who have been unhappy with their jobs pre-COVID.
Those who were treated inhumanely during COVID.
For those who want something better and their faith, there’s a job seeker’s market.
Job seekers who reskilled and upskilled thoughtfully and are ready to find the “dream job.”
Professionals who are betting on themselves.
Working remotely, meaning more connection with family or isolation from people, means something significant.
Some thought working a lousy job would be better than working remotely. They are leaving, too.
And everyone else in-between.

Yet, what is this “Delta Variant” we keep hearing about.

There’s more to this list, and everyone has a perspective. Whether you feel this is the time for you to find your “dream job” or a “better situation,” the mass exodus has a small window. Or at least I think it does.

The winners of job openings now started preparing at least six months ago. They are a decisive bunch. Many were just fed up. Others desire better compensation, matching values, and more money as a ring to it.

Then there are those retiring in the next year or two, but just from the job. They are looking to continue their careers elsewhere. It’s not news older workers were walloped during the pandemic. Only a few are going fishing. Everyone else doesn’t want to leave regrets on the tale. That’s a far cry from when my aunt and uncle retired in the 70s at 65.

Obviously, our desire to be free in life with less restricted COVID regulations means everyone welcomed a big shift. You add a promising summer of life resuming activities. This could be a coming of age for Generation Z. Somewhere in the coming years, they will remember what it’s like to be restricted in everything, including career moves, and learning how to do it during COVID will be useful.

People thought their career restrictions were worse than COVID restrictions for far longer. People made career moves. Some were either more determined or more ready. Others got spots in a thriving industry because they had skills the employer found valuable for now.

It’s way too early to think this job market is a great place for job seekers. The great recession brought us lots of jobs that couldn’t be filled right away. Employers said they couldn’t find the right person. Although there’s a lot to unpack there, let’s just said it didn’t help the folks who could have learned those skills.

If you’re contemplating a move without a parachute, remember the window is tiny. I hope you’re networking , connecting, and engaging those who left for greener pastures to see if and how a change is right for you. The window is tiny. It might be for those who’ve been preparing. Likely it is, but you’re listening to the chatter and the pitter-patter of feet leaving.