News: Job seekers resolutions for 2018

Talent Acquisition

Job seekers resolutions for 2018

As the New Year commences 40 percent of the job seekers look forward to leveraging social media and 15 percent aim to build a personal brand to enhance their job search experience, reveals a survey.
Job seekers resolutions for 2018

A gap between job opportunities and available talent has been quite evident in recent times. A recent BCG survey had shown talent shortage to be an impediment to business growth and 52 percent C-suite leaders had identified lack of available talent as the key factor. This concern is shared across industries and sectors.

Reflecting back on this key challenge of 2017 and learning from it, job seekers are now preparing themselves to be more agile and proactive when it comes to job search. A recent survey by TimesJobs reflects the resolutions of 1200 professionals with regard to a better job search experience.  Here are few insights from the survey:  

Go Social 

Back in 2016, a report by the Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) showed that about 68% of the human resource officials of various companies were using platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook to hire and find new talent.  Since then this trend has been scaling up and now, job seekers plan to make the best use of these platforms. 

40% of the respondents chose 'going social' (on professional networking sites) as the top job search resolutions in 2018. 

And here is how they plan to utilize the social media:

1. By following right people, group and communities:  30% 

2. By connecting with new people who they don’t know: 20%

3. By connecting with people they do know: 15%

4. By tapping into the current network and leveraging mutual contacts: 15%

5. By sharing thoughts and opinions on relevant matter: 10%

6. By focusing on relevant keywords in the bio: 10%

Upskilling to match the pace of development

The way business is done is continuously developing and growing. And there is a need to find the right talent to keep up with this pace. As companies look for this right talent to transform challenges into opportunities, job seekers have to ensure that they possess these skills in demand. Without continuous learning and development, their existing skills will become redundant and they will become obsolete.

Understanding the seriousness of this, 20 percent of the respondents chose 'invest in up-gradation of skills' as a job search resolution for the New Year -2018. 

And here is how they plan to upgrade their skill sets:

1. Online courses: 50%

2. Executive part-time courses: 35% 

3. Training and development programs in current company: 15%

New age resume

Gone are the days of copy-paste resume formats. Companies and HR, today, look for applications and resumes that stand out. While the focus on qualifications, skills, and experience still remain, the way of presenting seems to be somewhat changing.

In this survey, 35 percent professionals said that they will focus on the presentation while updating their resume. This means the inclusion of graphics and videos. 30 percent of them will focus on writing by utilizing storytelling.

Others remain focused on the basics, 20 percent to focus on skills and rest 15 percent on formatting. 

Amidst lack of available jobs and lack of available talent, job seekers plan to make the job search experience more engaging and seek to reap the benefits through networking and creativity. 2018 is expected to be a crucial year for the job market and these resolutions will not only improve their search experience but can also enable them to seize the right opportunities. 

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Topics: Talent Acquisition, Life @ Work, Recruitment, #Social Media

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