Well none of us were expecting the job market to be as challenging for job seekers as it is right now, but I would like to reassure you that there is hope and there are some things you can do to navigate your way around it.

The forever changing job market

Job markets do constantly change depending on a number of factors such as the economy, government priorities and changing workforce demographics, and so knowing this helps you to realise that there will be a positive change for job seekers in the future and there are things within your control that you can do in the meantime.

The way you think about jobs and how you go about getting one is something that you have power to change to make a difference. Have a look at our other blogs to read more about this. So over a year ago there was an overstimulated job market following on from the impacts of Covid which favored job seekers, so what is happening now is that the market is correcting itself. Things will get better. In the meantime your thinking and actions that you take will be a big part of making a positive difference.

Optimism

So let’s start by developing optimism as a great tool for your career future. Going down the doom and gloom rabbit hole that we all know so well from the peak of the Covid pandemic, is really not going to do you any good, so you can forget about catastrophising as it is really not helpful. Instead, do some things in your life to promote optimism for your future. These can be quite deliberate moves such as seeking career advice at this time to rely on a professional’s expertise instead of trying to go it alone, without really knowing what to do. So connect with the career experts to learn from their years of knowledge and experience navigating around the forever changing job market. Not only will you feel supported and not alone, but you can short cut your way around some unhelpful thoughts and assumptions through their expertise.

WOW factor

If you have applied for multiple jobs without success, then an obvious move is to take a good look at the tools you are using. Do your CV, cover letter and LinkedIn profile have the world of work WOW factor, or are they not very eye catching? Have you had expert advice on these tools (and this means more than just asking someone who is not an expert what they think). And don’t ask a chatbot to write your CV, that’s just not going to work. It is you applying for the job, not a bot and employers like to see your personality in your application.

What about your job interviews? Did you get an interview and then still not get the job? If so, then your application documents were working well to get through to this stage, but something has let you down at the interview, so getting some good coaching around job interviews is definitely going to make a positive difference.

Change it up

If the job market isn’t working in your favour and there aren’t many jobs being advertised in your field, then make the extra effort to make connections with people in your industry. We know that many job opportunities are never advertised and so you have to find out about these through people in the know. Using industry connections should always be a focus of your job search, so it is important to meet up with people in the industry, both in person as well as online, through platforms such as LinkedIn.

And if there are just no jobs in your area of interest, what do you do then? Let’s think this through.  A job title is just that! Every job has a skill set that the employer is looking for and so there are likely to be multiple other job titles that you have the skills for that you could also consider applying for. You might need some help with this, but you need to do some analysis of the jobs being advertised and see what it is that they are looking for and match this with what you have got, even if you don’t have direct training or experience in this area. It might also be an opportunity to try out another career industry interest of yours. For example you have business skills and experience but also an interest in health, so consider applying for business roles within the health sector. And another thought is, knowing that the job market will change at some point, there is always the option of Plan B and going back to something that is not your dream job, but one that you feel confident with… just for now. A great question to ask is, ‘What is the world of work looking for right now, and how do I fit in?’

The future of work

And what if you are about to make a decision about your career future by choosing what to specialise in next, so it’s more than just getting a job, it’s choosing the area you are going to invest in financially and time wise for your future career, and you are not yet sure what to choose. Good career advice will help you to research the future of work to help you to predict in-demand areas for the future that you would like. Make it your business to be in the know when you are making career decisions.

So there is always hope and remember that optimism is your best tool for the future.

Thanks for reading this blog. Career minded would really like to help you to focus on your career and empower you with the tools to understand your career for not only now, but for your future.