The Great Resignation is the Opportunity of a Lifetime To Get Your Best Job Ever- Here is How!

 

OJ Great Resignation

The "great resignation" is alive and well. Since August of 2021, over 4 million people have quit their jobs…each month! Pre-Covid, this would indicate a booming economy. But just like the pandemic, nothing is normal, and the job market is certainly no exception. The good news is that this employment anomaly may be the a once in a lifetime event that can excel your career path!

Not only is everyone quitting, no one is going back to work either. The labor participation (number of people working at any given time) is also down by 4 million since the pandemic's beginning. A large percentage of this group consists of millennials and women with families. Instead of returning to work, many millennials started their businesses and found side hustles to pay the bills. Women have given up their jobs to homeschool their children during the pandemic and have not decided if or when they are going back to work. Finally, there are 1.5 jobs open today for anyone looking for a job. If you add all this up, your chances of getting a great job today are better than ever before.

To make sure you take advantage of this excellent job market, you have to prepare yourself to make sure you get a job and a great job. Many job seekers are making the big mistake of thinking they don't have to "work" the job search hard since employers hire anyone. This is fake news. Here is how to take advantage of this once in a lifetime hiring opportunity:

  1. Before starting a new job search, consider staying at your current company. If your current job is good, maybe you can make it better. Employers are rolling out the red carpet right now to retain their employees. This is an excellent opportunity to go to your employer with your list of "demands"; which is the same list you will use to size up a new employer. This list includes pay increases, flexible work schedules, promotion timetables, training opportunities, and employee safety. You will find out in a short period of time if your employer is in a position to meet your needs. If not, other employers will be glad to hire your services.
  2. No More Excuses. So many jobs are open because this pandemic has virtually locked down people's careers. The health concern is genuine, but companies hiring with great jobs (remote and onsite) have done everything to make sure you are safe at work. Begin the interview NOW before this pandemic is over and 4 million people rush back into the marketplace.  
  3. Your Resume and LinkedIn Profiles Must Be Optimized. Thinking that employers are so desperate, they will hire anyone is a recipe for disaster. Why are so many job seekers not even getting interviews with so many jobs open? We just finished a project with the State of Florida, and we hired 435 people. To get to that number, we reviewed over 11,000 resumes. Only 2,000 of those people made the interview process. Nine thousand people who hit the apply button had resumes with no clear objective relevant to the job or lack of precise work experience. Your resume has to virtually "mirror" the job description so the robots (applicant tracking systems) and humans can quickly determine whether you should be called for an interview. (Here is the best resume optimization video in the world). Your resume doesn't get a job…it gets an interview!
  4. Use Your Network (even if you don't think you have one) To Get Great Job Leads. Tired of going to sites like Indeed, applying to 100 jobs, and never hearing back when you are being told employers are desperate?  You are not alone. This is a great time to use your network to ask them if they know who may be hiring someone with your skills. Some of the best jobs out there (and easy to get) are from word of mouth and employee referrals. Go to your Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or TicTok and reach out to your connections and ask them in a message, "Do you know if your company is looking for someone in xyz skill." You will be surprised by how many responses you will get. Better yet, most of these jobs are not posted anywhere, so that you may be the only one in line for the job!
  5. Research is King.   Stop going to the big job boards and just applying to any job with the same resume. To take advantage of all the open jobs available today, focus exclusively on the type of job you want, the work conditions (remote, flex, in office), location, pay, and benefits. When you find jobs that meet your requirements, apply directly to those companies with that optimized resume. If you see two to three companies a day that meets your needs, you will have much more success than just applying to anything. 

The great resignation is opening up opportunities that rock. Companies are ready to hire motivated, trainable and people in the long run. If your job or company isn't meeting your career demands, you will never find a better time to make a change!

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