The Great Resignation & Career Opportunities in 2022!

We're right in the middle of what's been called "The Great Resignation," with a record number of professionals saying goodbye to their employers. Professionals are leaving their jobs because of work / life balance issues, job dissatisfaction and strong desire for remote work which offers greater flexibility.

A recent poll I conducted on LinkedIn in November 2021 suggests that 40% of professionals are not happy in their current roles and are looking to move ASAP.

The good news is that if you're looking to shift jobs, you're in luck. It's a job seeker's market out there now - and that's going to continue well into 2022. Many companies are relying heavily on ATS screening software to scan CVs and rank candidates based on keywords, experience and qualifications. On top of this employers will be looking for candidates that can prove their business value and deliver results.

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is human resources (HR) software that acts as a database for job applicants. ATS are used by companies of all sizes to organise, search, and communicate with large groups of applicants. It's estimated that 99% of Fortune 500 companies use an ATS as part of their recruiting strategy. The market size of applicant tracking system companies is reportedly in the 350 range, though many of them have only a few hundred clients. The most common ATS are Workday, Taleo Recruiting, iCIMS Talent Platform, SAP SuccessFactors, Jobvite, Greenhouse, Bullhorn, LinkedIn Recruiter, Lever and Recruiterbox.

On average 250 people apply for a typical job and around 10 will be interviewed. It's estimated based on recruiter feedback that 75% of CVs will never be seen by human eyes.

Here are 4 elements you can add to your CV / Resume to help land interviews fast

✅ A value proposition statement and profile written in a feature followed by benefit style can help build your personal brand. These are key elements used when marketing and selling products and can be translated for personal use to build a CV / Resume that delivers results.

✅ A list of key skills and phrases that are relevant to your chosen direction or the job that you're applying for

✅ Key Achievements that substantiate your skill set and business value, including a description of the situation, the actions you took and a result including qualitative and quantitative metrics.

✅ Recommendations - these act as a review of your service. Reviews are used in business to help build trust and sell products. I suggest strategically gathering recommendations on LinkedIn and using 2-3 at the bottom of your CV / Resume to build trust.

You also need to ensure your CV is error free and the grammar is perfect. I suggest installing Grammarly - a free AI-powered writing assistant to help you compose bold, clear and mistake-free writing online.

Whats the ideal length of a CV?

CVs are not just written for human eyes and I believe the 1-2 page CV is a dinosaur because the ATS typically doesn't care about the length of your CV - content is king when it comes to search engine optimisation (SEO). You still need to keep in mind that a recruiter will care about the length but in my 14 years of CV writing 3 pages is the best length and strikes a balance with database and human scans. *This is based on professionals with over 10 years of experience...

I suggest using a clean 3 page CV design with a clear hierarchy. Try and keep an eye on your keyword density, include titles, functional and hard skillsets to help you beat the ATS scan. More relevant content - more chance of ranking high.

CVs are sales documents - you are the product and we are trying to sell you to the highest bidder! When designing your CV keep in mind their are 3 stages you need to pass to land an interview.

1. ATS Scan

2. Recruiter (Real Person Review)

3. Hiring Manager (Decision Maker Review)

Achievement based stories using qualitative / quantitative metrics are what help deliver value and influence a hiring decision. Using recommendations on a CV is a fairly new technique to substantiate your claims and show personality, it also de-risks your CV. But showcasing all of this information requires at least 3 pages.

Tools and services to help with your job search

Teal enables you to easily store jobs you're interested in, track your progress, and make your applications stand out. You can bookmark, analyse, take notes and track your job applications all under one roof. I particularly love the keyword identification tool!

Bigger Fish - Executive Branding offers Executives, Managers & Engineers professional CV Writing, LinkedIn Writing and Interview Coaching services, ensuring you have the competitive edge and secure interviews fast.

LinkedIn Premium enables users to take more control of their networking and achieve better results. This is largely because users can build more connections by utilising the InMail feature, gain valuable insights into their LinkedIn profile and see all the people who have viewed their profile.

Grammarly a free AI-powered writing assistant to help you compose bold, clear and mistake-free writing online.

Merry Christmas to all my subscribers! May 2022 bring you and your family every success!