The realities of the present market; It’s not the same as before….. therefore don’t act as you did before.
Beyond the individual nuances of each role, the reality is everyone’s encountering a tsunami of challenges.
Strong economic headwinds (affecting job stability; companies’ performance; increased taxes and inflation) as well as the rapid rise of AI (some fad; some really will take jobs and also alter jobs – for good and bad) and task automation in a more general sense.
All of which adds up to an unprecedented shift if what the job market is and what it’ll be like going forward.
However, I’m not a mystic, and if I could predict future trends I’d probably be a billionaire (do we remember when millionaires were cool – now they claim they can’t afford 7.5k tax on a 2mil house 😉 – bleak).
Anyhow, what I can predict or advise, is how to best tackle (IMO) the market and your job search.
I saw a post yesterday which had elements of usefulness but also a lot of oversimplified drivel – no, you don’t need to sack off job boards and become a bloody influencer. (We’ve too many already) plus, it’s only for a certain type of person.
So, some tips from me;
STAY CALM! (Stupidly simple, but similar to when my teams of old were told it’s a sales day, don’t fly in to a blind flap and think of calling everyone under the sun – it’s pointless activity over thought). Process what your situation is…. If redundant, what happened and why – for most it’s not you, it’s them (the company) – why however was the role made redundant, is it a company shift or a market shift (do you need to augment your skills or can they simply be redeployed).
Why’s it important…. There could be aspects to avoid in the future, and might help you to interview the companies as much as they interview you – poor product market fit/ wrong geographical choice / wrong people at the helm / wrong age and stage of the business for you, and what you do best. Similar it can still be applied to those in work but “eager” to get out.
IDEAL EMPLOYER PROFILE!
If you’ve done the above, you’ve essentially helped create your own search foundation. Who, if you could walk in to a job tomorrow would you want to work for.
In the past many of these IEPs would have been delivered straight to you courtesy of recruiters (maybe 70% of the time – job seeking always felt easy when you’re not actually looking). Though with tighter external hiring budgets (i.e. less agency usage), the probability of being “found” diminishes. You’re still attractive to these companies, but its timing, volume and being visible (another point shortly).
Other things to consider, aside from product / sector, what might that translate to if you need to widen the net. Are you a specialist in regulated system or product, could you in theory stray from FinTech to LegalTech. If you’re data heavy in your company, what other products might use data in a similar solution – whether it be realtime, static, on demand etc – companies want to hire your exposure not just a job title as eluded to before – they want experiences, failings, gains and war scars (lot like what many used to hire for when hiring a contractor).
You’re in turn creating vertical and horizontals searches. Most importantly though, you’re not straying and you’re on the right foot when beginning the job hunt.
Phase two – How To Find Your IEP Companies?
You’ve a variety of options;
RESEARCH
AI – Perplexity, Gemini, ChatGPT; give it your IEP requirements. Literally ask it for 20, 50 or 100 suggestions based on your employer requirements – wider the span, more vague it’ll become – it’s a lot like a human (scarily) – We start off strong and then descends in to filler answers – therefore ask it more questions and even ask it to discount the ones already in the thread. You can go by Age – Stage (funding round) – Product – Sector – Geography (do they employ in the UK or HQ there) – remember you can tweak these, add or subtract accordingly.
Crunchbase or Tracxn – free versions available and premium you can have for a week. This is perhaps more data than many might need, but it’s handy as hell if you want to find specific company types – it even says when some (often inaccurate) are hiring.
Additionally; you can also look at your present or past companies on LinkedIn and on the side pain. It’ll show similar companies. (That said it’s often a little errectic), or have a glance where your ex colleagues or peers went to the last few years…
Firstly – sort your profile out! I know some folks don’t like to be socially visible; however now’s not the time be guarded. Get the essentials down.
Job Titles mean nothing!! (Especially nowadays). If someone’s guessing, then you’re immediately ruled out, unless by some good fortune, they know your companies setup and the probability of what you do.
What does your job entail; What have you built or maintained; Is there any significance of it – cost reduction, sped up systems, fixed a significant reoccurring issue etc).
I’d suggest you get this down for the last 5 yrs worth of employment, if that’s all in one role, maybe add context on the ones before.
Get your picture on there, doesn’t have to be preened but equally not stupid (employers will cast aspersions on your character if it’s too crazy) – however show you’re a human.
Also, you don’t have to post your own material but maybe comment now and again on topics relevant to you, your working interests and your craft. (Warning!! Don’t just complain about the job market – it’s crap, but take that to Reddit or Facebook…)
JOB BOARDS
Start simple – for all my criticism of LinkedIns job adverts, they have improved the search function and have seen better fits when using key words. (Booleans still apply and if you don’t know what a Boolean is – you should and not just for recruitment but for searches in general – if you want a cheap tele, find a niche item etc).
If you’re a DevOps engineer (“platform engineer”, “cloud DevOps”, “DevOps engineer”, “cloud infrastructure engineer” etc etc, should all be things you add in – plus various other variants).
Nail down your search terms, rinse and repeat daily – don’t scroll endlessly – you’ll go off piste and start applying to irrelevant roles.
If you encounter companies you like, you can set up some alerts.
Welcome to the Jungle (Otta RIP)
If you’re in tech, product or design – get on there and set some alerts. It’s not the best, but it’s definitely not bad and importantly doesn’t have an endless scroll function.
Specialist sites; if you’re in my field and want early stage roles – go on hacker news, it’s old school but jobs will be posted daily and most if not all will reply to you if you apply, however be restrained – follow the plan and don’t just apply to anything unless confident your experience and persona is a fit.
CVS
Perhaps an article in it’s own right, but briefly, some rules as I see them.
You don’t need a 1 pager, you definitely don’t need a literary work of art spanning pages. Try to never exceed 3 pages.
Keep it relevant! Arguably if your CV has to stray to wide, it’s probably not the right role. Tweak, don’t re-write.
Time weighted; I see many that give as much word count for stuff they did 15 yrs ago as they did the last year. Don’t be silly, keep it in line with your present experiences and strengths.
Successes and Challenges over Tasks…. you can summarise tasks in one line, you need to talk about glory and learnings. These set you up for an interview if written properly, entice but don’t over explain.
Don’t list every tool, technology etc you’ve touched. If the spec asks for a range cool, if not then once again keep it in sync with the role.
Personal one – don’t add a picture – it’s not needed.
RECRUITERS
Ah yes, still important as ever. However don’t fall in to the repeat trap of finding the first recruiter you can find.
I get referred people all the time, that are out of my niche, yes I can give advice like this, however it’s broad and I’m not going to help get them a role (other than through good fortune and no different to you asking a mate to keep an eye out).
Therefore if your peers and friends (in the same space) ask then who, if any, have referred them to 2 or more roles…. Basically you’re eliminating the glorified resourcer. Those with a role but never to be seen or heard of ever again.
Get yourself two of these recruiters, work the search as advised and you should put yourself in a good position for both tactical and passive applications.
GOALS
Set yourself a sensible goal or maybe 10-15 sensible applications a week. This might seem scary as you hear of people applying to hundreds, but remember you’re using your head this way, not hit and hope.
If it doesn’t translate within 2 weeks to a healthy return of first stage interviews – do a Retro, what worked, what do you need to refine in the search, do you need to increase the volume of applications – how do you do it, without decreasing quality. Be introspective, not pessimistic, much like a recruiters life, sometimes there’s a little luck and good timing at play.
IN CONCLUSION
The by product of this approach, is also you’ll be better tapped in to trends, hiring patterns, competitor insights and far more on an even footing with the employer.
I’ll caveat this can and will apply to most roles, but the more generic your role, the less likely this method is to work.
Plus if you’re an engineer, sharpen your skills too, work on some PoC and fun AI stuff, stay relevant and maybe update your GIT or if product or design, maybe compile a portfolio. It’s better than doom-scrolling and filling your day with the mundanity of applications.
Plus get out, exercise. Get some fresh air, do something fun! Fun doesn’t have to be expensive. You’ll feel pressure regardless but use the time to also do stuff you didn’t have time for before (even if 1-2hrs a day).
