Sobering Facts for Job Seekers

If you’re looking to find a job this year, the good news is that 87% of hiring managers believe that the job market will improve this year; this is according to the findings from the Job Preparedness Indicator. While this is good news, it also sheds light on some realities as to why today’s hiring processes are much slower; it also sheds light for you to be aware of in planning and preparing your job search.

Only 15% of hiring managers feel that job seekers have the skills and traits they are looking for, which is a 2% decrease from last year

• two out of three hiring managers won’t settle for a candidate who does not have the ‘perfect’ job qualifications
• three out of four hiring managers believe job seekers should have either a career coach or a mentor but only 40% of job seekers have done so
• storytelling is key today in almost every profession – this equates to how you have used your skills and experiences to their fullest which are part of your brand
• 56% of job seekers use keywords from a job description but hiring managers are focused more on a candidates skills and experiences
• almost two-thirds of hiring managers believe it is a job seekers responsibility for gaining needed skills and traits for them to be successful in a job; one can do this by networking, going to training or workshop opportunities, reading, getting on-the-job experience (volunteering is acceptable), or getting a professional certification.
• 93% of hiring managers feel job seekers need to show flexibility and adaptability to a changing workplace; show how you have dealt with a situation that was not working well or how you were able to handle an unexpected issue ala storytelling

One interesting fact that stood out is that even though there is a pervasive negative feeling overall of the current job market, the study found that 56% of job seekers are confident in knowing what hiring mangers are looking for while 72% of job seekers are confident that they can interview well.  These two statistics may be more telling than they seem – perhaps job seekers are overly confident or unrealistic in their outlook which is why they haven’t yet found a job. I’m not diminishing that it could be due to unclear or poor practices by hiring organizations but it may fall back on one looking for a job through unrealistic expectations or lack of preparation in tailoring their presentation/brand.  The good news?  It is so possible – in fact, essential – to review the study results and redesign your job search strategy that is geared for what employers want.