How will job searching change in 2018 and beyond - Viewpoint Viewpoint careers advice blog

How will job searching change in 2018 and beyond - Viewpoint The way people search, and indeed apply for jobs is changing, and it’s changing even faster than we’ve ever seen before. Undeniably, technology is playing a huge part here, with candidates now looking for opportunities using a combination of search engines, job boards, recruitment websites and social media platforms. As we approach another new year, technology will continue to impact upon the job search landscape, with many of these changes having a knock on effect in terms of how jobseekers use this technology in 2018 to help them find their perfect role. Your online presence will matter more than ever before Building and maintaining a strong online professional brand, both when searching for a new role and throughout your entire career is nothing new. But now there’s a new model of recruitment set to dominate the foreseeable future, deeming your online activity more important than ever before. In 2018 recruiters will be making greater use of data analytics tools in order to get a more granular view of the available talent, following up with the most suitable active and passive candidates. In other words, in 2018, the recruiter is more likely to approach you if you have optimised your social media presence. When I say optimised social media presence, I don’t just mean updating your online profile to include keywords which relate to the roles you are looking for (although this is important). I’m referring to how you use tools like LinkedIn to network and demonstrate your expertise. LinkedIn news feeds are a hub for topical, professional, up to the minute content, and if you follow the LinkedIn Influencers and companies who publish such content, then this is a great start. If you comment, like or share this content, even better. Having an active social media presence which reflects your expertise and passions, will provide recruiters with relevant data which they can use to approach you for suitable roles. You will be targeted with job adverts more regularly On the subject of smart analytics, it’s not unusual to be on your iPad watching something on YouTube, and suddenly an advert appears for jobs which you were looking at just the other day on your smartphone. Highly targeted, cross platform advertising is simply symptomatic of data analytics getting smarter. In fact, don’t be surprised if after a period of consistent searching, you are approached personally by a recruiter with a highly suitable role. With that in mind make sure you have versions of your CV saved across or accessible from your smart phones and tablets so you can apply for roles anytime, anyplace, and anywhere. It is essential that you stay job application ready so that you can respond quickly when these opportunities crop up at unexpected moments. Technology can play an even greater part in your job applications 2017 saw candidates making even greater use of technology when showcasing their talents; from using augmented reality to bring their job applications to life, to giving employers a virtual tour of their work portfolios. Of course, not everyone will possess the level of technical skill required for these examples, but every candidate should be able to demonstrate some degree of digital literacy when applying for a role, whether it’s building an online portfolio or submitting a video application. If this is an area in which you fall short, I would highly recommend that you commit to upskilling yourself. You don’t even need to spend money; there are YouTube tutorials for everything nowadays! Another point I will add, is that you can’t escape the adverts for voice activation products, from Amazon Alexa to Google Home. Voice activation software is fast becoming a part of our personal lives, so it’s only a matter of time before it seeps into our professional lives too. Therefore, expect to be applying for roles using VA products in the not too distant future. Face-to-face relationships remain essential Irrespective of how technology evolves, human interaction will remain essential, especially in regards to a candidate’s relationship with their recruiter. Whilst the recruiter may well use data analytics to target you, and AI to ask you qualifying questions, the recruiter’s ultimate skill is their ability to build a relationship with you; learning more about you as a person and a professional, and the types of environments you would thrive in. Be receptive to building these relationships. Make the phone call, take the time to register in person with a recruiter and maintain this contact from hereon. There’s a new world of recruitment, one which is powered by rapid and unprecedented changes in technology, one which, contrary to popular belief, will only serve to strengthen the need for human interaction when applying for a role. If you are looking for a new job in 2018, make it your mission to familiarise yourself with this world, and I’m sure you will find every success in your job search. About to start your job search? Reading our job searching tips will help ensure it’s a success The biggest social media mistakes jobseekers make How to develop a winning job search strategy The dos and donts of networking to find a job 6 job ready soft skills you need today