Your job hunt in times of crisis. Sectors and steps to secure a new role.

It’s not a surprise anymore that the job market has shifted. In my recent conversations with both senior executives and middle managers, who are currently exploring new career opportunities, I hear the following challenges: a high number of applicants per job, hiring freeze, cost-cutting, “you are too expensive”, the future is unclear, etc.

What do you do then? Is it true for all businesses? How do you become tactical in your job hunt?

To keep it short, here are my top 5 suggestions.

1.   Your profile. How polished is it? When you apply for roles is your CV/resume customized? Does it have relevant keywords, numbers, achievements, examples? Where do you rate on the LinkedIn Social Selling Index? How do you differentiate yourself from the crowd? You’ll want to come across as relevant as possible to secure an initial interview.

2.   Think who will be hiring next? Research, research, and again research. Identify who will be the outperforming sectors and businesses in the next 6, 12, 18 months. Have a clear plan. If you ask me, I’d focus on industries that should be the clear overperformers in the current climate: Technology and Healthcare (will drive an increase in productivity and capacity), Communication Services (shift to online), and Utilities and Consumer Staples (the essentials).

3.   Position yourself. Try to engage in conversations with external and internal recruiters. There are some smart companies that are pipelining strong candidates without having a green light to hire at the moment, but that will change. Just be patient and at the forefront of their minds, so when they get the “go ahead” you will be the first to receive the call.

4.   Your network. Like never before, try to leverage from your eco-system. Referrals have always had a high preference and it’s an important channel. Many businesses first go with their internally referred candidates, before they turn to the open market. This is even more relevant in securing an executive role.

5.   Drive your own recruitment forward. Think of the recruitment process exactly the same way as if you were driving a sales process. Keep track of your applications and job conversations. Do remind yourself / follow up as there is no harm in that, or your CV may go unnoticed.