Imagine a world where you open up a job app and look for your next position like you would a restaurant for dinner. The job search could soon become an experience similar to Amazon shopping or a list of jobs curated just for you as you would see on your Spotify playlist: You swipe up for companies and roles that sound interesting, down for those that don’t. Then, after a few days, the intelligence behind the platform starts curating your job experience.
Once you’ve found that perfect role, you click the Apply button, and your latest experience, expertise, recommendations, and social persona are all made available to the hiring company in an instant. No application or résumé needed.
If that sounds a bit futuristic, you might be right—but companies like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Pallet are actively working on creative ways to improve the job search and hiring experience, and the Great Resignation just accelerated the demand.
While you might not have that one-click app in your pocket today, you can still take a few essential platform-powered steps to ensure you’re finding the best role for you.
Show off your skills
If you’re already on LinkedIn, you’ve likely seen the posts about your buddy’s AWS cloud practitioner certification. But certifications come in many sizes and shapes. For example, you can complete LinkedIn Skills Assessments in everything from Microsoft PowerPoint to WordPress. Putting aside how much value you might attribute to a specific certification, it’s essential to show you’re genuinely interested, and these are a good, low-impact way of achieving that. Additionally, things like Nanodegrees from the likes of Udacity can be valuable.
Let employers do the work for you
You may be used to applying to job postings through LinkedIn or Indeed. But be aware that the same employers you might be interested in working for are likely scouring a whole host of sites, including CareerBuilder, ZipRecruiter, and ResumeRabbit, for qualified job seekers. Be sure your résumé is posted on a variety of platforms so that you have a better chance of catching the eye of employers who are actively hiring.
Go beyond the job
Job postings are important, but role responsibilities paint only part of the picture. Platforms like TheMuse provide a more holistic snapshot of employers in addition to connecting employers and employees. That includes office photos, video interviews with employees, and summaries of their diversity, equity, and inclusion positions.
Prove your expertise
Another way to showcase your capabilities is to literally showcase them. You might consider a detailed thread on Twitter, starting a vlog on YouTube, creating a podcast on Spotify, or publishing a personal brand website on Wix. These give potential employers reference points for your expertise and, more important, allow you to tell your story the way you feel most comfortable.
Don’t forget about the gig economy
Check out platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, Toptal, etc. Not only does the transactional nature of the engagements lend itself to schedule flexibility, but taking on an assignment or two is also a great way to experience new challenges and broaden your work horizons.
Do your homework
Leverage platforms like LinkedIn or Glassdoor to do your research. Find current employees and shoot them a message; ask them about growth and development. See what employees are posting about on social media. In the case of public companies—and I acknowledge this is less platform dependent—take a look at their recent investor presentations. Do they mention culture? Is there an intentional callout of inclusiveness?
One thing is for sure: This is the new norm, and it’s not geography, age, or even industry-specific. The Great Resignation is the new industrial revolution, and with the price of talent at a 52-week high, you need to make sure you’re positioning yourself to prove your value.
Anthony Goonetilleke is the group president of technology and head of strategy at Amdocs.
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