treatment of workers through public policy. 4. Working remotely and freelancing become the norm. Many employers have discovered the way to get the best talent is open the employment pool to candidates all over the nation, and the world. The world is shrinking due to technological advancements, and the savvy employers (and employees) are taking advantage of the fact that you can live in one time zone and work in another. 5. Expect to be screened through social media, video interviews and electronic reference systems. Your electronic footprint is becoming critical. Employers now routinely run a Web search on candidates, looking at social media accounts and professional affiliations online. So, take care about what you post to your accounts, and evaluate them from a professional perspective to make sure the content is appropriate. Be aware that many employers are also utilizing electronic reference systems, which rank an employee’s performance on a scale. While it is comprehensive and factual, it has the downside of limiting the opportunity employers have to favorably assess a candidate. Make sure you’ve negotiated the terms of your reference upon departure from any company to insure the right information comes across. Also, take the time to practice your on-camera interview skills; live video interviews are becoming more of the norm, at least for introductory interviews. 6. Your references will become more, not less, valuable. Though many people treat their reference list as an afterthought, it is of the utmost importance. Your résumé will get an interview, but it’s the report your references provide that will win you the job in a close race with another qualified candidate. Although the job market is poised to grow, hiring managers generally have a surplus of eligible candidates and will take the time to carefully examine candidate’s credentials. It has become critically important that your reference list is well thought out, with full contact information, and presented as a matching and professional addendum to your résumé. 7. Demographics in the workplace are shifting. Many people in upper-level management are “boomers,” meaning they are now hitting retirement age. This means more employment opportunities on lower levels as mid-management moves up and their jobs (and entry level positions) open. Bear in mind, however, that this means keeping in close contact with your references becomes very important. If that key reference retires, and you don’t have his or her current contact information, it could be very detrimental to your job seeking process. Make sure you keep in close contact with your references. Click here to see some tips on managing your references. 8. “Boomerang” hiring intensifies. It pays to stay in touch with former employers. The employment market is shifting again, and employment rates are on the rise. Companies that may have had to lay workers off in recent years are now looking to increase their numbers, and many are more than willing to rehire old employees. This is true for a number of reasons: the employers know what type of employee they are getting based on experience, and that rehire may have learned some new skills in the interim. Plus, an old employee can jump right back in the fray, since they already know the company’s philosophy and the employer’s expectations. 9. There’s a new way to leverage your references where savvy job seekers are now modernizing their reference lists to make a powerful statement of their qualifications for the new position. An effective reference list will identify those attributes the references can attest to, an approach that offers several benefits to the job seeker. See examples on Allison Taylor here . 10. Using LinkedIn may be your best avenue. Not being on LinkedIn can be detrimental to your search. Employers and recruiters regularly search LinkedIn’s database of information for people with relevant skills sets and experience
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