Ep 89: Profesh Sesh: Where Are All the Jobs?

Today on our professional topic, we're going to be discussing jobs. And where are they? You know, we've all heard so much about how its job seekers market right now how companies can't find enough employees. But really what industries does that apply to? So our wonderful talent specialist, Alisa Walters is going to kind of point us in the direction of where the jobs are, Lisa.

Alisa Walters

Yeah, happy to be back and talking about this. I was reading an article where the US Department of Labor reported that the unemployment rate declined to 5.4%. And that there was a job gain of 943,000. Just in in August, and what are we two weeks into August now. And I think it's interesting to highlight that it is exactly what you said Sue it is a candidates market, right. And so jobs need to be filled, and people need to fill them. Candidates, I think, really have an interesting advantage here with with what we're looking at. And I think that it's important to spell out that we're seeing job gains in all different industries. So I think some of the ones that the three biggest areas that they talked about were leisure and hospitality, local government, education, professional and business services. So really kind of covering a lot of different areas. Registered Nurse is a job that keeps coming up. The need for registered nurses is so incredibly high service technicians, delivery drivers, truck drivers, restaurant managers, respiratory therapist, real estate agents, fulfillment center, associates, insurance, insurance agencies, all different types of tech roles. I mean, it really is covering the gamut of, of where there's no shortage anywhere I feel.

Vanessa Alava

I actually saw something related to hospitality jobs and how the industry in general is becoming a little more nimble and robust in their offerings for employees to try to attract people back to that market. Because so many people are saying, you know, what, I can make more money off of unemployment, versus going into work in these specific fields and hospitality is one of them. Another thing I want to acknowledge, especially for new people in the job market, especially recent graduates is that there are certain fields that offer tuition reimbursement. I believe Nursing at one point was one of those. So anything in like that first responder health sector is something to look into.

Alisa Walters

Yeah, great call out, Vanessa. I think it's there's still so many jobs that still offer that. And I think now we're looking at even more additional incentives to help whether it's alleviate the burden of those student loans, or whatnot, because people want to be able to bring in talent and help in any way that they can. the company that I work for, just in the last week, I've been assigned a dozen jobs, and that's in entertainment media tech, it is crazy and we keep hearing so many companies saying we're in hyper growth mode. And it really is true I think, you know, with the hospitality industry, a lot of people who have reservations about going back because they might be able to make more on unemployment. There's also the safety issue, right, that people don't want to be in a position where they're, they're constantly exposed if they're being underpaid and undervalued to do so. So I think it's really important that, we recognize that.

Sue Robinson

So I have a question. Because as there are more job openings out there, I'm guessing there are a lot of job seekers now as well, people lost their jobs during the pandemic. Or as we've spoken about several times on this show, people are making pivots to new career paths. So with that in mind, the competition is probably kind of fierce too. Can you speak to the competition and then how do you stand out and I know we've covered some of these things in other episodes, but I think would be great to sort of remind people of what those things you do to stand out are

Alisa Walters

yeah, I think it's it goes back to making your resume stand out. If you are looking to make a pivot, if you are looking to move into one of these industries where they're seeing a lot of growth, and there's a surge in hiring, I think it's important to look at your resume and really tailor it to the job that you're seeking. I've said this multiple times on on this segment that it's all about showing and not telling, I mean, showing what your skill set is, and telling the story showing what kind of data can backup the type of job that you do. So I think it's really looking at your resume, making sure that you're tailoring it to the positions that you're going after amping up that, that LinkedIn profile, if you don't have a LinkedIn profile, if you don't like being on LinkedIn, I think you really got to make sure that that profile is, is up to date. and you are utilizing. That amazing resource right there and a lot of the research that I was doing for this particular topic, indeed keeps coming up with this. If you create a new indeed.com profile, and you put in the hashtag ready to work, I think that that's also a hashtag that a lot of people, job seekers as well as employers are targeting. So making sure that you're using those hashtags, that's going to generate some recognition. making those connections again, using LinkedIn to reach out to people in the business, the organization, you want to be a part of, doing the networking thing and having those, hey, do you have time for a coffee, virtually have some time to connect, but I think it's really going to be important to to make sure that whatever it is you're targeting it really starts with the story that you can tell about your skill set. And if you are pivoting, you know if right now, it's really hard for you to get a job in the area that you've always been qualified for. And you need to pivot because you do need to make a living, using those core competencies, skills that you have in your current role that you can showcase and say, hey, look, I may not have worked for a company just like yours in the same industry. But I have all of these skills, I can learn the rest, but you can't teach these. So really being able to showcase those skills as well.

Vanessa Alava

Alisa, I'm curious in this research whenever we see these numbers in articles that employers are seeking, you know, employees, that type of thing. Is it salaried employees? Or do they count like consultant work in that.

Alisa Walters

I will make sure that I get clarification on this answer. My thinking is that those, you know, contractors are probably not included in that in that number. They're probably looking at the data of the folks that are paying, you know, as a full time, salaried employee or hourly employee, but but an employee of that company in some capacity. But I do think that they're probably also looking at when you look at 1099 employees, that's a vendor, so that might be you know, something separate.

Vanessa Alava

Well, then for sure when you see those numbers, that makes more of an impact that they are looking for, you know, salaried hired on employees. Yes.

Sue Robinson

I thought, yeah, the point you made about the hashtag ready to work. That's the first time I mean, I've seen on LinkedIn, people have the open to work banner on their profile. But that's really an interesting idea ready to work as a hashtag. And you would post that on these platforms like Glassdoor and indeed and places like that.

Alisa Walters

Absolutely. You would, you can create a profile on indeed.com where you can share your resume and as you share your resume, you can hashtag ready to work you mentioned something. Also valuable to point out is that if you are on LinkedIn, and you don't have that open to work on your profile page, that's another key standout thing that could make you stand out. LinkedIn also has different hashtags, you know, looking for work, or whatever the case might be. So utilizing those tags and seeing what you can find, as well.

Sue Robinson

Great advice.

Alisa Walters

One last thing I think that also sharing your resume, on your LinkedIn, or in a public profile forum is also going to put you apart have people share it, Hey, would you mind sharing it, I, I do that on my LinkedIn page, if I see that people are either putting themselves out there looking for a job, or another company is hiring, I try to share all that information. I may be hiring for one specific company, but I want to be able to help people get a job. So however, I can do that.

Vanessa Alava

And if we have any new listeners, we have several Professional Sesh sessions with Alisa, where we talk about the value of using LinkedIn to really make those connections, that you may be a little more intimidated to start initiating. But that is just a whole leg up. And recruiters especially are looking for those. It's an extension of their hiring resources. So if you're interested in something and you find a recruiter within that organization, don't be shy. Say hello, have something to have a conversation about - mention the role, mention specifically how you're very interested in learning more about how you can be considered for that right, Alisa?

Alisa Walters

Yes, absolutely. And I think that there's a wealth of information in those conversations we had just on LinkedIn alone. So, I definitely encourage you to go back and listen to all of that valuable information.

Sue Robinson

Absolutely. Thank you again, Alisa, for all this great advice. As always, we'll meet you back here next time.

Vanessa Alava

Thank you.

Alisa Walters

Thank you.

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Ep 89: Profesh Sesh: Where Are All the Jobs?

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