THOSE THINGS THAT MAY HAVE CHANGED SINCE THE LAST TIME YOU LOOKED FOR A JOB

THOSE THINGS THAT MAY HAVE CHANGED SINCE

THE LAST TIME YOU LOOKED FOR A JOB

When you haven’t done something for a long time, getting back to it can be difficult. That’s especially true with job hunting, since the methods and rules have changed so drastically during the past five years. Here are five new developments that you need to be prepared for as a job hunter in 2014.

1. Technology rules. Computing has enabled employers to build automated job application systems and to systematize the way get data on people. In this structured search for talent, younger people are a cheaper resource. Since the relationship between a recruitment agency and an employer organization is about the transaction, the match-up between somebody wanting to employ and somebody wanting to work is becoming increasingly formalized by technology.

2. Words are key. The automated process is not only database driven, but also keyword driven. In that sense, it’s like visits to the bank nowadays—it’s still possible to get dollar bills and coins fresh from the smiley face at the counter, but mostly we withdraw our money from automated cash machines. We have taken away the face and the human contact from banking. Both recruitment and job hunting have become like that too.

3. Less is more. Applying for jobs is no longer about reciting our life history on page after page of an application. Your CV or resume should be no longer than two pages. Remember, when we apply for a job online, we’re submitting these documents into a database where a computer can search for the keywords an employer is looking for. Therefore, job seekers need to know what are the keywords most relevant to their desired role.

4. Feedback? Fuhgeddaboudit. As the human element is replaced by technology, there is much less opportunity for feedback from employers following an application or even an interview. This may be the most difficult thing for job hunters to accept. It’s very tough to go through the whole process of applying for a position, only for your application to be thrown into the ether. Long-term relationships are not required when turning someone down for a job. It’s therefore tough to gauge how well you’re doing in terms of the job application process. This can affect your self-esteem, making future applications even more difficult.

5.  It’s a match game. One of the best ways of monitoring your progress as a job seeker and staying on course is to be really specific about what you want to do. Don’t cast the net too wide either. Think of the hiring system as a virtual matrix, in which organizations think of candidates in terms of roles and functions. When you measure yourself against that virtual matrix, where do you sit? By focusing on a particular segment, you up the odds that employers within that segment will find you.