Regardless of your employment status, you should learn how to benefit from news that hiring has picked up.
An increase in hiring assists both unemployed and employed people. There are more jobs available for those who are unemployed and employed people looking for better jobs. It also makes employees more valuable as the number of people quitting is increasing and employers try to retain their best workers.
ClearRock offers these 5 strategies on how to gain from a better hiring environment.
1. Beware of the “pre-offer” when negotiating.
Whether you are unemployed or employed, job candidates who successfully navigate through the interviewing process are more often encountering another hurdle to landing the position – the “pre-offer.”
More companies are asking candidates what offer they would be willing to accept before they make an actual offer. They’re telling applicants they want to make only one written offer they know will be accepted. However, this is a way for employers to feel out candidates and get an idea as to what it will take to land a desired employee without having to make a formal offer first.
Candidates should consider any offer made at this stage to be a “pre-offer,” and they should be prepared to “pre-negotiate.” Follow the same strategy and tactics during the pre-negotiating stage as during the formal negotiation process – except remember that no written offer is yet on the table to accept or reject.
2. Don’t negotiate without having a game plan.
Don’t begin negotiating without a formal job offer being made. Remember that the best time to negotiate is after an offer has been made and before you have accepted it. Once the offer is made, the balance of power shifts from the person making the offer to the one receiving it, so be prepared to use this leverage to your full advantage.
Do not accept an offer on the spot, even if it’s beyond your expectations. Do your homework ahead of time and learn what the fair market value is for the role you have been offered. Check out websites such as salary.com, GlassDoor.com and JobNob.com for comparable salary ranges.
3. Ask employers to take a second look at you – even if you have interviewed with the company before and did not get the job the first time.
Many job-seekers are successful after the second or third time they apply to or interview with a potential employer. Emphasize what is different about you now since you applied to or interviewed with the company in your cover letter, on your resume, and during phone and personal interviews.
Include new experience and skills gained and knowledge acquired through taking courses or completing certificates or degrees – especially if they are relevant to the job you are pursuing. Focus on how you have filled any gaps that stood in the way of getting the job the first time. “Communicate the steps you took to complete the requirements of the job, particularly those areas that were recommended or found lacking in you the first time you interviewed or applied,” said Poisson.
4. Take advantage of the better job market and higher voluntary quits to receive a retention reward from your employer.
Companies are selectively rewarding their most valued workers with raises in salaries and benefits. Employees need to demonstrate to their bosses that they are making critical contributions and that they have earned retention rewards. Determine how your company measures performance and discover which benchmarks count the most. Focus on results you have achieved, especially quantifiable accomplishments.
5. Explore changing careers.
An increase in hiring is a good time to consider changing careers, particularly from an industry or profession that isn’t faring as well as others that are growing. The hospitality, retail, health care, and temporary help fields have added the most jobs recently while government agencies, construction and manufacturing industries have been cutting the most.
Try to stay within the same function (the work that you do) but switch the industry in which you do it. Search in industries that are closely related to the ones where you have the most experience.
Use the right key words in your resume. Specify each particular area in which you are proficient, such as marketing, accounting, sales, budgeting and managing inventory, so your expertise in your line of work will compensate for your lack of experience in the new field. Use terms and buzzwords that are relevant so your resume will score well when scanned.
