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Seattle, WA
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Tandem Powered offers a full suite of Professional Resume Writing, Career Development, and HR / Business Consulting services.

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The Change Laboratory’s blog is dedicated to empowering people by highlighting best practices in the arena of personal / career development and organizational effectiveness.

SURPRISING JOB SEARCH STATISTIC (AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU)

Kent R.

I attended a very eye-opening conference where I had the chance to connect with a lot of my HR colleagues and to get the updated scoop on what’s going on - in a broad sense - out in the job market. I enjoy being a part of the progressive HR movement, so it’s crucial for me to stay up to date and involved in what’s happening. The “big” news from the conference is both surprising and expected. Surprising because it confirms that the world of job-searching / candidate-sourcing is changing. Expected because we all know exactly what’s going on but (usually) choose to ignore it.

So here it is... It is believed that only about 1 of 5 open positions is filled via the “traditional” apply-like-crazy-and-hope-I-get-noticed method.

If you are a frustrated job-seeker, take a deep breath. Although it’s tough to hear this, it’s nothing we don’t already know. If you’ve been hanging around here for awhile, we’ve gone over this general idea before (check out this post on the role of a resume and this post on going beyond simply sending out resumes). Even I have to admit, though, that the statistic - 1 out of 5 - is jolting.

Never Fear. This doesn’t mean that a good resume doesn’t matter. An outstanding resume is critical; in fact, It’s a prerequisite - a non-negotiable tool in your career toolkit. This little statistic only serves as a reminder that you need to face the world of work with your eyes wide open. The landscape of HR and the hiring process is changing. It’s becoming less clunky and more meaningful. But that change will take time.

You can’t control all of that, so stick to things that keep you empowered and proactive as you search for a job and/or navigate the road to career bliss. If you’re simply posting your resume on job boards and random websites, I encourage you to consider the 1 of 5 statistic. What can you do that will add more dimension to your search? What networking opportunities are available in your community? What professional associations deserve your attention?

There is no better time than now to step back and to look at the big picture - to change the way you view your job hunt, your career and your life. Employ a new approach in order to effectively acknowledge the current employment landscape (and the above statistic). In the process, you’ll likely move closer to true satisfaction - a place where your natural talents and strengths become a part of everything you do.