Today you’ll meet Michelle Taylor, an American who works in the banking sector.
After resigning from a position she held for 20 years, she is now job hunting and has a lot to share about finding a job in our modern world.
Learn tips today that will save you tons of time and help you land the professional position you want, where you want.
Looking For A Job in The Modern Times
Jessica introduces Michelle Taylor who is looking for a job.
Michelle shares that she has worked in a big bank for 20 years.
She worked in one department and had different jobs and responsibilities for four to five years.
When she reached the end of her 20+ years in March last year, she reassessed her career and decided to resign.
Some of her colleagues also did the same and took some time off and spent more time with their families.
Now, Michelle is trying to come back and apply for a job.
In the current situation, looking for a new job has changed so much compared to 10 years ago.
In today’s episode, Jessica and Michelle discuss the difference in finding work nowadays compared to before and share tips on how to keep up with all the changes and stay relevant.
Applying For A Job in the Modern World
Jessica asked Michelle if there is a difference between how the media is portraying the job market and what she is actually seeing and experiencing.
Michelle shares that there are millions of job openings and there are millions of people looking for jobs and she doesn’t understand where the disconnect is.
Despite this situation, a lot of people are still struggling to land the job they deserve.
Michelle thinks the biggest reason for this is that there are fewer employers willing to pay for a reasonable market value.
Another reason is all the automation and digital process of applying for a job is a difficult hurdle to jump that requires a lot of effort.
Jessica thinks that the stage of where you are in your career also affects your chances of landing a job.
Most of the salary increases are given to entry-level positions.
But if you are at an advanced stage of your career, most companies can’t provide the salary range you deserve.
Digital Aspects of Applying for Jobs
Jessica shares that when she looked for work in her day, she would drop off physical resumes to different companies.
Nowadays, if you want to apply for a job, you now have to go through an ATS known as the Applicant Tracking System.
Corporations and even smaller businesses use this to make the hiring process easy for their recruitment team.
The applicants would provide their details in the format required in the ATS.
This is like a digital resume where you key in your information and it is recorded in a system wherein the hiring team can easily search for an applicant they want in one database.
Michelle shares that in her experience, this makes it difficult to get yourself considered for the job through this process.
If your resume in the system doesn’t have the particular keywords or details the employer is looking for, they won’t get to pick up your application.
Jessica is surprised by this because it is very different from how we usually do it.
She mentions that before, you would do your best to make your application stand out.
With the ATS, it is in a format that would make it difficult to be different because it requires you to stick to a template.
Tips To Get Passed Through the Applicant Tracking System
Here are tips from Jessica and Michelle on how to overcome the challenges with the modernization of looking for a job.
- Learn about the Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
It is vital that you understand how the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) works and what to expect when you use one.
Since most of the employers would require you to go through the process of using it, make sure you follow the steps and templates very well.
- Try some Professional Resume Writers
Michelle didn’t use a professional resume writer for the first three weeks of applying for a job.
After that, she did seek the assistance of those who can let her know what she has to change or add to her profile to make her application stand out.
Reviewing your resume and updating it is essential to ensure you get your foot in the door for the opportunities out there.
If you don’t have the budget to pay for a professional, there are free ways to do that and get the feedback you need.
Michelle shares that it has been helpful to get insight from someone else to improve her application.
Jessica agrees and adds that you should go out of your way to make the effort and make the most of the available resources out there.
- Cast a Wide Net and Use the Job Portals Out There
Michelle shares numerous job portals where you can upload your resumes and find job opportunities that would fit your skillset.
There is Indeed, Monster, and Linkedin.
The job portal Recruiter is also a good website to find jobs.
Michelle also says Glassdoor is another reliable job portal where she was given the assistance and feedback she needed.
As mentioned earlier, it is best to use all the resources available online.
With the advances in technology, everything has become more accessible than ever.
Takeaway
It may be daunting to look for a new job right now.
But there are so many resources out there, so don’t get discouraged.
You have to use those to your advantage and make the effort to learn how to make the most of it.
In searching for jobs, despite all the challenges, never forget to value yourself and respect yourself for what you are looking for.
Don’t sell yourself short to the first job that is offered to you that doesn’t even match your qualifications.
Especially if you have a family and you want to be in a career that will help you build a good life for them.
What are the challenges you are facing in finding a job in your country?
Share your story in the comments down below and let’s see if you’re experiencing the same thing as most of us.
