After months of a rich market for job seekers, the tide is turning and the job market is thinning out in select industries. This is due to several factors; rising inflation, rising interest rates, increased manufacturing costs, and the list goes on.
What was once an overflowing well of opportunity has started to dry up in some sectors. Earlier in the year, some companies couldn’t hire people fast enough, while now they’re finding themselves having to lay off staff due to a surplus of personnel.
While job seekers previously had the upper hand earlier in the year, it’s going to get much more competitive among candidates as a potential recession approaches Canadians in the new year.
There are ways to “recession-proof” your resume and fine-tune your CV ahead of any potential opportunities for job seekers.
Agilec’s team leader in Barrie Jonathan Duncan offers these words of wisdom to anyone jumping into this current job market.
“As much as it’s easy in some ways to get jobs right now, depending on what you’re looking for, it’s just going to get harder,” Duncan said. “Make sure you’re going to be competitive when the market tightens. All of a sudden, instead of walking into jobs, you’re now going to have to be competitive.”
In the past, employers may have been willing to overlook certain things in resumes and during the interview process, but with fewer positions becoming available, employers can only take the cream of the crop.
Duncan said many job seekers use resume templates available on sites like Indeed.com. Those templates can be helpful to a degree, but blanketing a run-of-the-mill resume template to dozens of employers won’t do you any favours.
“Previously, your resume didn’t have to be the best in the world,” Duncan said. “Now, things are tightening and you do need to put time and effort into preparing your job search and getting ready for interviews.”
A resume has to stand out, and the best way you can cut through the clutter is to tailor your objective to each position you’re applying for. At the very least, this will show the employer you’re aware of which position you’re applying for, which isn’t necessarily the case with all applicants.
Where possible, try to mention the city or area you’re applying to, and customize it to that business. For example, when applying for a construction position in Barrie, use an objective like: “Hard-working individual seeking a construction position in the Barrie area.”
Another tip is to front-load your resume with all the relevant information for the position. If the skills, education or work experience don’t relate to the job, you can omit them in some cases. Always lead your resume with the most relevant skills, experience, training and education.
This could mean trimming down a two or three-page resume to a one-page resume. Resumes can be too long and they can be too short, but stacking your best skills and experience will always put your best foot forward to employers.
Need some more tips to sharpen your resume? Drop by Agilec’s Barrie office and speak to a job coach to “recession-proof” your resume heading into 2023.
It never hurts to have a second look. Find out more at Agilec.ca.