The Great Resignation: What Hiring Managers are Looking For
What matters now to hiring managers that might be different than last year? The hiring market is very different now than it was in 2020. For many, this is wonderful! The market for 2021 is more active and opportunities abound. In fact, many employers are extended signing bonuses in order to entice qualified professionals to take key roles. It’s obvious why most people want to stand out to hiring managers!
On the flip side, employers are complaining that they cannot find top talent and not everyone is reaping the rewards of a booming job market. In addition, HR professionals and employees that are ‘staying put’ are citing burnout while leadership is scrambling to manage change along with rapid attrition rates. With all this said, it’s critical to understand what hiring managers are looking for during the “Great Resignation”.
1. More Emphasis on Self-Awareness
Hiring managers are more acutely aware of the impact of personality on team effectiveness. With hybrid and remote work environments becoming the norm, having the ability to collaborate in a friendly open way while being self-aware is important.
Self-awareness is the ability to have a conscious knowledge of your own character, feelings, and drivers while acknowledging your strengths and opportunities. Some employers may require emotional intelligence assessments prior to being considered a final candidate.
Hiring managers are more attuned to identifying potential problems from fixed mindsets and/or negative outlooks. While this doesn’t mean you have to be a fountain of positivity, you are encouraged to become more familiar with your inner “landscape”.
If you haven’t done so already, it is a great idea to understand your work style, your personality, your stress response, and what makes you feel seen and heard. Also being firmly aware of your personal values and priorities is essential to understanding the inner you and what drives your decision making.
2. Less Patience with Technology Ineptitude
Now that we have been in a mostly remote world of work for over a year, employers are less likely to be patient with the inability or unwillingness to leverage technology. What does that mean? For one, it means that your online “presence” must be well developed. By now, backgrounds, lighting, camera angles, or facial control should be second-nature.
Employers are also connecting a lack of culturally appropriate facial body language as an indication of nervousness or inability to do the job. In the US, for example, it’s important to smile and look eager to be there. Dropping these important visual cues can create a gap in connecting to the interviewers.
Additionally, the inability to “show up” and develop an online presence that encourages collaboration and inclusion will make it more difficult for the remote or hybrid worker. Hiring managers know this and are more likely to hire someone who is similar to either the existing team or what they want the team to become.
3. More Open to Up-Skilling and Broader Skillsets
Companies are more open to up-skilling now than ever. The good news is, this can be a negotiation point for you if you are seeking more education, professional development, or a certification. On the other hand, employees with vast experience are feeling the pinch.
For most employers, expertise equals a bigger paycheck. This is one reason seasoned professionals are feeling frustrated when it comes to landing the right role. If this is you, I recommend that you put more emphasis on your career contributions with tangible outcomes. Hiring managers are more likely to consider experienced candidates who can clearly articulate their value. More specifically, the value that is relevant to the role you are seeking.
If you aren’t sure how to do that or where to begin, feel free to download a copy of my guide here that helps you define your impact and share your story without feeling ‘salesy’. Discussing the factual tangible contributions you have made in your career isn’t bragging, it is informing. Hiring managers what to clearly see how you can make a difference!
I will be remiss if I don’t mention the interesting trend towards looking for skill adaptability or broader skillsets. While is not the case for all industries, some companies are seeking professionals who have a flexible range of skills. One of the drivers is the historical (and unfortunate) trend to demand that one employee support multiple workstreams. This is also known as “wearing many hats”.
What if you aren’t getting interviews?
If you simply aren’t getting even a phone call, your resume is the culprit. It’s not that your resume is intentionally sabotaging you, it isn’t getting through the digital gatekeepers of online applications. The gatekeepers are called Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). These are automated, keyword and criteria-driven software applications used by most companies to filter out unqualified candidates.
The problem is, ATS also tends to block out anyone not savvy with how to navigate such systems. That means, most people aren’t getting through. This is one reason why I grit my teeth when I hear that employers are having a hard time finding qualified talent. That simply isn’t always true. The talent is out there. Their own automated systems are creating a roadblock.
I’ve created many resources to help professionals manage this aspect of our digitally-dependent job search, starting with this article on how to avoid the job search ‘black hole’. Most importantly, your entire resume must first be targeted to the types of jobs you seek. Then, you must optimize your resume for each job application. Sounds like work, doesn’t it? Savvy job seekers have a master resume document that they then customize based on the specific role.
The other avenue to great opportunities is LinkedIn. Every recruiter is on LinkedIn and searches the platform daily for qualified candidates. It’s critical that your LinkedIn profile be up to date, have a current role (even if it’s a placeholder), and align with the roles you seek. LinkedIn is the number one resource for most organic job search results.
What to know before you go (to another company)
If you are fed up with where you are and you have tried everything you know to make your current situation better – then take advantage of the hot job market! Chances are though, you may not have explored all available opportunities at your current company.
You can listen to what HR Experts have to say in our 2021 Special Event:
Every HR Manager I speak with encourages employees at any level to have a candid conversation before you have another job lined up. While that sounds superficially risky, the current climate is the best time to have a professional conversation about internal opportunities. If you wait until you have another job, it’s less likely that conversation will do any good and the situation is much more stressful.
If you feel that you will be heard, discuss your goals with your leadership or your talent management department. If you like the company you work for, it is important to research all your options before making the leap to another organization.
Regardless of whether you are seeking externally or internally for a new exciting job, it is still critical to stand out to hiring managers. You will be an ideal candidate by developing your self-awareness, understanding your target roles, aligning your value statement to your ideal roles, showing up in an approachable way, and making sure that your resume and your LinkedIn profile are both supporting your career advancement.
About me – My name is Erin Urban (LSSBB, CPDC), I’m a member of the Forbes Coaches Council, a keynote speaker, bestselling author, certified career growth and executive leadership development coach with almost a decade of mentoring and coaching successful professional transformations.
Check out my podcast, Career Coffee Chat, and subscribe!
Want to elevate your career and not sure where to start? Let’s chat! Schedule a consultation call HERE.
