The job market looks solid on paper, but some people who are actively looking for employment say it feels really difficult.
26-year-old recruiter Kourtlynn Faith has recently echoed their concerns, providing additional details on the situation.
In a TikTok video that has since gone viral, she explained the challenges that the applicants face, why the businesses are so slow to hire them, and, most importantly, what people can do to improve their chances and get an offer quicker.
Despite positive statistics, some job seekers still face significant challenges
Image credits: @kourtlynn_
It's very hard to get a job right now. And as somebody who's been in recruiting for six years, I'm going to tell you guys what has changed, what's going on, give you all the tea, because it's hard. And maybe this can get you a job.
I was laid off three times last year, it took me seven months to find a job. I was not the only person in recruiting or HR that was laid off. If you have a company that has 300 jobs listed, right, you might only have five recruiters for all 300 of those roles.
Image credits: Edmond Dantès (not the actual photo)
It used to be like, 12-15 recruiters to one company, one department in a company. So it takes a long time to go through resumes.
Every single job I've ever worked at, we have looked through every single resume. I have never used AI and I've never used an automated system. So if you have 300 roles posted, you have 2,000 people applying to each role.
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
How long do you think that takes? Of those thousands of people that apply, maybe more than half of them apply to roles that they're not qualified for.
It used to be, six years ago, you could apply for roles you weren't qualified for and you might get hired, it happened to me. But now companies are not willing to spend the money or the time to train people and it really sucks.
Image credits: KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA (not the actual photo)
Number two, you do not need to pay somebody to do your resume for you. You can download Star Resume or go to starresume.com.
It's like a free app, or you can do it on your computer, use that resume template. I have used it for years. It's very simple because recruiters only spend about 30 seconds looking at somebody's resume.
Image credits: Markus Winkler (not the actual photo)
Number three, I cannot stress enough how a temp agency can help you get a job.
The amount of roles that are converted from temporary to permanent in these companies is insane, and not only temp roles, but sometimes we outsource to these agencies and say 'Hey, we don't have a candidate that's great. You guys have anybody?' And they're like, 'Yeah,' and then that person gets hired.
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)
Look at companies like Randstad, Robert Half, there are so many more. Indeed, ZipRecruiter, let them go. Last thing, to be very honest, I am making less than I have ever made in a recruiting position ever because the job market sucks.
Companies don't want to spend money. It is what it is. I still have to do my little little things on the side to make money. It sucks, but it is what it is. And I wish things would change. I hope they change, but it's really bad right now and hopefully these things can help somebody get a job.
Kourtlynn's candid video has been viewed over 1.8 million times
We managed to get in touch with Kourtlynn and she was kind enough to expand on her now-viral TikTok.
"I believe job seekers should adopt a persistent mindset," she told Bored Panda. "A lot of the comments on my video spoke about people applying to many jobs with no direction, no focus and throwing darts at temp agencies resulting in no follow-up communication and zero offers."
"I applied to so many jobs, contacted multiple agencies and received so many 'unfortunately, we've decided to select another candidate for this role' emails. We are in a time where we have to be persistent and intentional because the job market is saturated with job seekers with limited opportunity," the recruiter explained. "Times have changed and are constantly shifting; the way in which we obtain a job requires a new approach."
When it comes to your CV, however, precision is key. "The main components of a resume that I have been taught to look for are a candidate's location, where they have worked, the amount of time spent in a role, and the duties performed in that role," Kourtlynn said. "I enjoy looking at resumes that are simple, clear, concise, and to the point."
The recruiter believes that it should focus on the content, not the form. "In order to stand out, I'd suggest listing the impact made at each company with bullet points. For example: 'increased new hire retention by 50% by simplifying the onboarding process.' A statement like that will make me immediately want to screen a candidate to see how they accomplished that," she said, highlighting that a general resume won't cut it now. Instead, take the time to tailor it to each position you're applying to.
The metrics say that demand for workers in the US picked up slightly in February in a sign that the job market remains on strong footing, though layoffs also ticked up that month.
There were a seasonally adjusted 8.8 million job openings in February, a notch higher than the prior month's downwardly revised 8.74 million. That's roughly in line with economists' expectations. For context, the number of available jobs remains well above pre-pandemic levels, but is down from a record high of 12.2 million in March 2022.
"Recent numbers, including job openings as well as initial jobless claims, continue to indicate that the US labor market has remained stable," Eugenio Aleman, chief economist at Raymond James, said on Tuesday.
However, statistics also tell us that layoffs increased to a 14-month high in March, and there were only 1.36 job openings for every unemployed person in February, compared to 1.43 in January, government data showed this week.
"Customer service, customer success, customer focused companies are always hiring and healthcare will always have a need," Kourtlynn Faith said. "There are many roles outside of being a practitioner."
She thinks that we can't look at the current situation in a vacuum and have to consider, for example, how the pandemic changed the way we hire, and candidate expectations. "We also have pay transparency in a few states now that has impacted how certain industries hire. I could elaborate for days on this, however, jobs are out there but the way in which we obtain them is so different. Staying diligent and intentional in the job search and networking, in my opinion, is the best way to stay employed."
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