Lengthy earlier than she grew to become Director of Recruiting at The Employed Weapons, an award-winning digital expertise company, Melea Seward grew to become my artistic strategist, guiding how I’ve grown my enterprise. However Melea might simply as simply be referred to as a futurist, a trend-spotter (she learn the COVID tea leaves lengthy earlier than anybody else I do know), a polymath (somebody with wide-ranging data or studying), or simply a damned good particular person to ask for an opinion about issues that matter—like job searching!

Our dialog has been calmly edited.

JEZRA: Melea, what qualities are employers on the lookout for today?

MELEA: That’s not fairly the precise query, as a result of it’s not about particular qualities or expertise. The flexibility to inform your story throughout industries is what counts proper now.

What do you imply by telling a narrative throughout industries?

There are lots of people—say, in journey and hospitality—who out of the blue discovered, in 2020, that they didn’t have an trade anymore. However they nonetheless had expertise, and plenty of of them simply shifted to different industries.

The individuals who did that the majority efficiently had been those who might see what I name “the analogous advantages.” They may speak about how their expertise transferred to new settings. As a substitute of claiming, “I understand how to scrub a resort room,” they’d say, “I’ve a fantastic document of customer support.”

As a substitute of claiming, “I can promote streaming providers,” they’d say, “I’m obsessed with gross sales.”

They made the connection between no matter issues they had been fixing, and the brand new issues {that a} new job would require them to unravel. After which they moved and shifted into different industries.

Candidates who inform the high-level enterprise story—

• CHALLENGE: This was the problem.
• ACTION: This is what we did about it.
• RESULT: Right here’s the way it turned out.

—will be related to someone in a wildly totally different trade.

Alvin Toffler, the futurist, as soon as stated, “The illiterate of the longer term usually are not those that can’t learn or write however those that can not be taught, unlearn, and relearn.” He might need added that that you must present folks you possibly can relearn—as a result of that’s the way you win the job searching sweepstakes.

OK, however WHY is it vital to be versatile in regards to the trade you select?

As a result of some industries, like healthcare and alcohol, are killing it today. And others, like crypto, aren’t.

General, although, there usually are not sufficient candidates. There are extra jobs than there are folks wanting, in each trade.

Wait, is that true even in tech, that there are extra jobs than folks?

100% true. You possibly can see it once you go right into a restaurant: Everyone seems to be under-staffed. However it’s additionally true throughout the board, in each trade, together with tech.

When someone like Amazon lays off 10,000 folks, the media makes it sound decisive. However Amazon employed 1.2 million folks worldwide in 2020; so until 10,000 individuals who do your precise job had been laid off, that doesn’t change your job searching prospects.

OK, so I get that that is a tremendous time to look. However what about getting an interview? There are such a lot of boundaries, in case you don’t already know folks. Do you might have any recommendation about that?

The attractive factor about LinkedIn is that it’s an unimaginable database. You possibly can determine who you already know at a corporation, or who you already know in widespread with somebody who works there. You may be capable to determine who the hiring supervisor is, or who the expertise acquisition particular person is.

If, as a substitute of simply sending a resume with out context, you possibly can drop a word into their inbox about why you’re a professional particular person for that individual function, you’re more likely to get on the telephone with them. And then you definately’re a lot additional alongside than simply being a random particular person.

Or you possibly can contact the one that’s recruiting for a specific job, e-mail them immediately and say, “I’m on this function.” At a time when lots of people are making use of for jobs, that may assist tilt the signal-to-noise ratio in your favor. Individuals who get to the entrance of the recruiting line, that’s what they do.

The place do you discover recruiters? How does somebody get recruited by a agency like The Employed Weapons?

Primary, on LinkedIn, you might have the choice of turning on “Open to Work.” That’s a simple factor to do. Quantity two, do your analysis, discover recruiters who work in areas of curiosity to you, and attain out to them. And in case you get an e-mail from a recruiter asking about your curiosity in a particular alternative, reply to them and begin to construct a relationship, even in case you’re not proper now. Constructing relationships with recruiters in your trade is a brilliant factor to do, since you by no means know once you’re going to want them, or they’re going to want you.

In the course of the interview, is it nonetheless vital to ask a number of questions?

You received’t get to ask all of them; interviews have a tough cease time. However questions that challenge you into the function and present that you just’re genuinely severe in regards to the firm are vital, together with questions that make clear any confusion you will have. (Ensure that, although, that you just couldn’t have answered your personal query with 30 seconds of Google.)

Additionally, in case you discover that you just’re attending to the interview’s finish, a remark like, “I wish to be aware of the time; are there different belongings you’d wish to ask me?” can present emotional intelligence.

After the interview, is it nonetheless good to ship a thanks word?

Sure, since you wish to proceed the dialog. So your thanks word shouldn’t simply say, “Hey, thanks a lot to your time.” Everyone does that.

As a substitute, on the finish of the interview, after you’ve requested some questions, say, “As I feel extra about this chance, do you thoughts if I ship you a observe up query by e-mail?”

When you’ve bought their permission, your thanks word turns into extra of a dialogue of how you consider the job, together with an opportunity to ask just a few observe up questions.

There’s a dance to this. You don’t wish to go overboard, however in case you interact your interviewer strategically, and subtly act such as you’re already a colleague, this could put you forward of the pack.

Is there anything job hunters must be fascinated by?

Submit-COVID, many industries are in a number of transition, and other people have additionally reassessed how they wish to spend the time that they’ve left on the planet. So the character of labor has actually modified in a dramatic means—candidates are on the lookout for extra that means, and organizations are on the lookout for extra methods to appeal to candidates who’re on the lookout for extra that means. 

So out of the blue, digital expertise—advertising, editorial, content material, product administration, challenge administration, engineering, and so forth—has its choose of the litter. And there’s a two-sided side of job searching that wasn’t there earlier than COVID.

Keep in mind that once you’re out wanting. You want a brand new job, however employers additionally actually want you!