Is now the right time for a job search?

For a multitude of reasons, many individuals are not in a position to conduct a job search right now. And if that’s you, no worries. Only you can know when the time is right. But if you’re ready to find work, there is truly no time like the present!

Time to stand out in the job search

Over the last several years, it certainly hasn’t been easy to stand out in the job search. Competition has been tough, and employers were often looking for particular skills.

But times have a changed

At this point, it’s fairly clear what caused the change in the job market—the pandemic. So now, the question becomes exactly HOW the pandemic has changed the job search and what that means for you.

At a very general level, there are definitely employers out there who are very much in need of talent to keep their businesses going. Some of them are experiencing a shortage of help due to staff that just cannot come back to work. Others are in an industry that has seen an uptick, and their current staff just can’t handle all the work so they need to expand. Whatever the situation, these employers are anxiously trying to hire, but there just aren’t many candidates out there who are actively seeking work.

The good news for you

For the candidates, this could be a good thing! Think of what it would be like if you’re able to apply to jobs and immediately have less competition. Fewer candidates vying for the attention of recruiters. For many (though not all) industries/sectors, this is exactly what’s happening. If you’re in a place where you need a job and are able to return to work, now could be a great time to get out there and see if you can benefit from this market.

What may lay ahead…

This last piece is pure speculation at this point, but it could be another benefit to conducting your search now, if you can. At some point, it’s quite possible that we may see more individuals who are able to return to work, which could result in a large surge of incoming applications from candidates. Once this happens, it will actually be quite difficult to stand out from the crowd because recruiters will be inundated with requests. No one can guarantee this will happen, but it certainly is a possibility just to keep in the back of one’s mind.

Written by Adam Lafield, Director of Marketing & Talent Acquisition