Applying for jobs when Employment Outlook hits a six-year low

In a recent article on Singapore Business Review, it was reported that the employment outlook hit a six-year low for Quarter 1 2016. The employment outlook has fallen for the fourth straight quarter and prospects in some industries look bleak.

In such a scenario, job seekers in Singapore need to refine their job search strategies if they are looking for a job in the coming quarter. While low employment outlook might not be good news on the whole, for people who are able to differentiate themselves from the crowd and fulfill the need of a business, getting a job will be as easy as any other time.

How can job seekers in Singapore differentiate themselves from others?

To differentiate themselves from other job seekers, professionals need to master the below 3 steps in job search:

1. Branding yourself: 80% of the job seekers in Singapore use a generic description of their responsibilities as their CV and blast it out to online job portals. Firstly, your CV goes through the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) which shortlists CVs based on keywords.

So if your CV doesn't have enough keywords specified in ATS, chances are that they will never reach the human eye. This explains why you are not getting any response from the online applications.

Assuming that your CV reaches a human, most recruiters and HRs spend six to ten seconds to glance through your CV before discrediting them. Your CV needs to be written in a way that grabs their attention to read other finer details of your work experience without taking much of their time.

Another critical factor in today's era is social media and specifically LinkedIn for job search. Job seekers need to maximise their chances of getting a job by the relevant use of LinkedI.

2. Networking: Your network and networking skills play a huge role in getting the job you want. A lot of professionals either don’t know how to capitalise on their network or are too shy to reach out to them. The hesitation is definitely understandable. Networking is a subtle art and has to be approached in a careful way.

However, job seekers need to understand that only 30% of the mid to senior level roles get advertised online while all of them get published on internal portals unless they are confidential positions.

When your acquaintance refers you to a role and you get hired, you raise the person’s credibility at the minimum and might even make them some money in the form of referral fee. Companies with the best HR policies absolutely love to hire candidates through internal referrals.

3. Acing the interview: To ace the interview, there are a few steps required pre- and post-interview apart from the actual face-to-face interaction. It goes without saying that research about the company and interviewer who you are interviewing with as well as being thorough with your own experiences is extremely important.

However, it is surprising that majority of applicants do not follow up after the interview and are hesitant to do so even when advised by professionals in the field. The 'Thank you' note after the interview can immediately differentiate you from the remaining candidates and put you in a position of advantage.

A weak employment outlook should not stop you from getting a job you deserve. Make 2016 your best year professionally!