What will Employers look for in the Future?
20 years ago, the process of applying for a job would seem ancient compared to today’s standard. Remember having to write your CV on something called a ‘typewriter’? Not many people will do soon. Believe it or not the current crop of 18 year-olds were born in 1995/96; right at the point that Personal Computers started to take off. They’ve never lived a life without Microsoft Word.
So what on earth will happen in the future of job applications? What will employers start to look for when deciding which Candidates to interview? Unfortunately, we can’t gaze into our Magic Ball to find out for you, but here are a few things that we think might be important:
Your Online Personality (and content you post) will Matter
Whilst it seems a CV will always stand the test of time, employers increasingly want to know more about a job candidate than what can be seen on a piece of paper. Their first port of call? Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Blogs, Instagram – the list goes on (and who knows what else may come in the future!). It doesn’t matter where; the more an employer can know about you, the better.
It isn’t a case of just making sure that what you post online isn’t going to ruin your chances of getting a job – you’ve been warned about that enough already – but that the content you are posting is engaging and of a high-quality. You will be judged on what you say online (even if you don’t offend anyone).
Never mind living in a world where people have always had Word. Ten years from now you will be living in one where people have always had social media. You might not think it now, but this stuff will matter!
You’ll be asked to do Video Interview and CVs
Employers will want to see your face. With the advances of communications and tech, video is becoming remarkably easy to create and use.
Be prepared for the time when a phone-interview becomes a ‘Skype-interview’ and that employers will request a for a link to your Video CV (where you stand in front of a camera and talk about yourself, background and reasons why you’d be a terrific fit for the role). Think it sounds farfetched? Some employers are already doing it!
You might have to get Creative
Dependent on what industry you might want to work in, you might have to do something extraordinarily different to get the job. Last year an unemployed graduate, Adam Pacitti, spent the last of his money on a billboard asking someone to “Please Give Me a Job”. Guess what? He’s not unemployed anymore. In fact, his brilliant stunt put 60 job offers on the table for him to choose from.
Most people looking for work won’t have that much luxury of choice when they’re job hunting, but it just goes to show how standing out from the crowd may increase your chances!