Personal Insights
It’s a funny market right now
I’m not sure about your employment status in 2023 but I have found myself, let’s call it ‘under employed’ for lack of a better term.
I knew that this would be the case in October last year and started putting out feelers to the normal people I reach out to in these times. Of course Christmas came and in between some small projects I kept fishing for the next big one.
Now, we are closing into the end of the first quarter and I am still sending out my CV here and there, getting promises of ‘a big project coming up soon’. In most cases the big projects are a proposal that the large consulting companies are putting out there and need e
xtra staff to fill the gaps but don’t want to take you on until the certainty of having a project along with its profit and cost centres on the books.
Of course the world is in all sorts of flux at the moment with the FAANGS shedding lots of talent. Wars and rumours of wars, interest rate hikes and a world recovering from a pandemic has certainly changed things.
It would seem that it is a buyers market right now. Many jobs are getting many CV’s within hours of them being posted. Then I talk to others who are struggling to find talent for certain set of skill.
I would love to know how you are getting on. Are you looking for your next gig? Have you been affected by the recent “rebalancing” of the labor force? What are you doing to stand out from the crowd?
Tag cloud generated from my CV
It does seem a funny market at the moment - both for permanent roles and contracts. Here are some things I've been noting down here in Melbourne AU.
As to your question - How are you going to stand out from the crowd? I don't have any great insights. But perhaps one could helpfully ask - What is the client / recruiter / interviewer looking for?
From that perspective, I've listed below questions that always go through my mind when interviewing a candidate:
Unfortunately, not every customer / recruitment firm is clear about the type of role being offered. That makes it hard to show alignment. This isn't necessary deliberate - a customer might may not know themselves what they really really want. (Spice Girls just crept in there!). In many cases, the ask is simply "I need an ABAPer" - and in most cases, a CV that says X years of ABAP development is enough.
And of course, price matters. If someone has scoped a project and has a line item - ABAP Developer - $800/day - then it doesn't matter how good a fit you are, you are excluded. The price must work.
If I were to be looking for my next gig - I'd be very clear on the type of role(s) that I'd be looking for. I'd prepare CVs tailored to the type of role and I'd do my very best to help the agencies / recruitment firms understand what I'm after and importantly how to pitch that to the customers. Agencies in Australia seem to be necessary. I'd also be loading up a Seek profile - and be using social media far and wide to let people know what I'm looking for.
And to my work colleagues that might read this - I'll still be in tomorrow!
Best of luck!
Good luck! It sure is a tumultuous time, but I believe things work out in the end, not necessarily always as you expected, and I'm sure your search will bear fruit soon.
Love the tag cloud 🙂