Due to the current economic recession, hiring patterns are going through a huge sea change. To lessen payroll burden while at the same time keeping an appropriate bench of skilled employees, organizations are moving away from traditional hiring for permanent positions and more towards hiring temporary (contract), part-time, trainees, interns or even outsourcing the function or position. By maintaining such a mix of staff an organization can also identify and control the quality of people it absorbs in the long term (permanent staff).
Some of the emerging trends in organizational hiring are as follows:
1. Flexible work planning – Many organizations have started initiating flexible work hours which allows employees to have more freedom with the time they spend in the office. Working from home (telecommuting), alternate work schedule, job sharing, compressed work week and sabbaticals are being rapidly adopted and used.
2. New recruitment tools – apart from using the traditional methods like a job portal, newspaper advertising, and executive search firms, most organizations have started advertising and recruiting through social and professional networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and various blogs on the internet.
3. Temporary or Contract staff - to better manage payroll costs and balance the workloads, organizations are using non-permanent staff to help support their businesses, especially when the anticipated work is of short duration or seasonal in nature.
4. New way of highlighting jobs – job descriptions, and sometimes even designations, are becoming quite trendy where instead of listing tasks, roles & responsibilities, organizations are putting defined goals for the position instead. This is a clear way of showing that performance will be measured on outcomes and not activities.
5. Hiring frequent Job Hoppers – Though most organizations are wary about hiring people who drift from company to company, they are much easier to find than people who have spent many years or a whole career in a single organisation. Rather than dismissing them outright, based on the candidate’s desirable skills or experience, some organizations are trying to determine what the candidate is looking for in a job which they can provide resulting in a possible long-term commitment.
The new hiring trends indicate that organizations are discovering and using new innovative methods to hire staff and make their workforce diverse and flexible. This creates both new opportunities and threats for the employee or job seeker. An employee who is not well networked in cyberspace with his peer group or externally to various job providers/hiring agencies might lose out on potential employment opportunities. At the same time he/she also needs to be careful on what comments, information or pictures they put on cyberspace. It would be a good idea to check what your potential employer can find about you by doing an online search of your name and removing any potentially negative or misleading information.
Non-traditional hiring, like temporary or part-time positions, would also mean that there will be no guarantee of a steady or consistent income. Hence dealing with this risk and managing personal expenses should take priority, especially when one has a fixed commitment like repayment of a home loan. In such instances the opportunity for advancement could also be limited and such employees need to be very dynamic in their continuous search for new opportunities. Good networking, salary negotiation and self promotion in the right way are some of the key skills most employees need to develop quickly.
Keeping the changing hiring patterns in mind, a job seeker should look at the following while preparing for a job application:
• Highlight your skill, knowledge, and experience - and put it clearly in your profile. A brief summary about your areas of interest will also ensure that you are contacted for those openings that value your all round abilities.
• Focus more on your professional results – rather than your roles and responsibilities in your present job. An organisation which is looking for hiring good talent will be more interested in your achievements rather than just which role you were in and what tasks you did.
• Have patience - don’t get discouraged if you do not get a call immediately after posting your resume on the net. While hiring might have reduced due to the recession, there are still plenty of jobs available. Remember to follow up with hiring managers to whom you have sent your resume to or with whom you have already had an interview.
• Increase knowledge about the company you want to join – through your social/professional network try to find out about the areas where the company you are interested in will be hiring first. If you find someone who has any information on this, try to establish a link and get information on the new employment opportunity. This will help you in presenting yourself in the right way and at the right time, increasing your chances of success.
Some tips for the job seeker
There are numerous ways in which a job seeker can improve his chances of getting recruited, some of the key ones that might increase the chances of achieving success in the changing scenario are as follows:
1. Be clear about the type of work you want to do - just because you have done a certain task in the past should not mean you should continue doing it in future if it does not interest you. With the ever increasing modes of hiring bringing previously unknown/new jobs in to attention, chances are likely that you will find the exact job you were looking for.
2. Prioritise whether you want standard or flexible work hours - flexible work arrangements introduced by many organizations helps you achieve work-life balance wherein you get enough time to pursue your hobbies or time you spend with your family and friends.
3. Use networking sites and blogs to highlight your areas of expertise and interests - Self promotion, done the right way, always works.
4. Be flexible when you are selecting your work or salary - if your salary offer isn't as high as you hoped for or your potential employer cannot give you a raise, perhaps you should negotiate a flexible schedule, saving you commuting time and transportation costs.
5. Develop new skills – add a new domain, technology or process that enhances your value to potential hirers. Remember that skilled workers are always in demand, so make sure that you are highlighting your specific skills and abilities and acquiring new ones.
6. Learn a new language – combined with your primary skills can it can really boost your chances of getting hired. With rapid globalization, knowledge of any foreign language skill adds a lot of value to your resume and also ensures higher job security.
7. Don’t hide or be defensive about your past – even if you have been a constant job hopper have clear reasons for your shifting jobs frequently and focus more on highlighting your key achievements or skills and be clear on what interests or motivates you.
8. Research well - use the websites and other channels to gather information about organizations and job that interests you. Given all the information that is readily available a candidate has no excuse for coming ill-prepared to an interview.
Some of the emerging trends in organizational hiring are as follows:
1. Flexible work planning – Many organizations have started initiating flexible work hours which allows employees to have more freedom with the time they spend in the office. Working from home (telecommuting), alternate work schedule, job sharing, compressed work week and sabbaticals are being rapidly adopted and used.
2. New recruitment tools – apart from using the traditional methods like a job portal, newspaper advertising, and executive search firms, most organizations have started advertising and recruiting through social and professional networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and various blogs on the internet.
3. Temporary or Contract staff - to better manage payroll costs and balance the workloads, organizations are using non-permanent staff to help support their businesses, especially when the anticipated work is of short duration or seasonal in nature.
4. New way of highlighting jobs – job descriptions, and sometimes even designations, are becoming quite trendy where instead of listing tasks, roles & responsibilities, organizations are putting defined goals for the position instead. This is a clear way of showing that performance will be measured on outcomes and not activities.
5. Hiring frequent Job Hoppers – Though most organizations are wary about hiring people who drift from company to company, they are much easier to find than people who have spent many years or a whole career in a single organisation. Rather than dismissing them outright, based on the candidate’s desirable skills or experience, some organizations are trying to determine what the candidate is looking for in a job which they can provide resulting in a possible long-term commitment.
The new hiring trends indicate that organizations are discovering and using new innovative methods to hire staff and make their workforce diverse and flexible. This creates both new opportunities and threats for the employee or job seeker. An employee who is not well networked in cyberspace with his peer group or externally to various job providers/hiring agencies might lose out on potential employment opportunities. At the same time he/she also needs to be careful on what comments, information or pictures they put on cyberspace. It would be a good idea to check what your potential employer can find about you by doing an online search of your name and removing any potentially negative or misleading information.
Non-traditional hiring, like temporary or part-time positions, would also mean that there will be no guarantee of a steady or consistent income. Hence dealing with this risk and managing personal expenses should take priority, especially when one has a fixed commitment like repayment of a home loan. In such instances the opportunity for advancement could also be limited and such employees need to be very dynamic in their continuous search for new opportunities. Good networking, salary negotiation and self promotion in the right way are some of the key skills most employees need to develop quickly.
Keeping the changing hiring patterns in mind, a job seeker should look at the following while preparing for a job application:
• Highlight your skill, knowledge, and experience - and put it clearly in your profile. A brief summary about your areas of interest will also ensure that you are contacted for those openings that value your all round abilities.
• Focus more on your professional results – rather than your roles and responsibilities in your present job. An organisation which is looking for hiring good talent will be more interested in your achievements rather than just which role you were in and what tasks you did.
• Have patience - don’t get discouraged if you do not get a call immediately after posting your resume on the net. While hiring might have reduced due to the recession, there are still plenty of jobs available. Remember to follow up with hiring managers to whom you have sent your resume to or with whom you have already had an interview.
• Increase knowledge about the company you want to join – through your social/professional network try to find out about the areas where the company you are interested in will be hiring first. If you find someone who has any information on this, try to establish a link and get information on the new employment opportunity. This will help you in presenting yourself in the right way and at the right time, increasing your chances of success.
Some tips for the job seeker
There are numerous ways in which a job seeker can improve his chances of getting recruited, some of the key ones that might increase the chances of achieving success in the changing scenario are as follows:
1. Be clear about the type of work you want to do - just because you have done a certain task in the past should not mean you should continue doing it in future if it does not interest you. With the ever increasing modes of hiring bringing previously unknown/new jobs in to attention, chances are likely that you will find the exact job you were looking for.
2. Prioritise whether you want standard or flexible work hours - flexible work arrangements introduced by many organizations helps you achieve work-life balance wherein you get enough time to pursue your hobbies or time you spend with your family and friends.
3. Use networking sites and blogs to highlight your areas of expertise and interests - Self promotion, done the right way, always works.
4. Be flexible when you are selecting your work or salary - if your salary offer isn't as high as you hoped for or your potential employer cannot give you a raise, perhaps you should negotiate a flexible schedule, saving you commuting time and transportation costs.
5. Develop new skills – add a new domain, technology or process that enhances your value to potential hirers. Remember that skilled workers are always in demand, so make sure that you are highlighting your specific skills and abilities and acquiring new ones.
6. Learn a new language – combined with your primary skills can it can really boost your chances of getting hired. With rapid globalization, knowledge of any foreign language skill adds a lot of value to your resume and also ensures higher job security.
7. Don’t hide or be defensive about your past – even if you have been a constant job hopper have clear reasons for your shifting jobs frequently and focus more on highlighting your key achievements or skills and be clear on what interests or motivates you.
8. Research well - use the websites and other channels to gather information about organizations and job that interests you. Given all the information that is readily available a candidate has no excuse for coming ill-prepared to an interview.
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