2011 will be a year of rebuilding and recovery, however it is the 1ST year of rebuilding and recovery therefore it is still a mixed bag. Only 5% of companies surveyed by AOLJobs.com plan to continue a hiring freeze in 2011. And, salaries are expected to increase an average of 2.9%. However, most companies that began "working leaner" during the recession say they do NOT plan to re-grow their staff.
So, if you are looking for a job, looking for a promotion, or raise you have to stay sharp. Now more than ever. The job market will actually be even more clogged with candidates than last year. All the folks who hung onto that job they hate, the ones who knew how bad the market was and weren't going to get out there until they saw a light at the end of the tunnel? All of these people will now throw their hat into the ring for consideration.
Education and soft skills seem to be tied for "most important to employers". Don't get discouraged - Education doesn't necessarily mean college. In many careers a specialized certification is as or more important than a degree. For example, the number 1 growing industry in the US right now is healthcare. All kinds of healthcare workers are needed and these careers usually require a certification that takes between 9 months and 2 years.
You'll also see an influx of part time jobs. Another growing trend spawned from employers wanting more educated workers AND the fact that this new brighter market is still in it's trial stages. These jobs are more likely to work around class schedules. On the flip side most continuing education institutions offers weekend or night classes as well as a myriad of classes online for almost any career path.
DEVELOP AND SHOWCASE YOUR "SOFT SKILLS". I have long been made fun of by everyone from my friends to my husband for constantly correcting people's grammar and criticizing emails with misspelled words and either fragmented or run on sentences. Well guess what, it's cool to speak properly again. At least in the workplace. Think about it - In any position you'll ever have you must be perceived by the client as the expert in that position. Receptionist to CEO you have to be "the one" in the client's eyes. That same set of traits gets you hired for that position. You cannot convey expertise through schoolyard slang, abbreviations and words that aren't really words (example: irregardless, NOT a word). This has become paramount to employers. No one's going to turn you loose on clients if they can't understand what you say.
Develop other soft skills as well. Figure out what part of your personality makes you the best at what you do, develop it and showcase it. Hard skills are hard skills and degrees are degrees and they are attainable through hard work to anyone. However, employers now know soft skills and character traits, that's where one person differs from the next. That's what makes us, as individuals, stand out. Following that logic, employers realize if it makes us stand out individually, then adding a spotlight grabber to their team will add to their bottom line.
If you or someone you know is venturing into the job market this year, give us a call. We will highlight your hard skills, pin point your most valuable soft skills, and put together a value statement that makes employers say "OMG!"
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