.png)
Recently, peoplefusion Director & Recruitment Specialist Sally Bartley featured on ABC Radio Newcastle discussing the job climate in a post-pandemic world and the looming news of the Great Resignation.
We know it takes a while to perfect a job application. From what to include in your cover letter, ensuring you have ticked all the boxes but also in a way that will make you stand out from the competition, to how you address selection criteria and just how long your resume should be.
So now that you’ve perfected it, it’s all about to change.
In a post-pandemic job climate, what does recruitment look like now, especially as experts around the world are saying that a great resignation is coming in 2022?
As life returns to normal, many people are realising that their work-life balance and priorities have shifted because of the pandemic.
In February this year, job vacancies went up by 27 per cent – which has been the highest number of job vacancies since November of 2008! In Seek’s history, this year has seen the greatest number of jobs posted to the website, however, there has been around a 20 per cent decrease of job applications across the board.
What does this mean for employers? The balance of supply and demand is weighted towards the candidates.
Amidst a global pandemic and ongoing uncertainty in the workforce, people want job security now more than ever. For businesses looking to recruit, it is a crowded market, therefore a new approach is needed to ensure you don’t miss out on the best talent…
But what is the Great Resignation?
According to recent research by Microsoft, more than 40 per cent of the global workforce are considering leaving their employers this year.
The mass exodus has company leaders bracing for a seismic shift in the workforce — and the trend is likely to be heading to Australia.
Sally believes the trend has already started.
“People have had the opportunity to really reflect on what they don’t want to be doing moving forward. They’ve looked at the organisation that they’re currently working with and assessing what can the business now provide me with in the future in regard to having a whole life, not just a work life.”
Additionally, people are realising that “they don’t necessarily need to relocate now to get that dream role because we’re all getting quite used to having to work from home and remotely. That has absolutely been one of the positive things for people during the pandemic, that it has opened doors,” Sally says.
The pandemic has created opportunities for people to reshape and rethink their careers and navigate towards something that makes them feel fulfilled, and they’re beginning to see that they don’t have to stay in their current job to achieve that.
The Post-Pandemic Job Climate - Video Resumes
The pandemic has also forced people to quickly adapt and adopt a swift change to using video more through programs such as Zoom or catching up with family and friends, now online. Because of this, when it comes to recruitment, and applying for jobs, video resumes and video cover pages are starting to become a more popular option and we suspect that it won’t be long until it becomes the norm.
Sally says, “people are wanting to engage, they’re wanting to see the person and hear from them and hear their voice. For candidates, this may mean a covering letter with video for around 30-60 seconds. It now gives you the opportunity really get across your key points and to bring your cover letter to life with your own personality and tone and adding that other dimension to what is sometimes very hard to read off a page.”
What does this mean for employers?
Businesses and organisations that have in place the hybrid model (offering flexible work options), will retain the top talent and can avoid the shift of the Great Resignation.
“The hybrid model gives people an opportunity that do need that flexibility with their home life and their work life to be able to retain great roles that they can do from home. We have received really positive feedback in terms of productivity and working from home so we know it can work.”
The pandemic has created an opportunity for businesses to look at their roles and their flexibility offering. As an employer, if you want to avoid the Great Resignation, Sally suggests you start talking to your people and find out what they’re looking for, what they’re maybe not happy with now and really reflecting on how do we retain those people?
“Perhaps it’s looking at doing anonymous surveys with your employees and finding out, if these little things were to change, if there was potentially more flexibility moving forward, potentially we can avoid having the mass resignation. I think a balance between the two would be great for us as a community.”
At peoplefusion, we know recruitment. Experience the difference and contact our team to find out how we can position your business exactly where it needs to be to avoid the Great Resignation and make your investment in us and in your new employee worth it.