With 7 million jobseekers in the U.S. alone and 11 million open positions, there is a lot going on in the areas of recruiting and careers. For this Herman Trend Alert, we look at the forecasts of Career Coach Marie Zimenoff of Career Thought Leaders and Ingomu Career Coach Maureen Jenks.

Longer Hiring Processes
Job seekers are seeing longer, more dispersed hiring processes. Instead of five people from the team getting together for the interview, candidates are meeting with everyone individually. This makes sense in some ways, considering the challenges of group Zoom conversations, and it means job seekers must prepare to excel in one-on-one conversations and to persevere in the process. Jenks seeing that many more people are applying for the same jobs; that uptick is promoting the increased use of pre-and post-employment assessments to help organizations build effective teams. She adds that leaders are less focused on skillsets and more determined to find people who can help them reach their goals.

Greater Concern About Personal Images on Zoom
This concern manifests in two ways: FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and personal appearance. They fear the long-term effect on their careers due to missing out on the connections fostered in task-focused meetings. Second, the distress about their online physical appearances is promoting an interest in what the report calls “facial rejuvenation.” Sadly, Zoom filters can only work so much magic.

Investments in HR Tech are Having an Impact
The expenditure of $10 billion USD in HR tech is making a difference for job seekers and leaders alike. From AI digital sourcing tools to online pre-employment assessments and video interviews, HR Tech has changed how candidates interact with their employers. This transformation is affecting the entire employee lifecycle from the initial application through interviewing, internal leadership/skill development, culture assessment, career advancement and more.

Finally, a Shift Toward the “Employee-Driven” Workplace
The tightened labor market is forcing employers to shift their attitudes toward several employee-desired aspects of work. This transition to employee centeredness includes their embracing flexibility, a movement toward more inclusive leadership styles, placing greater priority on mental health and life balance, and a lot more. This culture shift is moving companies in the direction of becoming Employers of Choice. 

According to Jenks, in many cases, candidates left their previous employment due to ineffective leadership; thus, they are trying to be more careful before making a decision to work for a new organization. Applicants are looking to avoid working for micromanagers; they want leaders who will leave them alone to get their jobs done yet give them substantive feedback so that they may excel.

Jobseekers Doing Their Homework Ahead of Time
Jenks says her clients are doing much more research than they ever did before; they are coming to her to help them determine if they want to be part of a particular organization. With so many open positions, talented candidates have many choices, and they want to choose wisely. She added they are also looking for enhanced benefits like four-day workweeks, more time off, remote work and parental leave for dads.

Special thanks to Career Coach Marie Zimenoff of Career Thought Leaders and to Ingomu Career Coach Maureen Jenks whose learning community on the Ingomu app is titled “Shine On! Your Toolbox for On-the-Job Self-Promotion.” To learn more, visit Ingomu.com or access the app in the Google Play Store.

Next Week’s Herman Trend Alert: Trends in Recruiting and Careers: Part 2
With tons of fascinating insights to share, next week in Part 2, I focus on the highlights from their 2021 Career Industry Trends White Paper from Zimenoff’s organization Career Thought Leaders. I learned a lot and so will you.

© Copyright 1998-2021 by The Herman Group, Inc. – reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From “The Herman Trend Alert,” by Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurist. 336-210-3548 or https://hermangroup.com.