How Do You Position Yourself During a Job Search as Demand Changes?

By Mariah Flores

In Brief: (1) As a job seeker, it’s important to stay aware of current job market trends and whether you want to follow them or not. (2) Stay proactive during your career, so you’re able to easily pivot into a new role should the time come. (3) Polish and maintain an updated professional presence, both on paper and online.

The job market is still brimming with exciting opportunities for those looking for employment, despite economic concerns and whispers of recession.?

Many companies are announcing layoffs and face lessening struggles retaining/attracting talent due to growing pools of available workers “as more people come off the economy’s sidelines”, reports The New York Times . “The labor force grew by more than three-quarters of a million people in August, the biggest gain since the early months of the pandemic. Some executives expect hiring to keep getting easier as the economy slows and layoffs pick up.”?

As a job seeker in this hot, but gradually cooling labor market , you need to be proactive at every stage of your professional career, so that you can easily market yourself for job openings, whether in demand or not, and best position yourself while job searching as companies’ demand changes.?

Be aware of current job market trends

Not everyone has an interest in pursuing a high-demand career that is currently , which is fine. Still, it’s always a good idea to be aware of the demand surrounding your desired career field, as some occupations are facing fast decline , including word processors and typists, parking enforcement officers and telephone operators. Additionally, proactive job seekers should be aware of current layoff trends and hiring freezes, so you can best assess if a certain company or opportunity is best suited for your needs.?

You need to take a moment to look internally first, determining which direction you want to take with your job search. Do you want to apply for that in-demand position? Are you qualified for the role? Or are you simply following trends??

“I always guide people to look internally first to see, well, number one, do you want to go in this direction? Just because the trends are going a certain way within an industry or in the job market in general, does that mean that you need to chase the trend? It may not always be the best fit for you to go after something like that. So check first, does this make sense for me to take the steps necessary to try and get into this field or this job?”?

— Nii Ato Bentsi-Enchill, MA, Ed.M. is a 2022 LinkedIn Top Voice and the founder of Avenir Careers . He works as a holistic career coach for professionals of color covering various areas of expertise, like job search and networking strategy.

Right now, there’s a rapidly growing demand for frontline roles and entry-level positions, especially in restaurants and retail, as found by LinkedIn . And the most in-demand jobs include registered nursing, software engineering and DevOps engineering, all of which may require you to obtain specific transferable skills (data analytics is big right now ), certifications, degrees or return to school. Do a personal cost-benefit analysis before rushing to apply to a new job in the current market, assessing what makes the most sense for you professionally, personally and even financially.

“Based on the industries you mentioned, some nursing, engineering and some other ones, that might involve going back to school or getting some additional education in order to make the transition or make yourself more marketable. And it would be looking at what's the opportunity cost, the cost-benefit of spending to get a certification or get a degree in order to become a good candidate for one of these in-demand fields. And so I would encourage doing research and speaking to folks within the industry to see ‘What is the degree of difficulty for me to reposition myself to move and try and get on board with one of these in-demand opportunities?’

And if you are someone who is relatively closely qualified, then [think]: ‘Okay, how do I take a look at my existing skills and accomplishments and pivot them in order to make myself more marketable?’ And the focus is: ‘Do I have transferable skills? Do I have achievements that are recognized and relevant to where I'm trying to go?’ And ultimately: “Can I solve the problems that this specific position or industry is demanding?’”

— Nii Ato Bentsi-Enchill, MA, Ed.M.

Stay proactive in your career and search?

Job demand is constantly shifting, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning certain jobs are seeing an increase in openings and hiring , while others are not. As a job seeker, it’s important to have already built up your skill sets , professional network and application documents (resume , portfolio , cover letter , etc.) prior to looking for a new job (or career). As demand changes and you try to put your best step forward, two career experts share their guidance.

“Positioning yourself during a job search as demand changes is all about adopting a proactive career management strategy. Make a deliberate decision to proactively manage your career by becoming a life-long learner so your skills never become stale, cultivating strong professional relationships with people in your direct field as well as complementary fields (LinkedIn is great for this!), and maintaining up-to-date application documents so you’re prepared if you get an unexpected layoff. Collectively, these efforts ensure you are marketable, have a strong network to support you, and are ready on a moment's notice because you never neglected your resume.”

— Heidi Scott Giusto, Ph.D. is a certified professional resume writer & interview coach at Career Path Writing Solutions . She is dedicated to helping individuals and businesses communicate when it matters most — when the stakes are high.

Polish up your professional presence

As you work to set yourself up for success and apart from other talent, having a polished professional presence and skill set is key. You can do so through a variety of methods, such as networking , highlighting your certifications , and generally keeping your LinkedIn profile up-to-date. If you’re finding that in-demand job postings are requesting a particular qualification or skill that you don’t already possess, Giusto recommends shoring up with platforms like LinkedIn Learning, Coursera or even community college .?

“What if I already have those highly sought-after or transferrable skills?” Emphasize those skills … beyond your resumes and cover letters, “through any form of communication, whether that is spoken conversation during networking, written [in] your resume or cover letter, or also while speaking in an interview. You want to ensure to polish up your network and marketability before beginning the job hunt.?

Finally, LinkedIn is a powerful career management tool, with 6 people being hired every minute on the platform and 40% of companies on LinkedIn now relying on skills filters to identify candidates (as reported by LinkedIn ). It’s a severe mistake to ignore your profile and online presence, especially as demand changes and employers are strategically looking for skilled talent. Forbes writes that over 90% of recruiters use the platform to find or vet job candidates, as the profile headline and recent job titles are weighted heavily in search algorithms and recruiter behavior. “A recruiter is likely to begin their search with specific job titles. Candidates with a matching job title in their headline and experience title headings will appear higher in results.”

These facts alone show how significant it is to effectively bolster your LinkedIn profile (and, of course, your actual resume).

“[Make] sure you have a strong LinkedIn and resume presence. For one, if your resume is not strong, when they [recruiters and hiring managers] do get your resume in their inbox, they’re gonna skip over it. Or some recruiters and hiring managers are just head-hunting on LinkedIn and they're looking at your profile. If it’s not up-to-date …? it’s going to be very hard to stand out.?

Another way to position yourself as demand changes is to look at your ‘competitor’s’ profiles … so other people who are in the same industry as your role. See how they’re positioning themselves as an expert and make sure your LinkedIn [profile] follows a similar format — not the same, but similar.”

— Demisha Jennings is both a marketing expert and career coach at She Assists, LLC . She works to align professionals’ unique values with fulfilling careers that yield their highest salary to date, with or without college degrees.

Explore more

• Unemployment rate falls to 3.5% in September, payrolls rise by 263,000 as job market stays strong by Jeff Cox for CNBC
• 21 in-demand remote jobs that pay more than $100,000 per year—and where to find them by Morgan Smith for CNBC
• How to Write a Resume and Tailor Your LinkedIn During a Career Change by Timothy Mably for Get Hired by LinkedIn News
• Highlighting Skills On Your LinkedIn Profile by Ciarra Maraj for Get Ahead by LinkedIn News
• Top 15 Most In-Demand Freelance Skills by NPD for Get Hired by LinkedIn News
• The Most Valuable Soft Skills for Work by NPD and Mariah Flores for Get Hired by LinkedIn News
• Fastest Growing Occupations by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• 12 Jobs in High Demand by Coursera

Meet the experts

Nii Ato Bentsi-Enchill, MA, Ed.M. is a 2022 LinkedIn Top Voice, as well as the founder of Avenir Careers . He works as a holistic career coach for professionals of color covering various areas of expertise, like job search and networking strategy.

Heidi Scott Giusto, Ph.D. is a certified professional resume writer & interview coach at Career Path Writing Solutions . She is dedicated to helping individuals and businesses communicate when it matters most--when the stakes are high.

Demisha Jennings is both a marketing expert and career coach at She Assists, LLC . She works to align professionals’ unique values with fulfilling careers that yield their highest salary to date, with or without college degrees.

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