As someone training the next wave of aspiring communications professionals, I was relieved to see the above headline in this weekend’s Wall Street Journal.
However, that encouragement was immediately followed by a second headline of reality: So Does Plenty of Competition.
Importantly, employers are actively hiring again. ZipRecruiter today lists nearly 4 million searches in the U.S. for communications talent, and Indeed lists more than a thousand openings in the Chicago area alone. And most agencies — large and small — are actively seeking talent as clients and brands see increasing demand and opportunities.
But with the hiring pandemic-driven hiring drought and downsizing last year, a lot of 2020 graduates are actively seeking opportunities just as the Class of 2021 attend their Commencements.
The Journal’s Allison Pohle and Krithika Vargagur provide some important tips worth working into any job-search routine for college graduates and just about anyone else seeking employment.
As a long-time proponent of “old-school” tactics for a job search, I especially like Krithika’s recommendation that job seekers should spend less time trawling job sites and more time forging connections with others in their chose fields. This supports my long-held belief that LinkedIn and networking are the essential tools that will most likely land a job.
In Allison’s article, she suggests a personal two-day “boot camp” to better position young people for a successful job search. She begins with setting up your virtual interview space, establishing a professional voice mail greeting (yes, you have to check your voice mail), upgrade your digital presence, reread your resume, send strategic networking emails and practice your elevator speech.