Understanding Job Market Competitiveness

7 Job Search Strategies That Don’t Work In Today’s Market (And What To Do Instead): 1. Applying To 50+ Jobs Every Week Personalization wins in today’s competitive market. If you’re applying to tons of jobs every day, you’re not going deep enough to win out. Do This Instead: Focus on going deeper and getting more personalized with a smaller set of value-aligned companies. 2. Waiting For Recruiters To Reach Out Doing this takes you out of the driver’s seat. You’re relying on other people to make progress and you don’t control the opportunities that come your way. Do This Instead: Focus on proactively building relationships with decision makers at the companies you want to work for. 3. Using The Same Resume For Every Job Again, personalization wins in this market. This doesn’t mean you need to re-write your resume from scratch for each role, but you do need to tailor it for each job you apply for. Do This Instead: Create a “master resume” with all of your experience. Then come up with a system for tweaking the keywords and experience in that resume for each new role. 4. Only Applying Through Job Boards If you only use one channel, you only have one chance to get in the door. That means you’re missing out on great opportunities. Do This Instead: Definitely apply, but then focus on other channels like networking. You can only submit one app, but you can reach out to as many employees as you want. 5. Cutting Ties After Rejections Rejection is painful, but too many job seekers cut ties afterwards. Many of our clients have landed offers by keeping relationships going after a rejection. Do This Instead: When you get rejected, send a note to everyone in the hiring process. Wish them well and ask if you can stay in touch. Then check in every month to keep the relationship warm. 6. Giving Up Too Soon Every week, I get emails from people saying they reached out to network and it didn’t work. When I ask them how many messages they sent, the most common reply is between 5-10. Do This Instead: Try every channel and give it a true sample size. Track the outcomes, and then optimize. You can’t tell if a channel will work or not after only trying it a few times. 7. Keeping It A Secret Too many job seekers keep their job search to themselves. You don’t need to announce it publicly, but the more people who know, the more people you have to support you. Do This Instead: Be strategic, but share the fact that you’re searching as well as your specific goals with this search. If you open up, people will be willing to help :)

One of the single most important issues in coming years is job transitions. This fascinating research examines not just job adjacency and required skill development for transition, but also bridging, directionality in job migration, and more. Insights include: 📊 The Power of Real-Time Skills Data. Analyzing real-time job posting data provides much more current and granular insights into labor market dynamics compared to traditional occupational classifications and surveys. This is especially valauble during rapid shifts like COVID-19. 🎯 Skills Space Method's High Accuracy. The "Skills Space" method for measuring similarity between skill sets, shown in the diagram, achieved 76% accuracy in predicting actual job transitions. This is impressive for such a complex prediction task and suggests the method captures something fundamental about how people actually move between jobs. 🔄 The Asymmetry of Career Paths. Job transitions are fundamentally asymmetric - it's often much easier to move in one direction between jobs than the other. For example, it may be relatively easy for a Finance Manager to become an Accounting Clerk, but much harder for an Accounting Clerk to become a Finance Manager. 🌉 The "Bridge" Nature of Transferable Skills. Generalist skills act as "bridges" between specialist skill clusters. This provides important insights for career planning - developing transferable skills makes it easier to move between different specialized domains. 🎓 Pathways to Specialized Roles. The analysis reveals clear skill-based pathways into specialized domains, showing how workers can strategically develop skills to transition into complex roles. For example, a Sheetmetal Trades Worker's skillset shows high similarity to an Industrial Designer role, offering a pathway from a high-automation-risk job to a low-automation-risk specialized position. 🆘 Crisis Response Through Skills Matching. The model helps workers displaced by crises like COVID-19 find new roles by identifying transitions that leverage their existing skills, target growing rather than declining occupations, and focus skill development on high-value gaps. This is valuable research. We need much more in this vein, and for this to be applied at all levels of the economy from national and international policy down do individual education.

Talent Acquisition Metrics and Analytics!! Talent acquisition metrics and analytics are essential tools for optimizing and improving the recruitment process. By analyzing data, talent acquisition teams can make more informed decisions, enhance recruitment strategies, and ultimately attract and hire the best talent. Here are some Key Metrics in Talent Acquisition to consider when discussing talent acquisition analytics: ▶️ Time to Fill: Measures the time from posting a job to making an offer. Shortening this time improves efficiency and reduces hiring costs. ▶️ Time to Hire: The time taken from the initial interview to the candidate’s acceptance. A shorter time indicates a smooth hiring process. ▶️ Cost Per Hire (CPH): The total cost involved in hiring, including advertising, recruiter fees, and onboarding expenses. Tracking CPH helps manage recruitment budgets. ▶️ Offer Acceptance Rate: The percentage of candidates who accept job offers. A low rate could indicate issues with compensation or cultural fit. ▶️ Quality of Hire: Measures the performance and retention of new hires, typically assessed through performance reviews and turnover rates. ▶️ Candidate Experience: Involves metrics like satisfaction scores and response time, which impact employer branding and can affect future candidate engagement. ▶️ Diversity Metrics: Tracks the diversity of applicants and hires, including gender, ethnicity, and other factors, to ensure fair and inclusive hiring practices. ▶️ Recruitment Funnel Analytics: Analyzes conversion rates between stages of recruitment, like from application to interview or interview to offer. Identifies where candidates drop off and allows for process optimization. ▶️ Predictive Analytics: Uses historical data to forecast hiring needs, job performance, and candidate success, helping to make more proactive recruitment decisions. ▶️ ROI of Talent Acquisition: Measures the return on investment of recruitment activities by comparing recruitment costs to the value brought by new hires (e.g., performance, retention). Benefits of Analytics in Talent Acquisition: ▶️ Improved Decision-Making: Data-driven insights help recruiters make more informed choices about candidates, processes, and strategies. ▶️ Process Optimization: Analytics help identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement in the recruitment workflow. ▶️ Better Candidate Fit: By tracking metrics like quality of hire and predictive analytics, recruiters can identify candidates who are likely to succeed and stay with the company long-term. ▶️ Enhanced Employer Branding: A positive candidate experience, measured through feedback and response times, enhances the organization’s reputation as an employer of choice. By tracking these metrics and leveraging analytics, talent acquisition teams can refine their recruitment processes, improve candidate experiences, and ultimately make better hires.

Base salary isn't everything. 9 things that make or break your next job offer. 1. What's the Total Compensation Package? Don't just look at the base salary. Dive into bonuses, stock options, commissions (capped or uncapped), and any other financial incentives to get the full picture. 2. How Often Are Raises Given? Understand the frequency and basis for salary reviews. Is it performance-based? Is it annual? I'd always try to know this upfront to project my future earning potential. 3. What's the Policy on Bonuses? Does the company offer annual or performance-based bonuses? Find out the criteria to qualify and when those get paid out. 4. Are There Any Stock Options or Equity Incentives? For those considering roles in startups or emerging companies, stock options or equity can be a game-changer. Understand the vesting period, potential $ value, and terms. 5. What Does the Benefits Package Look Like? Beyond salary, health insurance, dental, vision, retirement contributions, and other perks can significantly impact your financial well-being. 6. Is There a Relocation or Housing Allowance? More companies are returning to the office. Find out if there's support if you need to move, which can include shipping costs, housing allowances, or even trips for house-hunting. 7. Any Educational or Professional Development Benefits? Continuous learning can boost your career. Does the company invest in your growth through courses, workshops, or tuition reimbursements? 8. How Long is the Company's Cash Runway? Important for startups, understanding the company's financial runway (how long they can operate without additional capital) can give insights into the company's stability and future. 9. Is the Company Meeting Its Revenue Targets? Are they consistently meeting or exceeding revenue goals? This can be an indicator of job security (layoffs) and the company's long-term vision. — These questions are fair game to work through your recruiter to find out. If I receive an offer, I'll also use these as follow-up questions if it's not clear in the written offer. The more you know, the better positioned you'll be to negotiate and understand the full scope of what's being offered too. Don't leave money on the table (or get caught off guard down the road) by not asking the right questions. ♻ Share to help someone’s job search And follow me for more posts like this.

Looking for your next role in today’s competitive market? You need more than a resume. You need a plan. Whether you're an executive navigating a confidential transition or a mid-level professional aiming higher, here’s a 10-step job search strategy to help you land faster—with more control and less competition: 🔟 The 10-Step Job Search Plan: 1. Define your career target Be crystal clear on your ideal roles, industries, and locations. Clarity accelerates alignment. 2. Develop your brand Craft a one-sentence value statement. Who are you? What are you known for? Why should someone hire you? 3. Build strong career tools Craft a modern, results-driven resume and pair it with a fully optimized LinkedIn profile. These two assets work together to showcase your value and improve your visibility. 4. Activate informational interviews Don’t ask for a job. Ask for insight, leads or referrals. People are more likely to help when your ask is easy and clear. 5. Consider direct outreach campaigns Identify 25–50 companies of interest and and send a value proposition letter to key decision-makers. Follow up. 6. Track growth companies Monitor industry news and target companies showing signs of growth. Set Google alerts for “mergers,” “expansions,” or “product launches” in your target sectors. 7. Partner with the right recruiters. Locate recruiters who specialize in your industry and role level, remembering that recruiters work on behalf of companies—so help them help you by aligning your offering with their niche and clearly communicating your value. 8. Build social proof Gather testimonials, recommendations, and endorsements that back up your claims. Share your thought leadership and engage on social media. 9. Use job boards for research, not just applying Use alerts to identify market activity and then explore to learn more. Can you find the person who is hiring? Do you have any internal connections in the hiring company? 10. Batch your activity Consistency beats chaos. Schedule focused time each week for networking, outreach, activities, and follow-up. This 10-step approach blends strategy with action. #jobsearch

In today’s competitive job market, great candidates get overlooked all the time—not because they lack skills, but because they don’t know how to stand out. If you want recruiters and hiring managers to notice you, remember you, and hire you, focus on these three game-changers: 1️⃣ Go Beyond Job Applications ❌ Mistake: Submitting applications and waiting for a response. ✅ Strategy: Leverage networking, referrals, and direct outreach to bypass the black hole of online applications. 💡 Tip: Instead of applying cold, find someone inside the company (a hiring manager, recruiter, or peer) and send a thoughtful message: 📩 “Hi [Name], I’m really interested in [Role] at [Company]. I’d love to hear your perspective on what makes someone successful in this team. Would you be open to a quick chat?” This humanizes your application and makes it easier to land an interview. 2️⃣ Position Yourself as the Best Fit ❌ Mistake: Listing responsibilities instead of results. ✅ Strategy: Make your resume and LinkedIn profile a magnet for opportunities by showcasing impact. 💡 Example: ❌ “Managed customer accounts and improved retention.” ✅ “Led customer success efforts for 50+ clients, increasing retention by 30% and driving $1.2M in revenue.” Your resume should answer: Why should they hire YOU? 3️⃣ Interview with Confidence & Clarity ❌ Mistake: Rambling or underselling yourself. ✅ Strategy: Use the STAR method to tell compelling stories and practice speaking with impact. 💡 Example: Instead of vaguely saying “I helped launch a new product,” try: 🎤 “I led the launch of [Product], managing a cross-functional team and driving a 40% increase in adoption within 6 months.” ➡ The clearer your value, the easier it is to hire you. 🔥 Bottom Line: 📌 Stop relying on job boards—network strategically. 📌 Show impact, not just experience. 📌 Nail your interview with strong, structured answers. 🚀 The right approach makes you the candidate they can’t ignore. 👉 Found this helpful? Reshare to help others in their job search!

People know people, #data know patterns! Tapping administrative labour market data has considerable potential to support the #matching of unemployed and vacancies. We are working on it. ⚒ In a new IAB-Discussion Paper, Sabrina Mühlbauer and I develop a large-scale algorithm-based application to improve the match quality in the labour market. We use comprehensive administrative data on #employment biographies in Germany to predict job match quality in terms of job stability and wages. The models are estimated with both #MachineLearning and common statistical methods. This exercise reveals that #AI performs better for pattern recognition, analyses large amounts of data in an efficient way and minimises the prediction error in the application. 💻 Good matching needs good job quality and good chances: We combine our results with algorithms that optimise matching probability. This provides a ranked list of job recommendations based on individual characteristics for each job seeker. The long-term goal can be to support caseworkers just as job seekers and employers in expanding their job search strategy: the strength of people and data combined ✔✔. In addition to the technical machine building, this has important social, ethical and practical perspectives.

This question makes most candidates panic: "What are your salary expectations?" Say too much, you price yourself out. Say too little, you leave money on the table. Here's how to answer strategically without doing either: Step 1: Research the market first. Before you even apply, know what the role pays. Use: → Glassdoor → Levels.fyi (especially for tech) → LinkedIn Salary → Payscale Look at: → Your location → Your experience level → The company size and industry Come prepared with data, not just a gut feeling. Step 2: Deflect if possible. When they ask, try flipping it back first: "I'd love to learn more about the role and what you're looking for. What's the budgeted range for this position?" This gives you: → A starting point for negotiation → Insight into whether you're aligned → Power in the conversation Sometimes they'll tell you. Sometimes they'll press you to answer first. Step 3: If pressed, give a range based on research. Don't say: "I'm currently making $X, so I'm looking for $X + 10%." This anchors you to your current salary, not your market value. Instead, say: "Based on my research and experience, I'm targeting $X-Y for this type of role." Make sure: → Your low end is above what you'd actually accept → Your high end is ambitious but reasonable → The range is based on market data, not just what you want Step 4: Anchor high within reasonable bounds. If the market range is $100K-$130K, don't say $80K-$100K. Anchor toward the higher end: $120K-$140K. You can always negotiate down. You can't negotiate up from a low anchor. Step 5: Include total comp, not just base. Don't just talk about base salary. Say: "I'm targeting $X-Y in total compensation, which would include base, bonus, equity, and benefits." This gives you: → Flexibility in the negotiation → A fuller picture of the offer → Room to trade between components Step 6: Stay open to discussion. End with: "But I'm open to discussing the full compensation package once I learn more about the role and what you're offering." This shows: → You're flexible → You're interested in the total picture → You're not just focused on one number The formula: "Based on my research and the value I bring, I'm targeting $X-Y in total compensation. But I'm open to discussing the full package, including base, bonus, equity, and benefits, once we're aligned on the role." This keeps you: → Anchored high → Grounded in research → Open to negotiation → Focused on total value The key: Never give a number without doing your research first. Never anchor to your current salary. And never apologize for knowing your worth. Follow me for more tips so you're ready next time they ask.

When you say that you're looking for a salary that reflects what the market is paying, what market are you talking about? For any role you can name there are several variations to market data and therefore salaries unless they are controlled by award rates. Factors like Location is an obvious one. Sydney doesn't pay the same as Brisbane. Size and stage of company is probably the most overlooked one that I see recruiting for startups. The big bank you work at with 10,000 employees and $20 billion a year in revenue is going to have different salary bands to the 15 person Digital agency run by the owner that opened it's doors 3 years ago. Industry is another with the best example today being Sports Gambling, they pay over the market as it's often harder to attract people to work there. Supply & demand is another with AI and Machine Learning roles the most obvious examples, when those titles first come into our worlds, who sets the salary ranges here? Unfortunately there isn't one answer to that question and like a lot of things in life, it comes down to what you can negotiate. I've had people get cranky when discussing salaries because they are taking their current salary and using that as the only data point for what the Market pays. The salary data tools out there that a lot of companies use all offer filters so companies can benchmark themselves against other companies of similar size, stage, location, revenue etc. So if you have one salary expectation for all companies you apply for and those companies vary in size, stage, location etc, you're going to be disappointed and maybe cranky with some of the budgets. It would be like having one budget to buy the same sized house in Bondi and Hobart. I'm not trying to beat up on candidates for having higher salary expectations that the budgets, may you get every dollar you can in every role you have. Only trying to give you a peak behind the HR curtains.

Talking money in interviews is tricky. But the how (and when) depends a lot on the type of role. Most advice you see on here about salary expectations? It doesn’t distinguish between two very different types of engagement. For hourly or wage-based jobs It’s usually best to get it on the table early. These roles typically have a set hourly rate or band, with little to no room for negotiation. If the advertised rate doesn’t work for you, better to know upfront. Candidate tip: A simple way to handle it is, “Can you confirm the hourly rate for this role?” It’s direct, professional, and keeps things moving. The right time to ask is at the application or first phone screen stage — not after you’ve sat through three rounds of interviews. For salaried, senior, or leadership roles Money talk is more nuanced. The base is only part of the picture — bonus structures, long-term incentives, flexibility, and growth trajectory often matter more than a fixed number. Leading with “this is my number” too early can undersell your value — or box you in. Candidate tips: In early interviews, focus on scope and expectations. Ask questions like, “How do you measure success in this role?” If pressed for a number early, frame it as a range: “Based on market benchmarks, I’d expect $X–$Y, depending on scope.” The best time for a detailed salary conversation is once both sides are seriously interested (usually late-stage interviews or offer stage). At that point, you can negotiate the whole package with clarity. For most wage-based roles: be clear and direct, and do it early. For senior roles: anchor the conversation in outcomes, and time the money talk for when there’s genuine commitment. The difference? One is a transaction. The other is a negotiation about value. Think if it like the differnce between a product on a shelf in a department store, there is a set price, Versus a product at a market, sometime the haggle is expected. PS: If a company refuses to talk dollars until the very end, that’s also a signal. And not always a good one #linkedInNewsAustralia