The 21st Century Job Search

Career: The Job Search from the 20th to the 21st Century

I grew up in the 80’s and have been working since I was 14 years old. I’ve always been pretty confident and I don’t linger in the negative. For instance, if I don’t get an interview or a job, it just means God has a better plan for me. Yay!

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

I’ve been working in the career coaching field for 4 years now and it is a fast paced environment; never a dull moment. I’m always growing professionally and learning something new. If you want to find a job in the 21st century, you definitely have to prepare, much more so than you did in the 20th century. A lot more work is involved in the job search since I began working.

I intend to write several blog postings, comparing the 20th and 21st century job search process. In a nutshell, there are several changes in the 21st century job search, such as:

The economy
The internet
Your personal brand
Your “Strengths”
The interview process
How to prepare
What to wear
The time it takes to fill out the application
The length of the interview
The time it takes to hear back from the hiring manager
Networking
Tailoring the resume and cover letter
Away with the objective and in with the skills
More preparation time goes into the job search process

Some factors, though, have remained the same. Networking may be different now, but who you know has always been a good way to leverage getting the job. You still need a resume for most jobs, though a lot more time goes into customizing the resume now. In the 80’s I could use one resume to apply for several jobs. Now I need to customize my resume for each job I apply for. Of course the economy will always play a crucial part in finding a job, depending on whether there are more jobs available at the present time.

Stay tuned for future articles about the job search process in the 21st century.