👥 3 interview questions recruiters are asking right now, related to the future of work

by Alex Funkhouser

Every sector is discussing the impact of artificial intelligence.

There is so much buzz about the future of work—from the implications of ChatGPT to managing remote teams. How does this new way of working translate to what organizations are looking for in potential candidates? 

I’m an executive coach and career strategist, and I have found that recruiters are asking a new generation of questions that are related to the future of work.

“We’ve just come through something significant in terms of the pandemic, and it’s changed people at their core. It’s changed how, what, where, and when they want to work. The stakes have never been higher for both candidates and the organizations doing the hiring,” says Jim Zaniello, president and CEO of executive search firm Vetted Solutions. 

If you are preparing for an interview, I strongly recommend that you think about how to answer the following three interview questions that recruiters are now asking—and how to demonstrate your strengths in the process.  

1. HOW DO YOU STAY CONNECTED IN A HYBRID OR REMOTE ENVIRONMENT?  

Many recruiters believe that organizational culture and finding the right candidate who fits that culture has never been more critical. This means that hiring managers are spending more time getting to know candidates as people.

Read the complete Fast Company article BY JENNIFER LEWI: https://www.fastcompany.com/90899557/3-interview-questions-recruiters-are-asking-right-now-related-to-the-future-of-work

🪜 Navigating the Shifting Job Landscape: Insights on Hiring Trends, Remote Work, Skills-Based Hiring, AI, and Gender Disparity

by Alex Funkhouser

Earlier this month, I interviewed Karin Kimbrough, LinkedIn’s chief economist, who gleans insights from more than 930 million members and 63 million companies on the platform—a treasure trove of hiring data and employment trends. In fact, our talk was so full of useful nuggets, I couldn’t reduce everything into a single, elegant theme. So instead, I’m giving you seven takeaways from a conversation Fast Company cohosted with Deloitte Cyber & Strategic Risk at the recent RSA Conference.

I asked Kimbrough what leaders can do to address the disparity in that last data set. She urges companies to review their interview processes for biases and to embrace mentorship and sponsorship models once women do get in the door. “It works,” she says. “I’m here to say, as a Black woman, I got mentored and sponsored by amazing men and women all through my career, and it helps.”

7 Takeaways:

• Overall hiring is slowing down, and tech is especially hard hit. 
• There are bright spots for labor.
• Remote jobs are drying up, despite high demand. 
• Workers are investing in themselves.
• Skills-based hiring leads to more diverse workforces. 
• Artificial intelligence (AI) will disrupt middle-tier jobs. 
• Women are struggling.

Read the complete Fast Company Article BY STEPHANIE MEHTA: https://www.fastcompany.com/90891428/the-future-of-work-according-to-930-million-professionals

🧍‍♀️🧍‍♂️ Tech talent expert: Here’s how to hire the right developers to grow your company

by Alex Funkhouser

Building the right tech team requires a lot more than coding skills. Recent layoffs mean there’s great talent out there. But who’s right for your needs?

With the recent string of high-profile layoffs, tech entrepreneurs may be looking to scoop up talent and fill long-vacant developer roles. For startups with limited runway, hiring the right people is absolutely critical. But how can founders evaluate applicants effectively?

Candidates also need to be able to work collaboratively with others and foster a positive team culture. To identify these skills, you might ask them to describe a time when they had to resolve a conflict within their team, or complete a project under intense deadline pressure.

Over the past five years, I’ve hired hundreds of developers and maintained a 93 percent retention rate, even through the heart of the Great Resignation. Along the way, I’ve developed an intensive, detailed hiring process that consistently puts the right candidates in the right jobs.

GO BEYOND CODE

Without the necessary tech skills, of course, going further with a candidate is pointless. But this is just the first step.

It’s relatively easy to find out if someone can write code or not. Putting candidates through a series of certifications and core assessments will tell you whether they have a sufficient technical understanding.

Read the complete Fast Company article by MATT DECOURSEY: https://www.fastcompany.com/90885931/tech-talent-expert-how-hire-right-developers-grow-company

🤹 The Must-Have Hard and Soft Skills to Put on Your Résumé

by Alex Funkhouser

It’s very important to know what is relevant to the job when thinking of skills to list on your resume.

Writing a good résumé is a difficult balancing act. Sometimes it can be a challenge to keep your resume length short and sweet while also including enough quality information to make a lasting impression.

Hiring managers will also hold a particular interest in the skill set you possess. This means it’s very important to know what is relevant to the job when thinking of skills to list on your resume. And though it goes without saying, we’ll say it just in case: any job skills listed on your resume should be skills you truly possess.

“Some great skills employers love to see on your résumé if you are looking for remote work are: written and verbal communication, the ability to work independently, time and task management, organization, comfort with technology, and specific knowledge of remote communication tools like Zoom, Skype, Dropbox, Google Suite, etc.,” shared Toni Frana, FlexJobs’ lead career expert.

So how do you figure out the best skills to put on your resume? And what if you’re looking to find a remote job?

HARD SKILLS VS. SOFT SKILLS IN YOUR RÉSUMÉ

There are endless skills that you can include on any résumé, and you have to decide which ones will be the most effective. There are hard, industry-specific technical skills, as well as soft skills that every job demands.

Hard skills are technical abilities that are specific to a particular job and are often measurable. For software developers, their set of hard skills would include specific programming languages. Soft skills are personal skills or creative abilities that can come naturally or be strengthened over time. Some examples of soft skills are adaptability, self-motivation, people skills, time management, and the ability to work under pressure.

Let’s take a closer look at the skills section for your résumé.

Read the complete Fast Company article BY JESSICA HOWINGTON: https://www.fastcompany.com/90887751/these-are-the-top-20-must-have-skills-to-put-on-your-resume

🍃 3 ways to find a job that aligns with your values

by Alex Funkhouser

Factors that help determine whether a job is a good fit go beyond perks and pay.

What people expect from their employer has shifted and values increasingly matter to those looking to make a career change. In fact, more than two-thirds of Americans say misaligned values with a company is a deal-breaker, even in an uncertain economy, according to a February 2023 survey of 1,500 U.S. professionals and hiring managers conducted by Censuswide on behalf of LinkedIn.

At the same time, companies that emphasize their culture and values are not only more likely to attract engaged candidates but also retain top talent to help drive their business forward in a world of work that’s constantly changing. On LinkedIn, job postings that mention values like culture, flexibility, and well-being receive nearly three times more views and twice as many applications today than they did two years ago.

On LinkedIn, you can now search for open roles at companies with commitments in areas like work-life balance, career growth and learning, diversity equity and inclusion, social impact or environmental sustainability. Hirers can also add and demonstrate proof of their commitments on their LinkedIn Page, giving you a better understanding of how they put their culture and values into action.

Whether it’s work-life balance, an accelerated growth path, or more inclusive workplace culture, crafting a job search strategy that leads with your values can set you up for a fulfilling career long-term. Here are three ways to kick-start your job search based on your values. 

MAP OUT YOUR TOP VALUES AND RANK THEM BY IMPORTANCE

Before you do anything, list out your core values and the top three to five that are most important to you. An excellent place to start is by asking yourself: What motivates or energizes you the most? What are the things you must have to set yourself up for success and be happy in your next job? For example, if you are a working parent or get your best work done outside of traditional operating hours, you may need an employer that offers a more flexible work schedule. Or, maybe you care about a company’s commitment to social impact more than your individual role. 

Read the complete Fast Company article BY ROHAN RAJIV: https://www.fastcompany.com/90884795/3-ways-to-find-a-job-that-aligns-with-your-values

💼 3 Things About the Job Market You Think Are True But Arn’t

by Alex Funkhouser

When we insist that we can’t find good people or that no one wants to work, we place the blame for hiring challenges on workers instead of looking in the mirror.

“Looking for good people. No one wants to work.”

This is the phrase one small business owner uses constantly in the job openings he posts in my local Facebook community group. You’ve certainly heard remarks like these from business owners and leaders across industries of late. At a time when it seems harder than ever to find and keep devoted employees, maybe you’ve even uttered these sentiments yourself.

Companies that are not struggling to fill roles or retain workers are paying attention to these very factors. They understand that the era of trying to hire the best person for the job is over. Amid a white-hot labor market that’s expected to continue, they’re focusing on creating the best job for the person.

Unfortunately, this is one of several stories business owners and leaders are telling themselves about why hiring and retention remain such a challenge. If we’re going to attract and retain talent in this new age of work, we must debunk several of the persistent myths about what’s happening in the labor market.

MYTH #1: EVERYONE IS QUITTING

While the Great Resignation has received widespread media coverage these past two years, hiring data brings clarity to what is really happening in the workforce. People aren’t quitting their jobs; they’re changing jobs.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), hiring continues to exceed quits across the economy. What’s clear is that people who are quitting their jobs are doing so to take better jobs.

Read the complete Fast Company article BY JOE MULL: https://www.fastcompany.com/90880971/everyone-is-quitting-and-workforce-myths