Trends

The white paper from the second annual 2011 Career Thought Leaders Global Brainstorming Day, is now available. As GCDF professionals, I'd place this high on your reading list. The report looks at trends in a variety of areas such as resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn, job search, networking, recruitment and hiring, career planning and career management. In October, 250+ career professionals from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom met in 15 live and virtual events. Their focus was to brainstorm best practices, innovations, trends, new programs, new processes, and other observations that are currently impacting, and projected to impact, global employment, job search, and career management. Page 18 of the report gives mention to "The New" and plugs that "Professionally led job clubs and networking groups provide ongoing support for job seekers. Instead of or in additiuon to a one-on-one relationship with a coach, job seekers are finding increasing opportunities to stay in touch and gain ongoing advice through a job club led by a career professional."

I especially like the layout of the report in that each topic of focus is broken down into “the now”, “the new” and the "the next". You will be sure to come away from reading this report with an edge on where future trends are going and how to better serve our clients.

Many GCDFs were involved in the monumental Work Opportunity Project last year. This groundbreaking empirical survey was based upon 100 intensive face-to-face interviews of randomly selected Eastern Kentucky employers. The participating employers provided a picture of the future workforce needed in Eastern Kentucky. Their responses will pave the way for preparing the workforce by identifying the top skills and traits needed. A national study supports similar findings. To help job seekers better understand the competencies employers deem most valuable, the Career Advisory Board, established by DeVry University, created the Job Preparedness Indicator study, a new annual survey designed to identify and track gaps between the attributes candidates say they have and what qualifications employers need to fill available positions. The survey was conducted online during September, 2011, by Harris Interactive on behalf of the Career Advisory Board, and surveyed 540 hiring managers and 734 job seekers. Interestly, the findings break down the skills employers are ideally seeking at different levels of employment - entry level (initiative and dependability), mid-level (problem solving and communication) and managerial level (leadership). The article goes on to list some strategies to improve job search success and bridge the gap. As part of ongoing professional development, take time to review both studies.

What do Employers Want?

In GCDF training, our discussion often flows to employability skills and what are employers really looking for in new hires. Many of our conversations have revolved around employers in Eastern Kentucky and their hiring needs. Watch the EKCEP website for the upcoming WOP results that will certainly have a regional focus.

But what skills are employers seeking in recent college graduates? According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Job Outlook 2011 survey, employers are looking for job candidates with these top five skills and qualities:

Verbal communication skills
Strong work ethic
Teamwork skills
Analytical skills
Initiative

How does this list compare and contrast to what you are hearing local employers request?

ROWE - Results Only Work Environment

http://preview.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124705801

A recent NPR story on how one Minnesota Government agency made a radical switch to a ROWE work environment. Similar discussions have surfaced in our GCDF trainings, especially in light of generational work styles/differences. Could this work in your office?