Do you have the most sought-after skills to get the job you want? Many job seekers don’t actually know what employers are after. Would you guess it’s leadership?

In Deloitte’s 2019 Global Human Capital Trends, 80% of respondents reported that leadership is a high priority for their organization. However, they also indicated that these traits are scarce in most businesses. Only 41% believed their companies were ready to implement changes to encourage stronger leadership skills. 

Thus, standing out as a candidate with talented leadership skills will appeal to companies looking to strengthen that skill set on every level. 

Here’s how can you prove and improve your leadership skills in the job search:

The job market for millennials is more competitive than ever before. Over the last decade, the unemployment rate has been on a steady decline and is at an all time low of 4.9 percent according to Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, millennials are still having the hardest time finding jobs.

How can the ‘Net Generation’ beat the odds and secure decent paying jobs in today’s market? This is a great opportunity for career counselors to show their grit while helping this unique generation of go-getters find their place in the workforce.

Millennials are generally recognized for having two abilities their predecessors have not: positivity and an above average capability to use technology. Since employers hope to add these two qualities to their team when hiring a millennial, it is your job to show how your job-seeker exhibits both of these traits and more.

Here are three tips to tip off employers to your millennial candidate and land them that job:

When on a new job hunt, sometimes the hardest thing to do is to stand out from everyone else. This modern age makes it extremely difficult to appear distinctive because in most cases, you are not actually physically meeting your employer for the first few interactions with them.

Standing out requires creativity and uniqueness but, most importantly, leaving a strong first impression. Based on a study by the Journal of Applied Psychology, titled “Initial Impressions: What They Are, What They Are Not, and How They Influence Structured Interview Outcomes,” your first communication with an employer has a huge influence on your chances of getting that job. 

Many people understand what it takes to make a good impression in the real world, but are those skills easily translated to the cyber world? What can you do to make a good first online impression, and how can these tactics help you stand out among the rest of the applicants?

Here are three ways you can appear as the four leaf clover to an employer:

Knowing how to use your social media accounts is important when embarking on a digital job search because many employers use social media for their talent search. In fact, 73 percent out of 1,855 recruiting and human resources professionals said they have hired a candidate through social media, according to a 2014 Social Recruiting Survey by Jobvite.

At this point, most of us know what not to do on social media. But how should you use social media to a standout from other job candidates?

Here are three ways you can take your online personal brand to the next level and stand out from other job candidates:

Working from home sounds like a dream — you can work in your pajamas, you don’t have to commute to work, you have the flexibility to take breaks when it’s most ideal for your workload and is not going to interrupt workflow, and there is no micro-manager watching over your shoulder, sending shivers up your spine.

As great as this all may seem, working remotely isn’t for everyone. There are aspects of telecommuting that can be challenging for certain personalities.

Here are the four skills you need to have if working from home is going to work for you: 

So, you just quit your job, and you’re feeling stuck. You don’t know what the next steps are. However, the first step is the hardest and instead of being down, be proud of yourself — you knew you deserved better and got out of a rut to find a job more fitting for you.

Putting in your two weeks’ notice and packing up your desk isn’t the most pleasant experience — but it can lead to something better, if you use that time to grow.

Here are three ways you can embrace the time off to really discover yourself and find your dream career:

(This post was updated on 6/24/2020)

With businesses shut down due to COVID-19, about 20.5 million people were on state unemployment rolls in early June 2020, according to the New York Times. It was the 13th straight week that filings topped one million. This extended period of high unemployment brought a question to the minds of many workers: is this forced break in work a good time to think about changing careers?

Despite the popular advice of “following your passion,” job seekers should pause and reflect before changing career paths. The best thing to do is ask the right questions to identify what is meaningful, what provides value, what skills are transferable, and what a career change looks like in reality.

Here is what your job seekers should ask themselves before changing careers:

Some people think that internships are a means to pad resumes, but the majority of college students take internships very seriously. In fact, it often influences their career path. It’s evident that many students want to turn their internships into a career, but only a few make that happen.

According 2015 report by Looksharp that surveyed more than 50,000 college graduates, 73 percent of college students consider opportunities for long-term career advancement crucial when searching for internships. Despite their interest, only 19.4 percent have already received a full-time offer.

Here are five ways you can transition from a part-time intern to full-time employee:

There is no denying the Internet has fast become one of the most important tools for job seekers, as more and more digital job search resources have become available and even mobile-optimized.

If you are not using online resources during your search, you are part of a minority. According to a 2015 study from the Pew Research Center, 79 percent of Americans looking for work within the last two years have used the Internet during recent searches.

Digital job searches yield results for many hopeful job seekers. The Pew Research Center reports that 34 percent of them claim online resources were the most important tool available, second to personal and professional networks, on the list of Americans’ most important resources.  

Just like any other career endeavor, job seekers need to be equipped with a set of skills. Social skills are still very valuable for networking and interviewing, but what about the skills you need for successfully locating openings and landing interviews?

Here’s a look at what skills you’ll need during your digital job search:

Telecommuting is blowing up after many companies saw success with remote work during the lockdowns of 2020. But this trend isn’t at all new. 

Even back in 2019, more than half of employees wanted to start working from home, according to Owl Labs’ State of Remote Work. Now, that wish has become a reality, as more businesses than ever are considering allowing workers to switch to remote work. 

The appeal of telecommuting is obvious. Employees have more freedom to decide how they use their time, providing better work-life balance. It cuts down on travel costs and commuter stress. Not to mention, telecommuters can work all day in their pajamas.

But that doesn’t mean working from home long-term after the pandemic lockdowns will be right for everyone.

If you come across an attractive telecommuting job in your search, know that there are certain drawbacks. Here are four things to consider before taking a telecommuting job: