Archives January 2023

The job market is more competitive than ever. To stay in a strong position to compete for your dream job, you have to be marketable. Making yourself a more marketable applicant means making yourself so valuable that your current employer wants to keep you, and prospective employers will do anything to get you.

If you’re in the market for a new job in the new year, you must commit to being more marketable. This means expanding your skills and your knowledge to stay current and competitive. Not sure where to start? Use these tips to start improving your marketability.

1. Enrich Your Knowledge

Commit to learning and improving continually. Even if the knowledge isn’t relevant in your current job, you need to be up to date on all the latest developments in your industry. You can gain new knowledge and skills through online courses and seminars, distance learning, continuing education (CE) courses in-house, and even by reading industry publications.

2. Upgrade Your Skills

The first measure of marketability is your skillset. Keep your skills current and relevant by attending workshops, pursuing certificates and CE credits, and attending informational and training conferences and events. Review your skillset and look for gaps that need addressing. Developing your technical and soft skills will help you diversify and advance in your career.

3. Expand Your Network

Your network of professional contacts is among the most useful job search tools you have. Join professional associations or organizations to establish more connections and build on your current ones. Attend events and conferences to interact with your peers. Participate in online discussions and online groups related to your profession and stay up to date on the latest news and developments.

Networking is also the ideal way to connect with professionals in your field that could provide guidance and mentorship along the way.

4. Build Your Personal Brand

When you market yourself to prospective employers, you are essentially selling yourself. You must build a strong, consistent personal brand to present to future employers. Update your resume with your current and relevant skills and training. Update your resume on LinkedIn and any professional sites as well. Have a professional headshot taken for your profiles.

Depending on your industry, having a portfolio of your best work available for review is essential. It’s an easy way to show future employers the quality of your work and the value you place on it. Attach your portfolio to your professional sites as well so future employers see what you can do.

Conclusion

Improving your marketability takes commitment and effort. You must build a solid brand for yourself, learn and acquire new skills, and expand your network. The fruits of that effort, however, are well worth it and increase your chances of landing your dream job.

If you’re ready to find your next job in the new year, consider searching with ABBTECH today!

Many companies are making changes in an effort to attract top talent and retain more workers. One concept generating interest and increasing in popularity is the 4-day work week. The 4-day work week compresses the traditional 40-hour work week into four days or shortens it to 32 hours a week.

Modifying the work week in this way helps many businesses keep employees productive and engaged. As with any concept, there are some downsides, too. In this blog, we’ll look at the pros and cons of implementing a 4-day workweek for your company. Is a 4-day workweek the right decision for you? Read on to find out!

Pros & Cons of the 4-Day Workweek

4-Day Work Week – Pros

Flexibility and Work-Life Balance

For most employees, the added flexibility and better work-life balance that a 4-day workweek provides is the most important advantage. With so many employees struggling during and following the pandemic, preventing burnout and handling mental health issues have become priorities. Having an extra day off a week or working shorter hours gives employees extra time to handle their families and personal health.

Increased efficiency and productivity

A lot of time is wasted at work, most of it through inefficiency and mismanagement. Many employees say they can do their jobs in five hours or less. Reducing the work hours each week, or compressing them, allows employees to work smarter rather than harder. Instead of wasting time on work tasks that aren’t related to their job, they can focus on their core job. Employees are more productive, produce better quality work, and, ultimately, save the company money.

Improved recruitment and retention

People are tired of work being the center of their lives. The 4-day workweek appeals to job seekers’ need for employment that is efficient, purposeful, and healthy. Businesses that switch to a 4-day workweek see a boost in their organization’s ability to attract and retain the right talent.

4-Day Work Week – Cons

Existing Negative Bias

The biggest disadvantage of implementing a 4-day workweek is the negative bias against it that still exists. Some managers, employers, and even employees are concerned that switching to a 4-day workweek could negatively affect the company. Fear of decreased sales and revenue and reduced productivity, as well as the potential effects on customer service and the company brand, discourage many from offering a compressed or shortened work week.

Increased Operating Costs in Certain Industries

Post-pandemic, most businesses have seen their operating costs go up. Inflation, energy prices, supply chain disruptions, and consumer demands have all driven up costs. For some industries, the additional costs of adding more workers to cover the adjustment in work hours may not be an attractive feature of the 4-day workweek.

Conclusion

A 4-day workweek comes with a lot of positives and few negatives. If you’re ready to increase productivity, reduce employee turnover, offer a better work-life balance, and more, then the 4-day workweek is an ideal choice for you.

If you need help building your dream team in 2023, contact our team today!

If you’ve been working toward a promotion at work, you may wonder if you can improve your chances of getting it in 2023. Earning a promotion raises your position in a company, as well as increasing your salary, benefits, and sense of accomplishment. Below are 3 tips to help you earn a promotion this year.

When you’re ready for a promotion, the key is catching your employer’s attention. While your job performance, knowledge, experience, and skills are essential, they may not be enough. If you are ready to earn that promotion you’ve been working towards, follow these helpful tips to increase your chances.

Get Yourself Noticed to Help Earn a Promotion

You know you deserve a promotion, but does your employer? Even if you’ve been working towards a promotion for years, your employer may not know you’re interested. You need to put yourself in a visible position and show your employer why you deserve to be promoted.

Demonstrate your leadership skills and the positive contributions you make to the company. Look for opportunities when you can showcase your knowledge, abilities, and accomplishments. Performance reviews and staff meetings are great opportunities to shine your light.

Continue to learn and broaden your knowledge and skills through educational courses and programs. If your company sponsors opportunities to learn, take advantage of them. Constantly seeking improvement and growth increases your value as an employee and improves your chances of promotion recommendation.

To Help Earn a Promotion – Pay Attention

Look at the promotion history of your company and your team. What achievements, habits, or personality traits helped other employees earn promotions? Understanding the skills and experience that helped others succeed will guide you in your pursuit of advancement.

Talk to Your Employer

Want to know exactly how to get promoted at work? Talk to your employer. They are the best source of information about the promotion process. Plus, they can provide you with valuable feedback on your performance and what you need to do to move forward.

When you talk to your employer or supervisor, make your case for promotion. Be professional and include your current responsibilities and achievements. Show them how your work has benefited the company; include specific examples. Be specific when you let them know you are interested in promotion and follow their suggestions to increase your chances of success.

Conclusion

When you’re ready to go after that promotion at work, having effective strategies and goals keeps you motivated. Focus on professional improvement and get noticed for all the right reasons so you can achieve your career goals in the new year.

If you are ready to advance your career in the new year, consider searching with ABBTECH today!

As more industries return to their pre-pandemic state, we can expect 2023 to be a year full of opportunity and innovation in the labor market. In this blog, we’ll discuss several of the recruiting trends that we expect to see in the new year. Below are 5 recruiting trends we expect to see in 2023.

1. Continued Remote Work/ Hybrid Work

Work-from-home and hybrid working arrangements will continue to form a productive part of businesses. Candidates will be seeking opportunities for more flexible work hours and arrangements. Work-life balance and mental health have become worker priorities, so offering flexibility in time and location for work continues to have strong appeal.

2. Retention is a Primary Focus for Recruiting

As companies fight to continue growing as recession looms, many are shifting focus to retaining their employees. Why? Because they know that when the market disruptions resolve and the economy begins to improve, they need to be prepared. Increasing growth efforts will be much more difficult if they lay off employees now and have to replace them later.

Managers will focus on retaining their current staff, such as internal career mobility paths. These paths provided employees with ways to pursue a promotion. The potential for promotion is a valuable enticement for employees to remain with the company and build a career there.

3. DEI Enhancement

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) have become vital to a company’s brand and culture. DEI initiatives vary from business to business, but these practices prove a real enticement during the entire recruitment process. Inclusive language in job descriptions, unconscious bias training for hiring managers, and diverse interview panels are all ways you can enhance your recruitment process.

4. Great Resignation Workers Return

Many of the workers who left during the Great Resignation regret quitting and will be actively looking for jobs in the new year. While this won’t alleviate the talent shortage issues facing HR managers and recruiting firms, it will infuse more qualified job seekers into the labor market.

5. Recruitment Process Revision

The competition within the job market for top talent is stiff. The hiring process is often where candidates are lost. Applicants tend to accept job offers that suit their needs on the spot. The slow rate of review and response in some hiring systems can mean missing out on the ideal person for the role.

Many businesses are focusing their efforts on revising and streamlining the recruitment process. The goal? To attract more top talent, get them through the process quickly and smoothly, and retain them once they are hired.

Conclusion

These 5 recruiting trends we expect to see in 2023 are hopeful. While some old trends will continue into the new year, fresh takes will also be in demand. Whether old trends or new, the goal is the same: recruit and retain the best talent out there.

If you need help building the team you need in 2023, turn to ABBTECH today!