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- The ATS myth, LinkedIn monopoly, Relic of the past, 9 to 5 is dead
The ATS myth, LinkedIn monopoly, Relic of the past, 9 to 5 is dead
Don McGrath
July 16, 2024
📰 In this issue
🔹 Industry Pulse: Unmasking the ATS Myth: What Really Gets You Hired
🔹 Skill Spotlight: Embracing the Future with PwC’s Eye-Opening Findings
🔹 Career Moves: LinkedIn's Dominance: Challenges and Concerns
🔹 Tech Corner: Third-party antivirus software: a relic of the past
🔹 Work-Life Integration: The 9-to-5 Workday is Dead
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📰 Industry Pulse
Unmasking the ATS Myth: What Really Gets You Hired
Contrary to common belief, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are not the primary obstacle in job applications. While nearly all Fortune 500 companies use ATS, these systems primarily serve as data repositories rather than intelligent filters.
Here are some sobering numbers: Only about 3% of job applications result in meaningful conversations. And to add insult to injury, approximately 30% of job listings are fake. Nice!
Recruiters are buried and manually filter applications using keywords and specific criteria. So it’s not all automated rejection, people are actually involved which means that tailoring your application to each job description is crucial.
Effective Application Strategies:
Customize your resume and cover letter for each position.
Highlight specific achievements and skills relevant to the role.
Include quantifiable results to stand out.
Focus on quality applications rather than quantity.
Addressing ATS Concerns:
No question ATS usage is widespread, but focusing on "beating the system" won’t get it done. Your resume needs to appeal to human recruiters, who typically spend only 6-7 seconds scanning each application. Amazing, but true. Think about it- that’s about 10 resumes per minute. A busy day is 200 resumes per day, so they knock the resumes out in 20 minutes, time for a break.
The "Spray and Pray" Approach:
Shooting out a gazillion resumes even with AI assistance, 99% of the time doesn’t yield any results. Quality not quantity. Given the 3% success rate, you really need to allocate your time focusing more on networking and tailoring high-quality applications.
Fake Job Listings. We’ve talked about this before and really think it sucks but it is what it is. However, there’s an off chance that they could lead to real opportunities. Some hiring managers actually contact applicants to fake job listings.
The key to successful job hunting in the current market is to create applications that stand out to human reviewers. Focus on relevant experiences, quantifiable achievements, and tailoring your application to each specific role. Remember, while technology plays a role in the hiring process, human judgment remains the decisive factor.
📎 Related Resource
🏫 Skill Spotlight
AI and You: Embracing the Future with PwC’s Eye-Opening Findings
We’ve been scouring data out there, specifically about the mindset of people concerning AI and jobs. PwC just dropped a trio of eye-opening reports that paint a pretty exciting picture for us knowledge workers.
First up, the 2024 AI Jobs Barometer. Odds are if you're in professional services, finance, or tech, you're already riding the AI wave. These sectors are seeing productivity skyrocket – like 5x faster growth. And, if you've got AI skills, you could be looking at a sweet 25% pay bump. Cha-ching!
But here's the kicker – we need to level up our skills, and fast. The job market's evolving quicker than you can say "machine learning," with skill requirements changing 25% faster in AI-heavy roles. And it's not just us thinking this – 69% of CEOs are betting that most of their workforce will need a skills overhaul.
Now, before you start sweating about job security, take a deep breath. PwC's Global Workforce Hopes and Fears survey shows that most of us are actually pretty stoked about these changes. The report found 70% of us seeing AI as our ticket to learning cool new skills and upping our work game.
Sure, there's a bit of anxiety mixed in there – about half of us are low-key worried about our jobs. But here's where companies need to step up: be transparent about AI changes and let us play around with the tech without fear. It's like when your parents let you "help" in the kitchen as a kid – messy, but you learned stuff.
Bottom line: we're at the starting line, ready to embrace AI and hopefully score some nice pay raises along the way. This is some pretty strong info backed by PwC's trifecta of reports: the AI Jobs Barometer, the Annual Global CEO Survey, and the Global Workforce Hopes and Fears survey.
It gets back to skills in this evolving market. Check out the knowledge base that’s out there, every bit of what you need is available and a lot of it is free.
📎 Related Resource
🚀 Career Moves
LinkedIn's Dominance: Challenges and Concerns
LinkedIn, the world's largest professional networking platform, has become an indispensable tool for many in their career journeys. However, its monopoly-like status in the professional social media space has raised several concerns among users and industry observers.
Privacy issues top the list of worries, with many users expressing unease about the vast amount of personal and professional data LinkedIn holds. The platform's monetization strategy, which locks premium features behind a paywall, has also drawn criticism for potentially creating barriers to essential job-seeking and networking tools.
According to LinkedIn's User Agreement, when you provide content to the platform, you're giving LinkedIn a worldwide, transferable, and sublicensable right to use, copy, modify, distribute, publish, and process that information. This doesn't mean they own your data, but they have broad rights to use it. Algorithmic bias is another significant concern. LinkedIn's content and profile visibility algorithms may inadvertently favor well-connected users, making it challenging for newcomers or less-connected professionals to gain traction on the platform.
Users have also reported frustrations with spam, unwanted messages, and the sense that job applications often disappear into a "black hole." Some argue that these issues detract from LinkedIn's utility as a professional networking tool.
The platform's dominance by large corporations has been noted as potentially marginalizing smaller companies and startups. Additionally, frequent updates to the user interface have led to complaints about the platform's usability.
While LinkedIn continues to be a valuable resource for many, these concerns highlight the need for improvements and alternatives in the professional networking space. ProjectCandle, a new initiative in the field, is reportedly working on addressing these issues, potentially offering users more choice and improved features in the future.
As the professional world continues to evolve, it remains to be seen how LinkedIn will adapt to these challenges and maintain its position as the go-to platform for career networking.
📎 Related Resource
💻 Tech Corner
Third-party antivirus software: a relic of the past
Built-in protection is enough: TL;DR END.
Modern operating systems come with robust security features. Windows Defender, for instance, consistently scores between 99% and 100% in effectiveness tests.
The numbers don't lie: 54% of Americans already use default device protection. Of the 46% using third-party programs, only about half actually pay for them.
Demographic divide: Those over 65 are twice as likely to pay for antivirus services compared to under-45s. It's a generational habit, not a necessity.
Changing threat landscape: Most major cyber attacks now target businesses and use sophisticated methods that signature-based antivirus can't catch anyway.
Multiple layers of protection: Modern systems have email filters, network firewalls, and automatic updates that close off many traditional attack vectors.
Cost-effective alternative: Your own digital literacy ("Don't be a moron and click the link!") is free and unsurprisingly, effective.
Bottom line: In 2024, paying for third-party antivirus software might make you feel safer, but it's solving yesterday's problems with yesterday's solutions. Trust in the protection that's already built into your devices, otherwise you can look down and experience the coriolis force as your money circles around as it vanishes down the porcelain throne. It’s truly that simple.
📎 Related Resource
🧘 Work-Life Integration
We came across an interesting report done by buffer.com regarding work life integration. TL;DR for this newsletter, but it has some great points. In today's always-on, tech-driven world, the traditional 9-to-5 workday is becoming obsolete. As knowledge workers, we're grappling with blurred lines between work and personal life, especially with the rise of remote work.
Key Findings:
81% check work emails outside office hours
48% regularly work beyond standard hours
66% report increased stress due to work-life boundary erosion
Instead of chasing the elusive "work-life balance," we need to focus on work-life integration. The goal isn't to separate work and life, but to harmonize them effectively.
Constant connectivity is taking its toll. Organizations are starting to recognize this, offering flexible hours, mental health days, and wellness programs
Success isn't about hours logged, but results achieved. 87% of workers believe focusing on outcomes rather than hours is crucial for well-being.
Strategies for the Modern Workplace:
Set clear boundaries
Embrace flexible scheduling
Practice regular tech detoxes
Utilize employee well-being programs
Redefine personal and professional success
The Future of Work
As we navigate this new landscape, we must be willing to experiment and adapt. The challenge is to create a work environment that allows us to thrive both professionally and personally. Everybody’s got their own thing going on and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. It's about finding what works for you in this evolving work culture.
📎 Related Resource
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