With the Great Resignation priming candidates and employers for some seismic shifts in the jobs arena in early 2022, everyone needs to get the lay of the land. For candidates, there are some interesting changes on the horizon. So whether you’ve powered through furlough but now feel secure enough to make a change, it’s time to take the next step in your career, or you’re reassessing your work-life balance, we’ve got the top things that you need to know before embarking on your job hunt.
1. The market is in your favour
Before the pandemic hit, we’d had quite a long run of employers being, well, the boss. When they said “jump”, candidates had to respond with “how high?” The pandemic has swung the pendulum the other way. Employers are now keenly recruiting, so keenly in fact that for the first time in a very long time, they just haven’t got a large enough pool of candidates to choose from. Candidate supply is down.
That means that you, as a candidate, get to sit in the driving seat of your job hunt. You can create your job hunting wish list and go and find roles that meet every element of it.
2. Your Covid views will affect your work
April 2022 will see it being required for some employees, specifically within health and social care, to be vaccinated. Other employers may well follow similar decisions, or certainly, there may be unwritten pressure within the work environment. If an employer wants, and as long as they follow due procedure, they could bring in vaccine policies.
There’s also your personal view. You may feel happier working only with others who have been vaccinated. Or you may want an environment where you won’t be questioned about your vaccine status.
It’s worth keeping your values at the front of your mind when choosing a new employer.
3. Don’t be blinded by the bling
Due to candidate shortages, we’re seeing hikes in the starting salaries being offered to new employees. In a time of rising living costs, this is welcome for many. However, just be very careful not to make the decision about a new job based on money alone. Yes, it’s exciting to be enticed with a higher salary, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that this is the right workplace for you, in terms of culture and opportunities. Remember to do your homework before laughing all the way to the bank.
4. Does location matter anymore?
Another thing you need to be aware of when applying for new jobs in 2022 is the importance of the location factor. As expected, there is a lot more hybrid working being adopted as the long term model. You need to know yourself, and what suits you. Be honest and realistic with employers about what they want now and what they will be looking for in the future.
Working from home doesn’t suit everyone, but then neither does on site working. Using the last few years to assess what works for you, consider what you really want. Apply for roles that will enable this, but don’t be afraid to discuss working patterns and locations in depth during the application process.
At F1rst we are working quickly and effectively to enable candidates to take advantage of the current state of play.
We’ll be kicking off with an excellent New Year for job seekers.
