Job Market
About this course
You will find very practical and useful information on how to land your dream job. Tips and tricks on how to develop yourself and what skills to improve, where to look for a job and how to stand out in the crowd when creating a CV and a Linkedin profile, and how to prepare for a job interview.
What does the job market expect from me?
One of the paths you may choose besides school, studies or becoming your own boss, is to be employed by someone. To get a job in your dream company or take the very first steps in building your resume. But what are the things to consider before actually getting employed? One of the most important aspects is to get your skills polished to become a competitive and attractive candidate for recruiters and prepare well for your future job.
You may want to know the trends in the job market and what are employer expectations for their future employees.
The study on Skills requirements in the labor market carried out by analysing job advertisements in Latvia and Estonia to identify skills requirements in the job market in 2018 by the New Entrepreneur's Centre revealed an interesting picture. Employers expect specific personal skills and characteristics from their future employees more often than a certain education, technical or basic skills (77% of advertisements in Latvia and 84% in Estonia). The second most common requirement in job ads is language knowledge (77% and 73%, respectively). Almost as often the prior work experience (75% and 69%) is required. Specific knowledge and skills are mentioned in 63% of advertisements in Latvia and 54% in Estonia, and approximately so often communication and interaction skills (59% and 57%) are required. Particular education in the field is required in 53% of vacancies in Latvia and 39% in Estonia. Computer skills are mentioned in 38% of advertisements in Latvia and 40% in Estonia. In turn, the relatively rarest requirements are basic skills (16% and 25%) and technical skills (15% and 18%).
This reveals that the need for personal skills such as responsibility, accuracy, ability to work independently, desire to develop and learn, orientation on results, purposefulness and stress resistance are the most sought after skills of today and thus requires the most attention, especially for the young generation - future employees. Knowing this is important to you and gives you a competitive advantage against your peers.
Read all of the Study on Skills requirements in the job market and find out for yourself.
Another report by the World Economic Forum in 2018 on “Future of Jobs” points to the picture of the top skills that will be required in 2022:
- Analytical thinking and innovation
- Active learning and skills to learn in different ways
- Creativity, originality and initiative
- Technology design and programming
- Critical thinking and analysis
- Complex problem solving
- Leadership skills and ability to influence others (social impact)
- Emotional intelligence
- Reasonability and ability to generate ideas
- System analysis and evaluation
Take these skills into consideration when looking for a job. Know yourself to be able to respond with confidence about the traits that are characteristic for you. The personality tests given in the Skills part can come in hand here. Also remember that recommendations and referrals go a long way in the business world and very often your new employer will call your previous one and ask for a comment on your personality and work ethic.
Do you know what job you want to land? And what skills should you improve to be competitive in that sector? It is time to draft a plan and work on implementing it.
Self reflection
From the skills mentioned in this section, which are the strongest skills you already possess?
Which skills are you lacking and would like to improve?
Make a list of 5 things you commit to do to improve them.
How to prepare for my dream job?
When thinking about your future job start with what you like. What subjects in school give you a thrill? Do you like math and statistics? Do you enjoy art and drawing? Or are languages and a skill for information gathering your strong suits? This would be step number one to understand more about yourself and your wishes for a possible job. This will in turn lead you to the industry you can dip your feet in and try to land a job.
A great opportunity to find out more about professions, companies and specific roles is “Shadow day” in Latvia that usually happens once a year and gives you great insight in various fields. Definitely use it to find out more about the desired profession. This method allows you to follow in the shoes of an employer at a specific company or institution for a whole day and see what this job really entails. Our ideas about certain professions are made from movies, media, friends and acquaintances but in reality often they are sentimental or old fashioned and not up to date. Following the person for a whole day will give you a great insight into their everyday job and tasks.
Also if you are open to an internship opportunity it is a very valuable path to take - you will find out more about the desired profession, polish your skills, learn a great deal of new things and be worthwhile to the company as well. Very often companies after the internship period offer a paid and permanent job so make sure to check this opportunity out. This is one of the fast tracks to landing a great job so make sure to use it.
It is also true that if you have no previous work experience then you should start at the very bottom and be ready to put a lot of effort in proving yourself. To climb the ladder of the workplace and to master specific professions will definitely take time so be patient, but at the same time relentless in achieving your goal. And remember that there is no right or wrong answer in your career path - every job is an addition to building your CV and gaining experience, so trust yourself and the path will be clearer with time. It is also possible to have several professions and career paths in your life, so don't be afraid to take risks and don't worry if by the end of high school you still do not know which path to pursue.
If you have managed to find the sector you wish to work in and the specific job, do your research about the company. See what their values are and their mission. Check out if there is a conference that their representative or CEO is talking at and try to approach them or ask a good question. Reach out to people you know that maybe work or have worked there and ask for some insight (LinkedIn and Facebook can help you here). Try to get to know more about the products or services that the company provides, so you are prepared when going to the interview.
CV
Once you are clear about the industry you wish to work in, the list of companies and job positions that might suit you, you should prepare a concise and outstanding CV.
CV is the first impression of you in the eyes of the employer. Stand out in the crowd!
Your CV is your marketing document! It should be rather clear and concise, at the same time explicit and “catchy”, to make the recruiter wish to know you better and invite you to an interview.
CV is a professional summary designed in simple and attractive format and language with sections that present you as a person, your motivation to apply for the job, your skills and your educational and professional background, not just a boring list of places and projects you have worked and schools you have attended.
Opt for a 1 to maximum 2 pages document. Even the top executives in the world manage to squeeze their resume in a concise and representable one pager.
This is how a CV in the 21st century should look like
Here are some tips for creating a great CV:
- Customize your CV for each specific vacancy, there is no one fits all formula
- Add a professional picture of yourself (not a mandatory thing, but a nice way to personalize your CV)
- Do not forget to have an e-mail address that looks professional (the best approach: name.surname@............, the worst approach: babe20xxxx@..............)
- Think of what will be the sections in your CV and what information about yourself you wish to convey to your future employer. Do not forget to be a bit creative and add something interesting that will make the recruiter remember about you (for example, things you are most proud of..).
- Add a description about you and your motivation to apply for the job, highlight your strengths, skills and experience. Refer to the requirements of the specific vacancy.
- Professional experience: jobs, projects, internships, voluntary work. Try to adjust the list so that it makes sense for the vacancy you are applying to. Be strategic! Shortly list your duties and achievements in each place.
- When writing about your formal and non-formal education and courses you have taken, as well as certificates received - again do not lose the link with the vacancy. Add some keywords about the skills and expertise you gained in each educational activity.
- Use Bold to highlight the most important keywords
- Check your spelling and grammar and use a professional language
- No need to be a designer! Use free online, simple to use design tools such as canva.com to create your CV based on already pre-designed and beautiful resume templates
How to get noticed with your CV
Stand out of the crowd, at the same time don’t exaggerate and overdo! A super colorful resume may probably not be suitable for a junior / intern lawyer position at a law firm. But do your best to find the right way to present yourself!
Self reflection
This time we change the self reflection part to the action part.
Now get ready and create your greatest CV ever!
Linkedin profile
Linkedin provides multiple opportunities to look for a job. It is also the biggest and most powerful platform that the recruiters use to find candidates for job openings. Why not to have a profile on Linkedin? Remember that the recruiters may want to google your name and see what information pops up, so be careful what you post online. They may also check your social media profiles in other platforms. So beware to demonstrate that you are a serious job seeker!
If you have already created your CV in English, you can use that information to create your Linkedin profile.
How to create a good-looking Linkedin profile?
Stand out
- Select a professional profile picture. It does not need to be very serious and boring, rather positive and open-minded, at the same time leaving a professional impression. Think of a relevant background picture, too. This is the other visual content that will catch people’s attention.
- Brainstorm a good headline. This is the sentence right below your name in the Profile section. It has to look concrete, understandable and appealing. The standard way to make a headline is “Job title at Company”. You can also play with writing your competences or expertise areas. For example, “Law”, “Digital marketing”, “Web design” or similar. If you are looking for a job, you can add: “Open for new job opportunities” or even be more specific: “Open for new job opportunities in IT”. As a student, you can also create your headline the following way: “Marketing student looking for a social media internship”.
- Linkedin provides an “Open to work” function in your profile. In this way your profile will stand out. You can choose whether to show it to all Linkedin users or just recruiters. You can also specify preferred job title, location, start date and job types in this section.
Make it serious
- In the “About” section you can write a description about yourself and your skills, a short summary of your experience. Put keywords in as Linkedin uses keywords for its search engine. If you are looking for a job, write what you are searching for in this section, too. This is a place to tell your story and present your uniqueness.
- Take the “Experience” section seriously. Voluntary work and internships also count. List only the most relevant experience. Add main responsibilities and achievements in each job. Include only the most relevant experience - your summer job experience as a waiter could be dismissed if you are looking for a junior position in IT.
- List your schools and diplomas obtained in the “Education” section: you can shortly describe the most important subjects that you have studied, as well as projects and exchange programs you have participated in.
Engage and grow your network
- Add relevant skills in the “Skills” section. Think of keywords. Recruiters use keywords to search for possible candidates.
- Endorse other people’s skills and ask for endorsements to your skills.
- Ask for recommendations to your colleagues and professors. Who would you like to ask a recommendation from?
- Do not forget to also add courses you have taken (plus certificates, if any), projects you have participated in, as well as the languages you master and your achievements.
- Grow your network to connect with relevant people. Be active to put “likes” to the content other people are sharing, create your own articles and posts, join Groups of your interest and participate in discussions.
There are even more things you can do to create an outstanding Linkedin profile – find out more about tips and tricks.
Self reflection
We encourage you to do the following:
1. Dive into Linkedin and explore profiles of different people, both experienced professionals and students, to gain impression and inspiration.
2. Create your own Linkedin profile.
3. Ask for feedback on your freshly made profile to your friends, relatives and teachers.
Where and how to look for a job?
Proactivity is the motto for job search! Don’t rely only on the usual online search in job portals and open vacancies: get out there and let companies, organisations and influential people know you! Get in direct contact with decision-makers, ask people you know for references and suggestions, create your own opportunities, even if there are no job offers in the field/organisations you are most interested in. This will help you get noticed and hopefully pay back in the future.
In Latvia, the most commonly used job offer website is cv.lv and Linkedin, where both government institutions, businesses and NGO's as well publish their vacancies. If you are looking for an internship then prakse.lv will be a very useful platform for you as well. But we recommend that once you have found the top companies, sector or niche you wish to search for a job in to check the company web pages and profiles yourself as well, as there might be a new vacancy that they have not published elsewhere yet. In Latvia the hashtag #teirdarbs is used a lot on social media so be sure to check the social networks for posts there as well.
In Portugal, you can, for example, explore the various activities that the “City of Professions” provides, or visit your local Employment Centre to know more about the job opportunities (find your local center). Alternatively, you can register to the program “Young Guarantee”, and you will be directly contacted by a technician, who will help you explore the labour market.
Once you have a shortlist of your favourite companies and institutions feel free to send them your resume and motivation letter even if they don't have an open vacancy at the moment. The recruiters will see your effort and interest in the company and let you know if there are any job openings planned in the near future. Be proactive and use every opportunity you have. You can also use linkedIn for this as the company human resource people usually are very approachable there as well.
One of the quickest ways to an interview and potential job is through people you already know. If you have found a company you wish to approach, go through your friends on social media and see if anyone works there. You can approach them to find out more about the working environment in the company and find out more. Very often people that are working in a company get asked from their bosses - we need more people, but don't want an open call, is there anyone you can recommend.This very often is your fast track to the job, so make sure to keep your relationships professional, open and honest, so your acquaintances want to think of you when asked for a recommendation.
Read a great article on how to land your dream job before 25.
Self reflection
Have you already set up your list of organizations/people you would like to work with?
If so:
- Send them your CV explaining why you would like to work with them
- Ask for a brief personal meeting so you can talk more about your competences, abilities and added value for the company.
Job interview
How to prepare for a job interview?
- Be sure about the agreed time, place and requirements
First of all, is everything clear to you about the agreed interview time, place and requirements? Is it an on-site or an online interview? Will there be an additional task that the recruiter can ask you to perform? Think about what you will wear. Once there was a story about a competition between two equally qualified candidates, from which the employer chose to offer the job to the one who was dressed more professionally.
If you are not sure about any detail before the interview, do not hesitate to approach your recruiter and ask a question that is not clear. It will definitely be considered a positive sign if you are taking the initiative to clarify something that is not fully understandable to you. It will demonstrate that you are a responsible and open-minded candidate, and act similarly in a real-life job situation.
- Know the company and the position
You should carefully study all the available information about the company you are applying to and the job position in that company. What is the company’s business? How big is the company and its business? What are its values and culture? Explore everything about the products or services the company is offering.
- Study the position
Read the vacancy requirements carefully. What is the future employer expecting from you and how well are you suitable for the position? Think of your strengths and skills for each of the requirements. Do you need to make extra effort to gain a deeper understanding of a specific subject or topic? Plan your time wisely to get ready and prepared.
- Prepare your pitch
Be ready to present yourself well in the interview. Prepare a short pitch to use it when asked to tell about yourself, your motivation and experience in the interview. What are your skills? Why do you want to apply for this job and why would the employer select exactly you? You should be able to explain your interest to apply for the job.
- Prepare for a test (if foreseen)
If there is going to be a test or a task for you to carry out, study and prepare well to know the subject.
- Think of your answers and role play the interview
Consider the questions that the recruiter could ask you and what you might answer. Imagine yourself being in a real-life interview and try to get in the skin of the recruiter. What they might be interested in? What they would like to know about you? Think of your answers and examples from your experience on how you acted in certain situations.
Ask your friends and family to help you with rehearsing for that interview. Your friend or your mom can play the role of a recruiter. Ask them to make up a random list of questions. Such an imitation game will help you to spot weak points that you should work to improve until the real interview takes place. If there is no one to help you, practice your questions and answers at loud on your own.
- Test online conferencing tools before
If it is an online interview, do not forget to test your computer sound and video settings before the interview. Run a test with your friends. Make sure your video background looks ok. No hanging clothes or unwashed dishes allowed in the background! Check if your picture does not look too bright or dark. Is your camera pointed well to see you? By having thought about these things you will leave a good impression to your possible future employer. Be on the safe side by running a test beforehand.
- Prepare your own questions
When the recruiter will ask you if you have any questions, be ready to ask things that you are curious about. Do not exaggerate, but use this opportunity to get to know something that intrigues you. For example, you can ask to describe a usual day at the workplace or get to know the company’s culture or remote work policy. You may also be interested to know the timeframe to fill the position, if not announced before.
- Get ready to shine!
Besides all the efforts put into preparations, which is really important, try to be honest, be yourself and keep a positive attitude. A smile and politeness is always a good sign. Be assured to demonstrate the best of you as a person to make the recruiter remember you.
It is always good to browse through recruiter blogs to get to know their views and advice for a good interview ahead. Recruiters love Linkedin, so make sure to follow them and get useful guidance from their tips and tricks.
Read more about how to prepare for an interview
Watch this video that will help you to get ready for an interview
Self reflection
Take a piece of paper and write down your strengths, talents, achievements, best moments from your experience. Who are you? What is your education and experience?
Create a 1 minute pitch about yourself that you could use as an intro in a real job interview.
