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If I go back in time and remember the industries that were impacted by unemployment over the years, worldwide may I add, I see the exact same streamlines in the past two decades. The more senior you get, the more overqualified you are for the role you want to be considered for. Hence, you are unemployed and have had that green banner in your profile for over a year. Let’s break it down to find solutions.
Are you really overqualified?
No, you are not. However, if you have 10-20 years of experience as a sourcer, or even as a talent acquisition consultant with full life cycle experience, but you haven’t dived into client management, sales, market intelligence, and/or leadership, then you kinda are… Why? Because you got to a certain paycheck now that could be split into two for two junior professionals instead of only one. We all know that quantity doesn’t mean quality, but unfortunately, it is a key indicator for many companies when hiring. “Why should I hire one TAC with twenty years of experience instead of two with maybe five each, and train them? They have a fresh mind, a friendlier approach to cutting-edge technology, and they want to learn.”
What can you add to your resume?
If you haven’t done it already, you need to study, learn, get used to new technologies and new market approaches to hiring processes in 2024. Broaden your horizons. Find your true passion. How long have you been staring at resumes? Two decades? There’s so much more to the TA work we do. In this era, personal information we once looked up on white pages is accessible in Google or any ATS, CRM, etc. your company might be using. You can find professionals on social media in less than 3 minutes.
Go ahead and take that sales course or that research one, or find a mentor that will train you on how to deal with tough clients and manage accounts. Train yourself on how to be a good leader and aim towards leading teams with all your experience. You have been there and done that with every new hire at your previous company, haven’t you?
How to “get out there” and have presence in the current market?
It sounds like something you will say to a friend who is looking to date more. And yes. Finding a new job is like finding a new love. You need to get out there and expose yourself. Connect with people on social media. LinkedIn is an amazing tool for you to generate a network worth being in touch with. You can connect with people from all seniorities, regions, languages, and beliefs. Most importantly, you will end up knowing someone in every major corporation that might someday look for someone with your unique expertise.
AI and its impact on the work market
Being able to have AI tools on your cellphone in 2024 has changed our lives. It was no surprise; AI has been in our computers for a very long time whether you noticed or not. The problem is, now it can scan resumes and fill in the blanks of any system you want to use for TA. The worse part is companies use it to reduce costs so the first part of the sourcing/interviewing gets done by “a machine” that reads resumes, finds the candidates’ contact information, does the first and second interviews with forms, videos, etc. so the candidate talks to a human being maybe after 3 steps in the hiring process and they meet straight with the Hiring Manager. That many professionals are no longer needed.
Let’s get creative
Re-do your resume. Your years of experience as a TAC are important, the different industries you have worked with are too. If you know anything about DEI, it is also a plus. But focus on what you have that the rest don’t. We are all unique in our own way. List the main differentiators of your work life and the reason why you are in this field. Passion is overlooked many times. It shouldn’t. Make a point out of that. Most importantly, read your application as if you were the one receiving it. Create it so the recruiter on the other side doesn’t think “No, they won’t be interested in this role”. And if you are lost and need an expert to guide you, bring a Career Coach into your life. Being in your 40s or above shouldn’t mean you are out of the competition. Remember: Keep doing the same thing, over and over, expecting different results won’t get you far.
