nextSteps March, 2001 - The Future Job Search

Job searches to become more individualized

Where will I find a job? How will I go about finding it? I know what kind of job I want, now what should I be looking for?

All good questions. But given the state of constant change in our society and economy, definitive answers are hard to state. Here's a look at what some are predicting lies ahead for those looking for work, conducting research on companies to work for, going for interviews, and those wondering what a typical workplace might hold:

Frank Ogden, otherwise known as futurist Dr. Tomorrow, believes resumes are a thing of the past. "Now employers want to know what you can do tomorrow, not what you did yesterday," he says. "Diplomas and degrees are now by definition 'historical artifacts.'"

"Microchips embedded in our bodies will carry workers' entire employment history making job interviews as easy as walking through a device similar to a metal detector."

John Challenger, Futurist

Career counsellors from the Calgary Youth Employment Centre, however, believe the ordinary paper resume will, for the most part, remain a key ingredient to applying for a job (see this month's Hot Tip). And no one will deny the growing use of the internet by employers for recruiting purposes and beyond.

In The Employer's Guide to Recruiting on the Internet, authors Ray Schreyer and John McCarter predict many changes lie ahead for those looking for work. For example:

advertising jobs in newspaper will drop considerably as more and more companies use the internet;

worldwide recruitment will become common;

on-line interviews will become common once bandwith increases.

They also said job seekers will see the following changes:

a software package that allows a job seeker to personalize search criteria and search multiple job boards simultaneously;

job seekers finding a company they are interested in learning more about will be able to search for people who have previously worked for that company. The search will return a few names and the job seeker can then contact those people for a confidential question and answer period.

Arlette Watwood, from Calgary's Discover People Corporation, a company that helps other companies with information management and employee relations, believes employees will increasingly look to their companies to be "with the program."

"If they (companies) are not giving internet access to employees, or if they are not personalizing benefits, it will affect their ability to attract and retain employees," she says.

"I believe that people will probably end up working the same or even more hours."

Arlette Watwood, Discover People Corporation

Employees may also expect to have a bit more control over their daily schedules, she adds. "I believe that people will probably end up working the same or even more hours. The key difference will be that they decide when they work and where they work. Technology will make it easier for employees to do this."

Roger Goodman, who compiled the research for the Alberta Careers Beyond 2000 study, says small companies producing goods and services will fill niche markets, while larger companies will change structurally into smaller, more flexible units of work.

"It will be continuously changing and adapting to change at a steady pace," he writes in Alberta Careers. "And it will become more flexible and dynamic, able to move talent swiftly to areas where needed on short notice, either by redeploying staff or hiring contractors....

"Workers will be constantly challenged to manage their own careers and expand their skills as they move laterally though a leaner, flatter organization to tackle projects and problems as they arise."

As for interviews, futurist John Challenger, in the September-October 2000 issue of The Futurist magazine predicts they will become as simple as walking through a doorway.

"Microchips embedded in our bodies will carry workers' entire employment history making job interviews as easy as walking through a device similar to a metal detector," he writes.