3 job search trends to know for the new year.

New year, new you — new job?

Why not?

Between a wave of resignations so high they gave it its own name to a workforce that still hasn't reached pre-pandemic levels, the current climate favors job seekers in the new year. Many workers left their jobs but haven't re-entered the workforce. Right now, employers are scrambling for talent.  

While this means you'll be starting your job search out with a built-in advantage, there's still work you'll need to do to bring it all home. Many of the job searching basics still apply, but there are some new developments you'll want to keep in mind to stay aligned with the times.

So what's changed and what stayed the same? We've got the new job-search trends as well as the tried-and-true basics for you to brush up on right here.

where to go to find a job in the new year

To get your job search off on the right track, source jobs on channels that give you the most bang for your buck. That means going where the majority of the recruitment activity is these days — the internet of course.

Randstad's Tech Impact Report unveiled the channels that job seekers preferred when trying to find new work. The number-one channel they reported was company career websites. Seventy-one percent visit employer hiring pages when looking for work. Job boards (58%) followed closely behind, with social media (51%) rounding out the top three.

Job boards and company career websites have long been established, but if you're preparing for a search in the new year, expect social media to continue growing in importance. Finding a job through social media is nothing new, and its rise has been chronicled for some time — 73 percent of millennials in 2018, for instance, said they found their last job through social media. However, after a year and half of digital transformation and the shift to remote work, expect that number to climb as adoption increases among new tech-initiates.

do you still need a paper resume?

When it comes to your resume, the basics still apply, but there are a couple of new developments you'll want to keep in mind.

For starters, if you've got a large gap on your resume, and have been concerned about how that might come across to recruiters, don't worry — it's your lucky year. A Monster survey found that nearly half of recruiters said they no longer view resume gaps as a dealbreaker. The pandemic put millions of people out of work through no fault of their own, and it's encouraging to see many of today's recruiters are sympathetic to that fact. 

Next, you may be wondering what form your resume should be taking this day and age. With more of the job search (and even interview process) happening online, a natural question to be asking yourself is: Do I even need a paper resume at all? The answer is: It depends.

If you're looking for an all-remote job, where you'll never be required to be onsite, even for an initial interview, the answer is likely no. But if you'll be onsite at all — even just part of the time — you'll want to be prepared to have one just in case. Chances are, recruiters and hiring managers will review your resume and application online, but it's still a good rule of thumb to bring a physical copy of your resume to your interview. It’s more of a courtesy these days, but it may come in handy for you to refer to or for your interviewer, in case they forgot to bring a copy of their own.

video interviewing is here to stay

In this increasingly paperless world where more of us are finding jobs on social media, we'll give you one guess as to what's changed on how to prepare for an interview in the new year. That's right — if you're gearing up for a job search right now, expect to encounter more phone or video interviews than you maybe ever did before.

During the height of the pandemic, 86 percent of HR leaders said they had incorporated new virtual technology to interview candidates. And while virtual interviewing is no longer the public-health necessity it once was, that same survey indicated that many leaders expected the changes to become permanent.

The good news is that all the preparation you've done for your other interviews in the past still applies, it's only the medium that's shifting. That said, you'll still want to prepare for phone or video interviewing at the start of your job search so you won't have to worry too much about brushing up on the basics once those interviews start rolling in.

The big thing you'll need to solidify is your setting. There once was a time where all you needed to do was make yourself presentable for an interview, but now, you'll need to make sure your background is equally buttoned-up. Give yourself a professional background for video interviews with simple decorations like a few plants or a bookcase. That will help you hit the sweet spot between too much or too little. Avoid sitting in front of a window or any other direct lighting so your interviewers can see you clearly. Last but certainly not least, make sure you have a stable internet connection before the big day.

key takeaways

You picked a great time to look for a new job — historic even. And while there are a lot of factors working in your favor, there are also new developments you'll have to keep in mind before you can pop that champagne.

Open yourself up to new, digital channels for finding work, update your resume to align with current recruiter expectations and prepare for all types of interviews you're likely to encounter, and that dream job is as good as yours.

Want to take your job search to the next level? Explore more resume tips and career insights to get started today .