It's been five months since the pandemic began to cause widespread unemployment, and millions of Americans are feeling uncertain about the future.
However, there is some good news for those in search of a new job: after months of decline, hiring in the U.S. is starting a slow, but likely fitful, recovery and grew 57.5% from June to July and is only down 7.4% from July of 2019, when the job market in the U.S. was booming.
To take advantage of the opportunities, however, job seekers need the right skills and must be prepared to interview — and even work — remotely. On LinkedIn, remote job postings have nearly tripled since March.
As companies take their workforces online, we've seen a higher demand for candidates skilled in employee learning and development, digital literacy, and technical support. In fact, 83% of job postings on LinkedIn from June-July, 2020, required at least one of the 10 skills listed below.
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There's still a huge demand for workers on the frontline of the pandemic. Demand for jobs and skills has shifted over the past few months as the economy evolves to meet the changing needs of American life, but LinkedIn data has shown the demand for some jobs has remained stable — especially jobs keeping us safe and healthy: registered nurses, delivery drivers, store associates.
Based on LinkedIn job posting data, these are the most in-demand jobs right now.
Most in-demand jobs
- Salesperson
- Food Delivery Driver
- Registered Nurse
- Software Engineer
- Store Associate
- Cashier
- Financial Advisor
- Stock Clerk
- Training Supervisor
- Project Manager
Most in-demand remote jobs
- Software Engineer
- Software Architect
- DevOps Engineer
- Account Manager
- Back End Developer
- Project Manager
- Account Executive
- Sales Manager
- Sales Development Representative
- Full stack engineer
Mastering the remote interview
Remote interviews are likely here to stay, so make sure you're prepared.
It's no surprise that companies are turning to digital platforms to recruit talent, conduct interviews and onboard new employees. And those who are looking for jobs right now are adapting to the market; remote job searches on LinkedIn have grown 60% since March 1.
Landing a job remotely can be a bit different than the traditional in-person interview process. These insider tricks can help you handle remote interviews like a pro:
Showcase your soft skills. 92% of hiring professionals report soft skills are just as important as hard skills, which can be challenging to convey to an interviewer when you're not physically in the same room.
So, take the time to hone critical soft skills and learn recession-proof career strategies. You can also take advantage of LinkedIn interview prep tools, where you can practice the most commonly asked interview questions and get instant feedback on your recorded answers.Â
Be among the first to apply. Early applicants are up to 4X more likely to hear back from hiring managers. Set yourself up for success by making sure you know about jobs before anyone else and are ready to apply.
On LinkedIn, you can create alerts for jobs that fit your criteria so you'll get notifications immediately when a role that's a fit for you is posted. You can also save multiple versions of your resume on LinkedIn so you're able to quickly apply with just a few clicks or taps.
Leverage your network. You are nearly 3x more likely to get a job at a company where you already have connections. Now is a great time to build your virtual network. People are sharing and messaging on LinkedIn more than ever before. Spend some time exploring your feed and groups related to your interests or industry. You never know who you might meet once you start participating in the conversation.
You can also update your Open to Work settings to share more about the jobs you're interested in directly on your LinkedIn profile, and don't worry, you can adjust your settings to be invisible to your current employer.
We're in a unique period of change right now that will likely impact the way we work in the post-Covid-19 world. Building the right skills to stand out in your job search and getting comfortable presenting yourself digitally will be critical to future career success.Â
Free online courses targeting top skills
We identified online courses that correspond to the top skills companies are hiring for right now, and they are free until the end of August. These are among the most-popular:
1. Communication:Â Communicating With Transparency
2. Business Management: Business Analysis Foundations
3. Problem Solving: Problem Solving Techniques
4. Data Science: Business Science Foundations: Fundamentals
5. Data Storage Technologies: AWS: Storage and Data Management
6. Technical Support: IT Help Desk For Beginners
7. Leadership: Leadership Mindsets
8. Project Management: Cert Prep: Scrum Master
9. Digital Literacy: Microsoft Collaboration: SharePoint, Teams, and Groups
10. Employee Learning & Development: Creating a Culture of Learning
After you completed the online courses, be sure to add these skills to your LinkedIn profile to help you stand out because members with five or more skills listed on their LinkedIn profile are discovered up to 27X more in searches by recruiters.
—By Blake Barnes, LinkedIn senior director of product management
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Disclosure: NBCUniversal and Comcast Ventures are investors in Acorns.
