𝟲 𝗧𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻” (𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴!)

𝟲 𝗧𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻” (𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴!)

I came across this wonderful article by The Muse’s Erica Sweeney about some tips for standing out during the Great Resignation.

By definition, the great resignation is the term coined by industry experts that means people are resigning from their jobs to pursue a better life. This new mindset was brought on by the global pandemic.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4 million Americans quit their jobs in July 2021 (per the Harvard Business Review). Resignations peaked in April and have remained abnormally high for the last several months, with a record-breaking 10.9 million open jobs at the end of July. How can employers retain people in the face of this tidal wave of resignations?

Addressing the root causes of these staggering statistics starts with better understanding them. There was an analysis of more than 9 million employee records from more than 4,000 companies. This global dataset included employees from a wide variety of industries, functions, and levels of experience, and it revealed two key trends:

1. Resignation rates are highest among mid-career employees. Employees between 30 and 45 years old have had the greatest increase in resignation rates, with an average increase of more than 20% between 2020 and 2021. While turnover is typically highest among younger employees, our study found that over the last year, resignations actually decreased for workers in the 20 to 25 age range (likely due to a combination of their greater financial uncertainty and reduced demand for entry-level workers). Interestingly, resignation rates also fell for those in the 60 to 70 age group, while employees in the 25 to 30 and 45+ age groups experienced slightly higher resignation rates than in 2020 (but not as significant an increase as that of the 30-45 group).

2. Resignations are highest in the tech and health care industries. They also identified dramatic differences in turnover rates between companies in different industries. While resignations actually decreased slightly in industries such as manufacturing and finance, 3.6% more health care employees quit their jobs than in the previous year, and in tech, resignations increased by 4.5%. In general, we found that resignation rates were higher among employees who worked in fields that had experienced extreme increases in demand due to the pandemic, likely leading to increased workloads and burnout.

So, what are some of these helpful solutions the team at The Muse drummed up?

1. Get Ready to Explain Why You’re Looking for a New Job: “Why are you looking for a new job?” is a question you’ll get. Be prepared accordingly.

2. Tap Into Your Network for Insider Information: Tapping into your existing network of family, friends, and past coworkers can help you stand out in the increasingly competitive landscape.

3. Tailor Your Resume and Application to the Moment: Swapping out or reframing the skills, accomplishments, and past jobs that you include on your resume depending on the job you’re applying for shows what you know about the role and company and will help get your application noticed.

4. Prepare to Answer Pandemic-Related Interview Questions: Employers want to get a sense of how you held up during the pandemic and how you adapted to change. So recruiters and hiring managers will likely ask about your pandemic experience. Don’t let it intimidate you.

5. Emphasize the Skills Employers Are Looking for Now: Interviewers are looking for flexibility, agility, and an ability to strategize. Emphasizing how you strengthened these qualities during the pandemic will set you apart from other applicants.

6. Always Be Camera-Ready: Many organizations are still conducting video job interviews. If you haven’t gotten used to video calls over the past 18 months or don’t like being on camera, it’s time to reframe that thinking.

Read the article here and find out more about these insights: https://www.themuse.com/advice/job-search-tips-post-pandemic-job-market