Landing the job of your dreams in 2016

If your 2016 resolution was to land a new job or to switch careers, it makes sense to know what’s projected for the job market this year. Read on to learn all about who’s hiring and how to land the job of your dreams in 2016.

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce projects that 2016 will follow the upward employment trend started in 2015. Full-time employment is expected to rise, while unemployment is projected to continue to drop.

Companies are hiring, but who are these companies?

We spoke to Mark Patterson, Executive Director of Magnet, and Michelle Dunnill, Toronto Area Manager for Manpower, to learn more about employment trends for 2016 and how to land the job of your dreams.

Projected growth areas

A number of industries are projected to experience growth during the year. These include:

• Big Data
• Healthcare
• Business – Finance
• Human Resources
• Architecture
• Advertising

Many jobs in these industries require a wide range of technical skills: advanced analytics, general accounting, advanced computer skills, strategic marketing, etc.

But before you can land a job, or even an interview, you need to figure out who’s hiring, what positions are available, and how you fit into the industry or company you’re targeting. This is often the hardest part of the job search process as scouring through endless job boards can prove tiring and hard to manage.

Do your research

When you’re searching through job boards, don’t simply think about getting a job, think about why a job is relevant and interesting to you. Once you’ve figured out what you’re interested in, you can tailor your search to find those kinds of opportunities. Patterson suggests,

“If you have [an] idea about [what] could be a cool career, take the time to investigate it, talk to somebody in the field, talk to people after you’ve done some research. [Your career path] can evolve, but doing the work to understand why you’re doing – or are interested in doing – something, that’s what’s really important”.

Understanding your skill set

Do you have a good understanding of your skills and how they can be used? It’s important to figure out both why you want a job and how you fit into the position, the company, and the industry. You might not think your current skill set applies to some of the top growing industries this year, but a little research can prove otherwise. Big data companies, for example, need highly skilled analysts, but they also need administrative support, communications staff, developers, etc. Most companies require a wide variety of staff and skills – if you do your research, ask around your network, and tailor your job searchappropriately you’ll be able to find a position that suits your interests and skills.

Finding the jobs

This is where resources like Magnet and Manpower come into play helping job seekers tailor their search. Magnet, a job aggregator co-founded by Ryerson University and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, collects job postings from a number of different boards so that users can find them all in one place. Magnet users are also able to post their resumes online and get job invitations catered to their skills and interests sent to them via email. Manpower helps users find and land jobs by linking them to job postings matching their qualifications, providing training resources to keep their relevant skills up-to-date and helping them with career planning, resumé writing, and interview preparation.

Nailing your interview and the skills employers are looking for

Once you’ve found an industry and job you’re interested in, Patterson and Dunnill agree that technical skills, while important, are not the most important thing when it comes to landing that job. Rather the key to landing the job lies in your interview. It’s in the interview that you’re able to show your potential employers that you’re socially intelligent, ambitious, willing to take on leadership positions, interested in the greater community, able to listen intently, able to respond intelligently, etc; qualities that Chang School Dean Marie Bountrogianni also listed as integral for employee success in her recent HuffPost Business blog. It’s also important, according to Dunnill, to go into interviews with a strong “knowledge of the organization – having done your homework. Employers want to know that you took the time to do your research. Always make sure you [go into an interview] prepared.”

So here’s your formula for job search success in 2016: hone in on your skills (technical and interpersonal), do your research, and take the time to find the perfect job – it’s out there.

If you’re looking to advance your technical skills in order to tap into the most prominent, hiring industries in 2016, The Chang School has career-related certificate programs, course series, and courses to get you prepped with the skills you need for each of them, including offerings in Data Analytics, Big Data, and Predictive Analytics; Human Resources Management; Nursing; Strategic Marketing; and more.

* This article was first published on Chang School Alumni Network‘s blog and has been republished with permission.