Canadian Job Search Trends that You Need to Know About

There has been a lot of focus and discussion these past few months on Canadian employment issues, including the skills shortage / skills gap, new graduate job stress, and the temporary foreign workers program.ย  Suffice it to say, there are plenty of hurdles for job seekers in our country and each challenge influences job search patterns.
A new report by Workopolis called โ€˜Timeโ€™ To Work has analyzed employment histories and employer resume-review patterns to compile a โ€œchronology of Canadian career movesโ€.ย ย  The complete report can be viewed here,ย but some of the most noteworthy facts include:

 

  • Job hopping has increased and is considered to be the โ€˜new normalโ€™.ย  The number of people who have stayed in the same job for over four years has been cut in half since 2002 and 32% of people who started a new job in 2013 have already moved on to new positions.
  • Exploring completely different career paths during a lifetime is increasing.ย  Almost half of the people polled in the survey have changed careers at least three times.
  • The average job search time takes about 4 months.ย  Workopolis’s survey showed an average unemployment period of 16 weeks, whereas Statistics Canada reported an average unemployment period of 20.6 weeks in January 2014.
  • ย Most employers spend just 11 seconds or less scanning a new resume before making a decision to keep it or move on, and over 80% of resumes donโ€™t make the first cut.
  • A measly 2% of job applicants are selected for interviews โ€“ on average, primarily because of the advances in resume screening software (ATS) which screens out resumes that donโ€™t include the proper combination of keyย words.
  • The average job interview lasts about 40 minutes, but most impressions are made in the first 30 seconds, with some critical decisions being decided in the first 4 seconds.
  • ย Only half of polled candidates negotiated job offers, with only 26% of those individuals employing expert advice to assist in the decision.ย 
Again, the complete report by Workopolis, which captures the quick facts on โ€œCanadian job search patterns โ€“ from how often we stay in a job to how often we change fieldsโ€ย can be viewed in full on their site.

Adrienne Tom

Looking to get noticed for top jobs? I can help. Visit me online at CareerImpressions.ca to learn more about my award-winning resume and LinkedIn writing services that helped C-suite executives, VPs, and directors land top jobs at billion-dollar companies, start-ups, and everything in between. โšœ ๐—ฌ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐˜€๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฑ. Everyone has value to offer employers. But conveying this story in a modern, succinct executive resume isnโ€™t easy. I can do this for you. โšœ ๐—œ ๐—ผ๐—ณ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ท๐˜‚๐˜€๐˜ โ€˜๐—ฎ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜‚๐—บ๐—ฒโ€™. I'm often told that my process is as valuable as the final documents. People feel more empowered and confident after our work together. โšœ ๐— ๐˜† ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜‚๐—บ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ. I hear amazing success stories from my clients. For 15+ years, I have written hundreds of executive resumes and LinkedIn profiles that generated increased recognition and escalated earning power for my clients.

Leave a Comment