Job Search – Croixstone

ChatGPT and Job Seekers

“If used as a guide, distiller of content and framework, ChatGPT could have many benefits for its job-seeking users.”

– Robin Reshawn (Executive Career Strategist and Contributor to USNews.com)

What is ChatGPT?: ChatGPT is short for “Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer” and is an artificial chatbot developed by OpenAI. The technology was released in November 2022. ChatGPT has the fastest-growing customer base of any technology in history.

Why you need to become familiar with ChatGPT: As shared by Alan Murray (President and CEO of Fortune magazine), “generative A.I. is likely to have the most profound impact on the business world of any technology since the PC.” Paul Dougherty, CTO of Accenture, said that what is coming is a reinvention “of the way work is done, dramatically amplifying what people can achieve.”

Job Seekers are using ChatGPT: A Forbes magazine article published last month shared that 46% of 1,000 current and recent job seekers surveyed by ResumeBuilder.com used ChatGPT to craft their resumes or cover letters. The job search can be a tedious and time-consuming journey, and ChatGPT can deliver incredible time savings and helpful resume writing capabilities.

Yes, but: If not used the right way, the content delivered by ChatGPT risks being generic and buzzword heavy. Resume writers also risk losing their voice in building what should be a tailored marketing document. We recommend that job seekers regard ChatGPT as a great tool that delivers many benefits, however, it needs to be used with an eye toward understanding its limitations and how to best compensate for its shortfalls.

The bottom line: Job seekers should become familiar with ChatGPT and how to best incorporate the emerging technology into their searches. The experience gained will not only deliver benefits to the job search, but it will also help the job seeker to better understand how the technology might be applied in the workplace.

Learn more: We like the insights shared in a February 2023 article published by USNews.com entitled “Using ChatGPT for Your Resume and Job Search.” Read the article here.

On the Radio with Croixstone

“The power of radio is not that it speaks to millions, but that it speaks intimately and privately to each one of those millions.”

– Hallie Flanagan (American Theatrical Producer, Director, Playwright & Author)

Croixstone’s CEO and co-founder, Patti Weber, and Managing Partner and co-founder, Mark Weber, were featured guests this past weekend on The Francene Marie Show that airs on 6 top-rated FM and AM radio stations in the Charlotte, NC market.

Francene Marie Morris serves as Public Affairs Director as well as Host and Producer of The Francene Marie Show that airs on radio stations in the Charlotte market owned by Beasley Media Group. The lively radio interview with Croixstone’s leaders featured insights and perspectives on the labor market, employment trends, and job search strategies.

Listen to the interview here.

Seeking Your Next Role? Avoid These 6 Common Mistakes!

We get it.

It is easy to roll your eyes when seeing yet another list of do’s and don’ts when it comes to landing your next role – whether it be in consulting or a traditional employment role. That being said, the reason these lists continue to prosper is because job seekers, regardless of the tenure in their careers, continue to make critical mistakes during the hunting process.

Here are the most common mistakes and issues that the leaders in Croixstone’s consulting and search practices see on a frequent basis.

The Skeleton LinkedIn Profile: The calendar reads 2021. Every modern hiring professional is using LinkedIn today to learn more about you. The perfect resume isn’t anywhere close to perfect if your LinkedIn profile is incomplete. If your LinkedIn profile is simply a shell, take action today to build it out.

The Resume/LinkedIn Mismatch: See above. Every hiring professional is using LinkedIn and is comparing your resume to your LinkedIn profile. It is a huge problem when your dates, company names, roles, etc. don’t match.

The Missing Role: So you accepted a role for what appeared to be a dream opportunity only to leave after one year to save your sanity. Don’t kid yourself that it is ok to leave it off your resume. Keep your information, and integrity, real and be prepared like a pro to explain it away.

Mr. and Mrs. Email Addresses: In the early days of email, many households used one email address. While you may still love that legacy email address that combines you and your significant other in a clever way, never use it for business purposes. The same goes for other “cutesy” type of email addresses. Just don’t.

Legacy Email Addresses: Don’t shoot the messenger, but it is time to ditch the AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo, and other early internet email addresses. Keeping current with technology is important in any professional role today, and using one of the legacies can send the wrong message.

The Full VoiceMail Box: It may sound like common sense, but never let a recruiter or hiring professional reach out to you during your search only to find that your voicemail box is full and is unable to accept messages.

Finally, here are some general job search strategies for highly experienced professionals from the folks at T he Balance Careers.

Career Tips + Strategies for Experienced Professionals

More than 500,000 people in North Carolina have filed for unemployment in the weeks since businesses starting closing down due to the pandemic. This equates to 10% of North Carolina’s workforce. And the picture is certainly challenging in South Carolina, too. Last week, WalletHub released a study that compared unemployment claim increases in USA states for the week of March 30, 2019 to the same week in 2020. North Carolina’s unemployment claims rose 4282.7% year-over-year (7th highest in the nation), while South Carolina’s claims rose 3931.2% (33rd highest in the nation).

With the rise in unemployment, we have curated links that have relevance to professionals – especially those who are experienced in their career paths.

It might be time to think about a career change.
Times of crisis can fuel pivots in your career path. This article provides terrific insights and is aimed at professionals in the 50+ age range.
C lick here.

LinkedIn has free resources to help with job search strategies.
11 free courses to help you build a job search strategy, lean on your professional network, and improve your interviewing skills.
Click here.

Why losing a job deserves its own grieving process.
The loss of a job triggers grief. Understand the grieving process and use these 3 tips to get into a productive mindset.
Click here.

How to prepare for the future of work in uncertain times.
Some great career tips from Forbes on how to use the disruption created by the pandemic to take control and future-proof yourself.
Click here.

How to train your mind for high-pressure situations.
Tips from an Olympic Coach to help you excel during interviews, negotiations, etc.
Click here.

2020 Job Search + Career Predictions

Today’s job market is shifting at unprecedented speeds as new technologies, globalization and economic shifts continue to drive change. Highly-experienced professionals, like those for whom Croixstone serves, will benefit from these changes. Learn more in this January 7, 2020 article from Forbes entitled “2020 Job Search and Career Predictions for Baby Boomers.”