Through most of 2020, there was a lot of hesitancy to change jobs due to the many uncertainties we faced last year. The pandemic has given us all an opportunity to pause and reevaluate our lives. Forced to work from home we all had a lot of time to think – think about how we had been living and the routines that ruled our lives. With the changing world and work environment we have changing priorities and many have realized that big changes are overdue. As vaccinations have rolled out across the country there is much more optimism about our future now and we have noticed that more people are changing jobs for improved quality of life reasons vs pure career advancement.
Some shifts we have noticed include:
- The Importance of Remote work – Some employers are ready to mandate a return to onsite work. Even though vaccinations are rolling out in high numbers, there are lots of consultants that are still not comfortable returning to the office in fear of another COVID-19 surge. Other consultants have come to appreciate the work/life balance working remotely offers and simply don’t want to go back to commuting. In addition to this, there are an increased number of job postings creating lots of competition for employers to attract top talent and the majority of companies have realized their staff is just as, if not more, productive working remotely.
- Flexible hours – This goes back to the need for work/life balance and is especially important to working parents. As employers are opening up their searches to nationwide talent, West Coast consultants have the opportunity to work for companies based on the East Coast and vice versa offering the flexibility to start and finish earlier or later to attend to personal home and life commitments.
- Overall happiness – We are all feeling the burn out from being stuck at home the past year. More than ever, we are seeing full time employees who have been in roles for 5, 10 and even 15+ years approach us for consulting opportunities because they have realized how stagnant they have become in their roles. One of the many advantages consulting offers is the diversity of work you are exposed to. Consultants are continually challenged as one project ends and the next begins. Also, the flexibility to commit to a project for a specified period of time with the confidence that should you want to shift your focus afterward, there will be another project for you to transition to at another company or industry.
What does this mean for you? If the above describes you, realize that there will be more competition with so many consultants coming on the market so it is of utmost importance that you set yourself apart from other candidates. Update your LinkedIn profile, clean up your resume (make sure you have ONE consistent font throughout and are highlighting major projects), do your research on the companies and people you are interviewing with and treat Zoom interviews as you would in-person interviews (clear all background distractions and dress business professionally).
GSG specializes in consulting services for the financial services sector. We are always looking for great consultants to join our team and offer a variety of opportunities including Program/Project Management, Product Management, Business Analysis, UX and Digital Marketing roles, among others. Reach out to us and let us know how we can support your search. We would love to hear from you and are excited for what the rest of this year has to offer! Only positive changes going forward 🙂
Galawezh Mostofi is a Senior Talent Acquisition professional for GSG based in San Francisco. Her labor market insights are derived from her unique ability to connect with people and a passion for creating opportunities for the consultants she works with.