The data may suggest it’s an easy time to get a job,but a patchy resume can look like bad news in the eyes of recruiters.Credit:John Shakespeare
If you look at statistics alone,it’s easy to get the impression that things are pretty good for people looking for a job at the moment. In fact,when I spoke with Dr Gabrielle Golding from Adelaide University,and she mentioned some data very much along those lines.
“Thelatest ABS ‘Labour Force’ data indicates that,in trend terms,in August 2024 the unemployment rate remained at 4.1 per cent;the participation rate remained at 67 per cent and employment increased to 14,443,600 people[in Australia],” she said.
“A June 2024KPMG ‘Australian Labour Market in Detail Report’ revealed that even though the reported number of job vacancies has come off peak,they remain high,even in relation to pre-COVID levels,and especially in health and personal services occupations.”
Recruiters are relying more and more on AI to do the heavy lifting for them.
There’s a catch,though. In fact,there are a few,and one of them does,as you’ve asked,relate to how employers might view a resume with multiple short contract stints on it.
“It is reasonable to expect that when applying for a permanent position,a prospective employee who has held many short-term appointments may be seen as less reliable and settled,” Golding told me.