The future of employment in a digital age

betterworldinternational.org

The first thing I do in the morning is to check my messages using my phone, I make coffee in the morning using an electronic appliance. I use my laptop to look at my appointments for the day. I hitch a ride to my lectures from a friend. I use an elevator to get to class. There’s no denying that technology rules a huge part of my life and of many people’s lives, after all, we live in a digital age.

However, I’m also not blind to the negatives that come with new developments in technology.  As a person who comes from an impoverished background and who has seen a multitude of people get retrenched because of technological advancements in the workplace. There’s no denying that technology is shaping the labour market,  and it’s affecting the workforce.

Wassily Leontif’s book The Future Impact of Automation on Workers explains that with the computer revolution and advancement in technology many jobs have been created. However, the revolution has also debilitated a great number of jobs`and it is also responsible for replacing workers with machines.

As Asian wages rise, production line chiefs are as of now searching for chances to replace employees with robots, especially in places such as China. As the advent of cheap smartphones fuels a boom in Internet access, online purchases will eliminate a vast number of retail jobs. It is estimated that around the world, technological change could without much of a stretch prompt the loss of 5-10 million jobs every year.

Side effects of technological changes 

• The two most notable changes brought about by rapid technological advancement include:

• It can increase the rate and the average duration of unemployment. Because firms may not consider it cost- effective to retrain some types of workers , notably the less- educated and older employees, these workers may be jobless for long periods of time, with some of them perhaps never working again.

• If technological change causes workers to become unemployed more often and for longer periods of time, not only will the level of unemployment increase, but the “natural rate of unemployment,” the hypothesized minimum sustainable rate of unemployment, will increase as well.

Okay, we’ve established that as much as technology has contributed to the economy and to the social scene, it has also affected employees negatively but this is not necessarily new. I admit, it’s not but what I want to highlight is that I foresee adaptability as a crucial skill in this digital age. Imagine spending years learning how to master a certain device only for it to be replaced by another more advanced device. All that work goes down the drain, now there are two choices – adapt or quit. I guarantee you the latter might be easier but it’s equally detrimental. The workplace is seeking technologically capable individuals who are also open to adapting.

 

Social media do’s and don’ts for job seekers

Web-based social networking instruments are not really “great” or, then again “awful.” Like any instrument, they can be helpful but they can also be inconvenient relying upon how you use them. A study conducted by Careerbuilder indicates that a staggering 45% of employers conduct employee research mainly on the web.

As social networking tools become common and are adjusted for expert purposes, it befits you to get comfortable with both their points of interest and conceivable pitfalls.

Social media is being used in about each feature of professional and individual interactions. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, You Tube, and news feeds have made it simple for individuals to interface on the web. The upside of this is that it’s simple to network online with relevant people and prospective employers, which can assist you in seeking employment.

The issue, in any case, is that a ton of what is posted online can be effectively found by employers and imminent businesses. You may have posted a photograph or a notice – something you just at any point intended to be seen by those close to you – but individuals you’ve never met can see those postings and judge you for them. Here are a couple of dos and don’ts

Dos

Do clean up your social media

This might seem obvious but people seldom clean up their social media profiles thinking that prospective employers won’t see that detrimental status update they posted three years ago.What you see when you google yourself is what your employers see as well. Disable any social media profile that you no longer use and lastly, keep your social media updated with information that would appeal to an employer.

Do be very discrete

Social media allows people to reach instantly to situations, sharing their thoughts with an audience of anonymous listeners. Thanking a company or shop for treating you well or for going the extra mile spreads good cheer and thankfulness and has a positive impact, but ranting about your employer who made you stay late twice this week is spreading a negative message.

Do watch your “Netiquette”

Much the same as you would in individual associations, remember to keep up your best possible behavior when interacting with professional people online. Try not to use casual welcome like”Hello!” or “What’s up dude” while reaching somebody you know in a professional setting.

Be cautious about how you reach people online when you’re not friends with them. On the off-chance that there’s somebody you’d jump at the chance to be acquainted with, don’t send a friend request to them or “poke” them on Facebook. They are probably trying to keep their personal and professional contacts separate and may view friend requests
as unprofessional.

Don’ts

Don’t over expose yourself

In case you’re on over twelve unique sorts of social media networks, the impression that you’re portraying is that of a social media addict: When will you ever complete your work? Are you easily distracted? Try not to give somebody a chance to shape the off-base conclusion of you before they’ve even had an opportunity to meet you.

Don’t post compromising pictures online

Applicants need to remember that your visible photographs across social networks accounts make an initial introduction before you’ve even met a potential boss or recruiter – and that can help or detriment you. If all else fails, erase or suspend any social networking account where the substance could be considered as harming to your pursuit of employment.

 

Using your phone for Job searching

Snap! Snap! Selfie taken, self-esteem boosted, but what if we could use our phones for more than just taking selfies? Esihle Matshaya graduated from Rhodes University last year. She went a few months without finding work. However, she concedes that her smart phone has played a crucial role in her job hunting process.

Social Media

Quite a number of people have taken to social media to find employment. I was scrolling through my Facebook timeline when I saw a post asking people to post share vacancies. I was quite surprised when a number of people responded to the post. Some posted available vacancies, while others tagged friends and family members who were seeking employment. There are also groups and pages on social media where job seekers post links to job opening. You can get all of this information just by swiping your phone.

Interviews

Imagine you applied for a job in Cape Town and you live in Port Elizabeth. You get asked to come for an interview but you do not have the funds to travel to Cape Town. Your future employer asks for a video or telephonic interview, you can do all of that using your phone.

Networking

Utilise your cell phone to remain current on what others in your industry are doing. Keep up your contacts utilising either your informal communication application or other online talk applications. Meet up with individual contacts who may have within scoop on openings for work. Join dialogues on sites, for example, LinkedIn. Look for employments through your Twitter contacts. Make you remain known through keen postings and online discussions. Since your cell phone is with you most of the time, you will have the capacity to remain fully informed regarding potential employment prospects by networking.

Other important and simple ways to use your phone as a tool in your job seeking process includes: 

• Browse for job opportunities
• Submit email applications online
• Take screen shots of job vacancies on social media and job sites
• Creating to do lists and setting reminders of interviews and to prioritise tasks
• Take pictures of posters and pamphlets advertising pamphlets
• Record your interview question and answer practice sessions
• Listen and watch to audio and videos that provide advice to job seekers
• Use GPS to find the location where a job interview is taking place
• Read blogs like this one!!!

 

Welcome to Career Info

Unemployment problem in South Africa

The tweet above indicates that among a multitude of factors, unemployment remains the top poverty driver in South Africa. A newsletter released by the South African communication department indicates that the country’s rising number of unemployed citizens is deeply rooted in the country’s history of racial segregation and apartheid. The newsletter states that there’s an influx of unskilled and low skilled job seekers due to the racialized education received by African citizens during apartheid years.

Unemployment and Social Media Campaigns

It would be close to foolish to state that South Africa’s past has nothing to do with the country’s surplus of unskilled and low skilled labour but it’s not an uncommon scene to see re-tweets of people seeking employment on twitter. The recent #HireAGraduate campaign is one out of many campaigns that allude to this growing epidemic of unemployment in the country. Both skilled and unskilled young South Africans particularly are victims of unemployment.

I’ve seen quite a fair share of Facebook posts and tweets from people asking for employment, some report back saying that they’ve received employment. All of that is good and well but it still does not solve the problem because while some may have access to the internet and are able to look for employment using cyberspace, others do not share that privilege. Going through websites looking for vacancies takes up a lot of data, looking up interview tips on the internet takes up data. What Recruitment Connect hopes to do among other things is to compile a list of vacancies and post them on a weekly basis to save data and hopefully help you get employed.