What lies ahead on the job front

How will this year's job trends impact on you? ALICE SHOPLAND reports.

What does the rest of this year hold for employees? Career management consultancy DBM New Zealand says that a recent survey of its executives throughout Australia and New Zealand identified the following trends for 2002:

* Employees will stop job-hopping and start looking for stable careers.

* Baby-boomers will face continued difficulties securing work.

* Sought after will be flexibility; willingness to relocate; international experience; transferable hands-on experience; project management and general management skills; and exposure to and working knowledge of computers, a range of software and the internet.

* Networking will assume more importance in the job hunt and recruitment agencies will be shunned by employment-seekers.

So how can you turn these trends to your advantage?

The slow-down in job-hopping is being driven by employees' desire for security and reduced stress, and by employers' desire for efficiency by retaining good staff, says Reece Notton, executive director of DBM New Zealand.

He says employees are realising the benefits of staying within one organisation for longer periods; less stress because it involves less change; greater opportunities for advancement because you know how the organisation works; greater financial and other rewards because you can demonstrate your ability to add value to the organisation.

"A longer-term relationship is an investment for the employer and the employee," he says. "But it's important for the employee to have a career plan and keep it on track, even if your aim is to progress within the organisation."

Securing work is the biggest challenge baby-boomers face, says Julie Crawley of Workplace Connections.

Change isn't exclusive to baby-boomers, of course, but many of them do have the added pressure of their skills not being up-to-date, especially in the IT area.

They may still be raising children and trying to guide them into a seemingly fickle job market, and may be responsible for ageing parents. According to the New Zealand Equal Opportunities Trust, mature workers are among those most likely to face discrimination.

What to do? Crawley says many baby-boomers assume their age will be a negative factor and don't put themselves forward as much as they should.

"Forget your age, and focus on how you can add value to an employer," she says. "Find an employer who values older employees. Find out which industries are growing, and look for work in those industries.

"Acknowledge the risk element of change, but learn to focus on the opportunity it presents. Most importantly, market yourself."

To DBM's list of sought-after attributes, Lester Oakes, chief executive of Career Services, adds team-working, multi-tasking and interpersonal communication, both verbal and written: "You need them to knit together the other qualities."

The way to highlight your relevant "soft" skills - those which don't necessarily carry formal qualifications, such as communication - is to cite in your CV specific instances where you used those skills, emphasising the benefit for your employer at the time.

"To broaden your skills with the help of your employer, you need to be able to sit down with your boss and talk with them about what qualifications or experience will add benefits for you and for them, and about the contributions you can each make," says Oakes.

Such education need not be formal: assigning you to a particular project which can help you learn or consolidate specific skills can be just as valuable.

Employers might once have felt that increasing the qualifications and experience of an employee would simply see them move on to a better job elsewhere.

"But my experience absolutely says that you buy people further into an organisation by supporting them," says Oakes.

A recent survey records that 65 per cent of all jobs internationally are secured by networking - which means that simply placing your CV with a recruitment agency may no longer be enough.

People are taking control of their own job search - DBM cites a study that found that 52 per cent of job-seekers chase jobs through networking, compared to 27 per cent who use recruitment companies.

"In addition" says DBM, "organisations are ... looking for the most cost-effective method of recruitment, and are often turning away from recruitment companies."

Even if you're not looking for a new job, honing your networking skills pays dividends.

Networking - actively fostering contacts and creating ways to disseminate information - is a powerful way of building professional relationships. The two basic goals are greater visibility and increased information.

Don't be afraid to ask for help - most people are flattered at the interest and happy to do something for someone else.

But it is a two-way process. Offer any contacts you may have, and back up this offer with action.