D.C. area companies mirror national trends, with many jobs to fill. But recruitment firm Patrice & Associates, with offices in D.C., has noticed companies becoming more selective about the positions they fill and the candidates they hire, unlike the hiring frenzy during the pandemic.
Patrice & Associates CEO Brian Miller compares that hiring spree to going to a grocery store hungry.
Now candidates may need to work harder to stand out. One thing many job seekers forget about is touting what they’ve done, and not just focusing on their skills and their resume.
“Meaning concrete examples of what they have done at the current job, or in prior positions that either saved the company money, increased sales or optimized efficiency in some way. And the reason for that is that can help companies envision what you are going to do for them,” Miller said.
The largest share of job openings in the D.C. region are found in diverse industries.
“There has been a lot said about tech layoffs, but that seems to be abating some. The tech jobs are really in demand in the D.C. area. Our recent search of Indeed found there is more than 30,000 tech jobs open in the D.C. area. Health care continues to drive the labor market in the D.C. area, and also hospitality-related jobs,” Miller said.
Job seekers continue to seek flexibility and remote or hybrid work options. Companies have increasingly mandated return-to-the-office policies that may make those perks a bit more difficult to negotiate.
The ability to negotiate flexible work may depend on the level of job you are seeking.
“I think we are going to see D.C. companies that will be open to more hybrid work if they want to get the best talent. If they’re looking at a CFO position that would be based out of the headquarters, or a chief marketing officer, or a VP of talent acquisition, they might be open to some kind of hybrid positions where they have to commute in to D.C. two to three times a week,” Miller said.
That may run the risk of resentment among the employees they oversee. A recent ResumeBuilder survey found 23% of workers forced to return to the office say their boss isn’t in the office as frequently as them.
