According to the Employment Service data, the unemployment rate in Lithuania in the second quarter of this year was 6.1% – 1.3 percentage points less than in the first quarter, and 1.1% less than in the same period last year. There are also fewer job vacancies: in July, there were 15.2 thousand in Lithuania. Compared to the same period last year, the selection is 4% smaller.
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According to Justina Raškauskienė, HR manager at the technology startup “Omnisend,” although the unemployment rate in Lithuania remains high, the barriers to hiring are even higher. She says a paradoxical situation has formed: employers are sometimes surprised by candidates’ expectations, while candidates themselves are concerned about the very complex selection processes.
“The labor market has changed: modern selections consist of several stages, trial tasks, getting to know the team. Competition for open positions has also intensified. Increasingly, there are cases where even significant experience does not guarantee a simple invitation to a job interview. However, there is another side to the coin.
Employer decisions are influenced not only by the candidate’s experience but also by specific criteria: team needs, candidate salary expectations, and specific experience, as well as the workplace culture itself and compatibility with it. The best candidates choose employers just as employers choose candidates. Therefore, a clear, respectful, and purposeful selection process becomes not a privilege but a necessity,” says J. Raškauskienė.
What discourages employers?
Searching for the desired job can take not just one or several weeks. Sometimes it lasts for months. Naturally, when despair sets in, one wants to send out as many resumes as possible. However, the HR expert asserts that such a strategy is not only ineffective but can often negatively affect the candidate themselves. To increase the chances of being noticed, it is worth applying thoughtfully, only to those positions that truly match personal professional experience, competencies, and expectations.
“Although today sending a resume takes just a few seconds, mass applying does not guarantee results. Such behavior can even create the impression that the candidate really does not know where or what they want to work. Much more benefit comes from a purposefully chosen position, a correspondingly tailored resume, and preparation for the job interview. This saves time for both employers and candidates,” says J. Raškauskienė.
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She also draws attention to the anxiety of job seekers about the use of artificial intelligence in selection processes. “The world is changing, and with it the labor market changes. Artificial intelligence is becoming a daily tool in many areas, including selection processes. It increasingly helps teams conducting selections to perform certain repetitive tasks more efficiently. However, communication with candidates and getting to know them, interviews, and decisions made are still the responsibility of people,” says the “Omnisend” representative.
What to do to work your dream job
For those looking for their dream job, J. Raškauskienė first recommends delving into the characteristics of the potential workplace and only then sending their resume. She advises focusing on quality, not quantity, and applying only for positions that match personal expectations and competencies.
“Act purposefully. Tailor your resume to the specific position, and indicate not only previously held positions but also achieved results. Avoid unnecessary, excessive information. Finally, prepare properly for the job interview. Learn about the company’s activities, its values and culture, and assess whether it would really be interesting and beneficial to work there both for you and the organization itself,” she advises.
The HR manager of “Omnisend” emphasizes that competition in certain fields in the labor market is indeed high, so it is quite useful to be prepared for longer searches. According to her, such an attitude reduces stress and anxiety.
“Critically evaluate your search strategy. Update your resume, improve your qualifications, expand your professional network, and prepare more carefully for job interviews. Participate in professional and your field’s community events: this is a great opportunity to better understand the specifics of the future job, hear what the market is about, and most importantly – meet people and expand your contacts. Attentiveness and effort increase the chances of successful employment,” says J. Raškauskienė.
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