In this column, we provoke fresh thinking and round up some of the weird, wonderful, quirky, surprising – and shocking – stories out there
Power bias
People find it more acceptable for someone with more bargaining power to ask another person with less power to perform something unpleasant, or refuse themselves to do something unpleasant, suggests research.
While we may think we believe it’s not morally right for people with stronger negotiating positions to get better deals, for example, in reality, many of us believe the opposite, suggests the study of more than 3,000 people in the US. The research, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, found that asking the other person to perform the action or explicitly refusing to do it were both seen as being more morally appropriate for the person with greater bargaining power.
On trend
Revenge quitting, corporate and career catfishing, anti-perks and burnout-blocking: these are some of the latest workplace buzzwords.
Revenge quitting is when someone jacks in their job in reaction to negative experiences at work, such as lack of recognition or burnout.
Corporate catfishing refers to when employers inaccurately present employee benefits to potential candidates. An example is flexible working – an employer may flag up such working as a benefit whereas legally all employees now have the default right to request and access flexible work.
Career catfishing, or ghosting, is when someone fails to turn up to a job they’ve been recruited to, without offering any explanation. UK firm CVGenius recently revealed that 34% of Generation Z workers do not attend work on the first day, or indeed any subsequent day, and without so much as an email of explanation. However, many candidates are fed up with employer processes, such as lengthy applications, numerous interviews and long waits to hear back, if indeed they do hear back.
Another CV firm, Resume Genius, revealed last year that almost eight out of ten hiring managers admit to having ghosted applicants (2024 Hiring Trends Survey).
Anti-perks are employee benefits that sound positive but can have a negative impact, such as ‘work from anywhere’ policies that require recruits to be available 24/7.
Burnout blocking is where employers put in place policies to protect employees’ rights to switch off.
Seekers and hirers embrace AI
AI has become an integral part of the job hunt, with 97% of UK candidates who used AI in their applications receiving callbacks for interviews, finds a survey of 4,200 hiring managers and 6,000 job seekers.
The survey, conducted for all-in-one platform for visual communication and collaboration, Canva, by Sago in the US, UK, Australia, India, Germany, Spain, France, Mexico, Brazil and Japan, shows how creativity trends play out for millions currently operating in the job market. While the report highlights how beyond content creation, AI is driving speed and sparking inspiration at every step of the process, it warns that job seekers should still exercise caution when using it.
Some 90% of UK hiring managers have also used AI for some part of the hiring process, including to summarise CVs (38%) or to screen applications (36%). Some 63% of UK hiring managers believe candidates should disclose generative AI use in application materials, highlighting the importance of transparency.
More than half (52%) of UK job seekers, particularly those who are Gen Z (65%), have used AI to update their CV.
On Canva, Magic Write was used 13.7 million times in CV designs in 2024. Some 69% of UK job seekers felt more creative using AI in crafting their resumé, helping to transform a blank page into a compelling CV. UK job seekers have also turned to AI to prepare for interviews (41%) and to research companies (40%).
Despite wanting transparency, hiring managers do like to see colourful, interactive applications. Some 80% of UK hiring managers prefer candidates who present a portfolio showcasing their work, via a website or presentation. Yet, only two in five (40%) of UK job seekers use portfolios, indicating many might be missing this opportunity to stand out. Seventy-one per cent of UK hiring managers prefer CVs with interactive features, while over half (53%) are in favour of video cover letters.
UK hiring managers who are “very satisfied” with the resumés they see describe them as modern (52%), visually appealing (47%) and personalised (43%), with 64% of respondents preferring colour over black and white CVs.
Some 85% of job seekers, particularly those who are Gen Z (89%), wish to add more visuals to their resumés to make them more engaging.
Social media is essential for personal branding, suggests the research. UK hiring managers (65%) scope out candidates’ social media profiles most if not all the time and job seekers are now leveraging this to boost their chances of getting noticed. Eighty-eight per cent of job seekers globally believe that having a strong professional brand is key, up 45% from last year. Some 93% of UK hiring managers value candidates that have established a social media or online presence related to their career.
Some 84% of UK job seekers post on social media to brand themselves as industry experts, with more than half (52%) posting about their current job or business trends. Seventy-six per cent of job seekers, particularly those who are Gen Z (88%), now use social media platforms to hunt for open roles and learn about career opportunities worldwide.
- Contributions to this slot are welcome.
Email: liz.hall@coaching-at-work.com