General Assembly Blog

How to Shift Your Talent Strategy During Economic Volatility

Today’s talent market is undergoing a major shift, and organizations are rethinking their talent strategies. After a period of massive hiring and growth, some companies are taking a step back and reducing their workforce, such as through layoffs or hiring freezes. Many organizations are taking a more thoughtful approach to hiring, selectively filling only key roles. Other companies still in growth mode see this as an opportunity to recruit top talent in a tight job market. Yet all businesses have one thing in common during times of economic volatility: a desire to shore up and future-proof their workforce against whatever comes next.

While investments in employer branding and talent development efforts can easily fall to the wayside during economic slowdowns, companies that are in it for the long haul can’t afford to press pause. Here are three things to consider as you evolve your organization’s talent strategy in the face of uncertainty.

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Alum Spotlight: Changing Careers as a Mom? Yes, You Can

By Albrina Mendes

Juggling the responsibilities of motherhood is often described as having two full-time jobs — one that stretches into the late hours and another that spans the entire day. Now, imagine the additional challenges faced by single mothers who rely solely on themselves, carrying the weight of these two demanding roles without any breaks. It requires a unique strength and unwavering determination for a mother to embark on a new career path while fulfilling her maternal duties.

Maintaining a resolute “Yes, I can” attitude is a crucial aspect of their transformative journeys. A positive attitude is a strong determining factor to success, but more support is always an advantage. At General Assembly, we have had the privilege of uplifting mothers from many backgrounds as they make successful transitions into tech careers.

In this article, we will explore the challenges of switching careers as a mother and how you can overcome them. It’s possible to change careers or start a new career as a mom, regardless of any limiting beliefs or underlying circumstances.

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The Ultimate Checklist for Aspiring Career-Switchers

By General Assembly

student sitting with legs up in front of a window in GA NYC campus looking at a laptop

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

We invited Nabil Farrag, Country Director of Spring Professional LHH (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. (license number: 09C5803), to share his best tips for individuals who want to switch into a career in tech. Nabil has over a decade of recruitment experience working in various markets, including Australia, Asia, and Europe. His expertise in technology recruitment and coaching and consulting is sure to help anyone trying to figure out how to find a new career.

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Teching Care of The Planet: How Tech Skills Can Promote a Greener Earth

By General Assembly

Technology plays a crucial role in cultivating a greener earth by enabling the development of innovative solutions for environmental challenges. Some of these technological advancements include renewable energy sources, energy-efficient devices, green transportation, and sustainable agriculture practices.

Over the last few years, we’ve seen how the demand for green or sustainable tech jobs has increased. According to a report by LinkedIn, there has been a 191% increase in the number of sustainability jobs posted on the platform since 2016. Additionally, the report found that sustainability jobs are not limited to specific industries and are found across a range of sectors, including technology, finance, and energy.

In this blog, we will look at how technology is leading innovation for a better and greener environment, identify some of the most popular tech jobs in sustainability, and what digital skills you need to acquire to combat environmental challenges in your career.

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General Assembly and LHH Partner to Launch a Hire-Train-Deploy Solution, Further Expanding Access to Diverse Junior Tech Talent for Employers

By General Assembly

In a world where technology is advancing faster than ever before, the demand for skilled tech workers has reached an all-time high. To help businesses keep pace, General Assembly and global talent solutions provider LHH have launched Hire-Train-Deploy (HTD), a unique solution to close persistent skills gaps, build diverse and resilient tech talent pipelines, and provide exceptional onboarding experiences that support junior tech workers.

According to our 2023 “State of Talent Acquisition” report, 91% of tech hiring managers are at least somewhat concerned that their recruitment and hiring methods won’t be enough to fill their open tech roles in software engineering, analytics, data science, and UX design. Even if a company has every role filled today, Hired found 57% of first-year tech talent are looking to change jobs within six months.

In times of economic uncertainty, new hiring methods are required to build a more resilient workforce—whether that’s by providing the proper training to retain new workers and shore up productivity or deepening the pool of diverse, skilled talent that’s ready to shine and scale.

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Harnessing The Power of Positive Thinking: 5 Career Change Affirmations to Tell Yourself

By Albrina Mendes

Have you been feeling stagnant in your career? Found yourself dreaming of a passion outside your 9-to-5 role?

If you answered “yes,” to either (or both) of these questions, a career change is on the horizon. However, if you haven’t made any moves to kick off this transition, your mindset might be holding you back. Taking those first steps toward a new career direction can be scary and overwhelming. Fear of failure and the unknown, leaving the safety net of a career you are comfortable in (but don’t love), can keep you running in place.

Shifting your mindset can get you to a place where you feel confident and empowered to take that leap. That’s right: you can control your mind to achieve your goals. Positive thinking isn’t just a buzzword or fluffy theory: research supports it as a powerful tool that can help you open your mind, build better relationships, and achieve optimal levels of well-being, resilience, and yes, success.

Ready to give it a shot? Let’s walk through some positive thinking exercises that will catapult you from “no, I can’t” to “yes, I can.”

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5 Steps for Overcoming Career Change Imposter Syndrome

By General Assembly

As you approach your dream job or prepare to start a new business, it’s common to experience a sense of unworthiness and self-doubt that can hold you back. Imposter syndrome can prevent you from fully embracing your accomplishments and reaching your full potential.

In this blog post, we aim to provide guidance on overcoming imposter syndrome for individuals who are considering a career change and are struggling with self-confidence about their ability to succeed in a new field. Additionally, we will explore actionable steps to help career changers like you overcome imposter syndrome and realize your aspirations.

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Career Tarotscopes for May 2023

By Cardsy B

Rebecca Szymczak, aka Cardsy B, author of The Saturn Diaries and tarot reader to the stars, consulted her cards and has tips for which signs should use the end of the spring eclipse season to clear out the old and which signs should celebrate the new Venus vibes of Taurus season. She also has insight into some big shifts on the career front as we exit the May 5^th full moon in Scorpio.

As we enter May, Taurus season provides its’ signature earth energy that is grounding amid 2023’s spring eclipses. Our first eclipse arrived last month on the April 19th new moon. A second comes with the intense full moon in Scorpio on May 5th. This brings a final – and most likely – emotional cleanse of old patterns, beliefs, and energies we’ve outgrown from the first half of the year. This will mean exiting toxic work environments for some and shifting industries entirely for others. Mercury also remains retrograde through May 14th (with a shadow period of continued impact until May 28th.) As a result, it’s better to sign new contracts closer to the end of the month if possible.

Whatever your sign, there are plenty of level-ups — plus a few shake-ups to look for this month, so read on to see what the cards have in store.

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How Tech Skills Can Land You a Creative Career

By Albrina Mendes

Traditionally, “highly paid” and “creative career” doesn’t appear in the same sentence, but as technology transforms every part of the creative process, the demand for creative technologists is surging, creating opportunities for artistic-minded tech workers.

The internet and social media have ushered in a digital creative renaissance, where artists are experimenting with new mediums like augmented reality and virtual reality, and emerging tools like generative AI. Art exhibits have transformed from static gallery shows to immersive experiences created by UX designers. Digital artists increasingly rely on technology as their studio, leveraging software tools like Adobe Creative Cloud, Open AI’s DALL-E, and Procreate to create their next masterpiece.

Similarly, the music industry is experiencing historic change. Software editing programs and virtual instruments have unlocked new possibilities for creative expression. Technology like streaming services have enabled artists to embrace new ways of marketing and distributing their music. Social media platforms make fan engagement possible in real-time.

Even already tech-savvy industries like film, television, and video gaming are seeing new opportunities emerge thanks to innovations in 3D graphics, video streaming, and computer performance. The metaverse has unlocked an entirely new world for the entertainment industry to seize, emerging after the pandemic shuttered live events and forced entertainment companies to get creative with digital offerings.

While technical innovation in creativity is exciting, it also poses legal and ethical concerns around things like an artist’s copyright and control over their work, meaning the field is ripe for innovation in the privacy, security, and compliance spaces.

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