2016 Job Search: The new year is just around the corner, and a lot of people are making forecasts about hiring trends.

There are a few people that I trust on their predictions, and Laurie Ruettimann, a well-respected and leading-edge thinker, speaker, writer, and consultant within the human resources space, is one of them.

She recently prognosticated the top recruiting trends for 2016. You can read about them here: http://laurieruettimann.com/2016-recruiting-trends/

What she predicts is exactly what I have been seeing on my end when working with job seekers.

As employers have been gradually adding jobs or loosening hiring freezes, it’s become a seller’s market for job seekers.

But before you start rubbing your hands together gleefully, exclaiming, “Laissez les bon temps roulez!” (“Let the good times roll,” for those of you who haven’t been to New Orleans before), there are few things you should know before considering a job move.

Know your value, but don’t piss off recruiters or hiring managers during a 2016 job search. They have long memories, and also talk amongst themselves.  So yeah, you might be courted by multiple employers to come work for them, but don’t tease them if you really have no sincere interest. And be smart before you try to play them off of each other.

Most industries are becoming even more incestuous during a 2016 job search. Because everyone is feeling safer about making a job move now that things are relaxing more in terms of available opportunities, it doesn’t mean that people are going far.

So to the point above about how people talk?

Yeah, that.

Remember that you should always treat everyone with respect because you never know who might be the decision maker. They are making moves too, and you could find yourself talking to a person you ticked off when they worked at a different company.

Continue to be frustrated with applying online.  No technology service provider has completely figured out how to use software to make the hiring process easier.

So while employers are still bumping into themselves trying to create a “glorious candidate experience”, the problem is that for the job seeker, it’s still the proverbial black hole. And people are still frustrated with the lack of the human touch.

But there is a solution, and I’ll keep hammering this home til the last breath escapes my body:

At the end of the day, you can try and go through the “front door” of formally applying online, but people hire who they know.  That’s where a cultural and chemistry fit happens.

So quit clicking send endlessly and getting mad at your computer screen hang times.

Get out there and network the hell out of your network.  It will make a big difference in your 2016 job search.