​

There are lots of factors involved in the current skills shortage in Australia.

It’s a perfect storm of minimal international students, people being unable to enter and leave Australia, some choosing to stay in their existing roles rather than move jobs.  As well as the way the world has changed in recent years with a focus on online, e-commerce, customer experience, reviews and a shift in the way people trade, buy and interact.  There are some creative roles that are in hot demand that have been identified as crucial to businesses in this market, there is also a shortage of creatives able to fill this need. 

There are ways you can capitalise on this gap, here are our top suggestions:

​

Conduct a skills check

Start with your resume and portfolio. Do you outline all your skill sets clearly? Many recruitment systems scan for keywords like SEO and if you don’t list all your skills then you could be missing out on lots of opportunities.  Double-check the following:

• Course, certification and credentials are up to date and relevant

• List all the software platforms, applications that you have had experience with showcasing your work if possible

• Use keywords from the job advertisement - some systems scan resumes automatically and use keywords to make selections

• The gaps in your resume or skill set should become apparent at the end of this process and measure it against some position descriptions for current roles and see how it stacks up
  

Read the market

Scan SEEK, Linkedin, Indeed for job advertisements even if you're not currently looking for a new role. This will give you an excellent feel for the kinds of roles and the requirements to be a successful candidate. Position descriptions are quite detailed and will usually list all the personal attributes including years of experience and applications required. 

​

If there is software that you have no experience using, see if there is a free training course, a friend that can introduce you to it or in some cases create your own subscription (many are free to start) and begin using it so that you can become familiar with its use. 

​

Short Courses, Online Courses and training

One of the best ways to address a skills gap is to learn the fundamentals and then build on experience. There are a multitude of quality short courses offered by universities and institutions which can get you upskilled quickly and in many cases online.  

This will allow you to upskill while still working so you can plan your creative career to be able to consider some of the amazing creative opportunities in the current market.  Do your research here, compare curriculum and pricing and once qualified see if there are any opportunities to practice your new skills within your current organisation to gain some hands-on experience. 

Volunteer and find a mentor

If your organisation has varied departments why not volunteer to join a team or group working on a project which will give you exposure to new skills and processes? Or volunteer outside of your workplace with an organisation that you know could benefit from your skills and allow you to learn new ones at the same time. This often can lead to lots of new contacts and even potential referees.  Finding a mentor in the industry you wish to focus on can also be an excellent way to learn and develop skills and networks.  Reach out and ask, many leaders are willing to mentor and are keen to impart their knowledge. You won’t know if you don’t ask. 

Get involved

Follow groups on Linkedin, follow companies that are leaders in the field, join job boards of recruiters that specialise in that niche and stay on top of the changes in the industry. Network and make sure you are current with information so when you can make the move you are well versed in the whole industry and the companies that may be offering these types of roles. 

Finally, here is a list of some of the roles of the future where there is a current skills gap or potential opportunity that you may want to consider. The creative marketplace is changing and is full of innovations and the focus is on the following roles which will be jobs of the future:

• Digital Designers

• Product/App Designers

• Performance/Growth Marketing Managers

• UX/UI Designer

• Brand Manager/Designer

• Marketing Content Creator

• Social Media Content Creator

• Senior & Account Managers
  

Creative Recruiters is Australia’s leading creative and digital recruitment agency recruiting Australia wide. 

Check out our job board for regularly posted opportunities similar to these roles.

Speak to us if you are interested in freelance opportunities or looking to recruit or hire creative talent. 

​