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New study spotlights 5 most competitive careers for job seekers in 2021

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Posted at 10:02 PM, Feb 17, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-17 22:02:05-05

In a tight job market, a recent study zeroed in on the top 5 jobs being sought in 2021.

"The most competitive job in Florida is a retail salesperson. We found that accounted for approximately 1600 jobs per 100,000 people in the state," says Mike Gardon, editor of CareerCloud.com.

The website is helping job seekers get a leg up especially as we rebound from COVID-19. Their recent study found along with retail the next jobs up for the most competition during the pandemic are food prep workers, cashiers, office clerks and registered nurses.

Gardon says this could also be a good time to look outside of your box and turn to careers that are growing fast than some companies can keep up.

Number 1 on that list is solar panel installers.

"The other big trend is really related to the aging population within the United States. There’s a huge demand for home health care aides, personal care aides and occupational therapists," adds Gardon.

When it comes time to apply for your next job, Gardon says your resume can stand out.

"What a lot of people don’t realize is that the vast majority of companies use what is called application tracking software and that’s a software that is really designed to weed out or exclude resumes that don’t fit certain criteria," says Gardon.

He also says a trick to stand out is to pull keywords from the job description and put those on your resume to get noticed. Now that most interviews are over video it’s time to up your Zoom game.

"A lot of interviews are being conducted over Zoom and there are aspects of that we don’t think about such as using a clean background that’s not cluttered. Using adequate light and making sure the camera on your computer is at eye level," says Gardon.

Career Cloud realizes a lot of job seekers might have a job that is competitive and that is also a great time to pivot into a new career or choose an industry with less competition. They say just be sure you highlight your transferable skills such as being a good office leader or mentoring new hires.

For the full list, click here.