SourceCon Community, 

Thank you for you because without your ongoing support, SourceCon would not be possible. So, again, thank you, thank you, a thousand times thank you.

So many of you have been responding to our poll on the current job market. We appreciate that. It has been very insightful in some respects, so far. There is still time to lend your opinion on “How would you describe the current job market for recruiters?” No matter how the poll concludes, it was great inspiration for this week’s article on Grok; X’s LLM. I hope it is helpful to all concerned.

In this issue:

• A new Sourcers Anonymous awardee!

• Sourcing Employment Opportunities on Grok

• Fresh content and a new episode of “The Source!”

• Recruiting Meme of the Week

Sourcers Anonymous!

A big thank you to all of those who have submitted (and are still sending in) articles for the Sourcers Anonymous program. Please keep them coming! For now, a quick note of kudos to Nick Idzikowski who earned a ticket to SourceCon with his articles. Yay! 

Do you feel inspired to write articles and earn a ticket to SourceCon? I hope so. But if not, check out the Sourcers Anonymous section on our blog. You may get a few ideas there. Good luck!

Sourcing Employment Opportunities on Grok

When it comes to LLMs I tend to use ChatGPT, Perplexity, You, Gemini, and Poe because I can rely on them for great research insights. Yet, I am not so hooked on them that I won’t experiment with a new shiny object, and that brings me to Grok. Now, Grok is not new, just new to me as I recently upgraded SourceCon’s X account so I can continue streaming videos there. (You got me to spend money Elon! Ugh.) Anyways, since I was in the premium land of X, I decided to kick the tires a bit.

Since so many in our community are open to work, I decided to lean my experiments that way by asking, “Which jobs are the most difficult to fill these days?” Reason being companies with hard to fill jobs may be open to hiring recruiters or sourcers to fill them; even if only on a project basis. This is how Grok responded to my query.

 Answer

Based on the latest information available up to August 2024, the jobs that are most difficult to fill can be categorized into several key areas:

• AI and Machine Learning Specialists: The demand for AI expertise has surged, making these roles among the hardest to fill. This includes positions like AI engineers, data scientists with AI/ML skills, and specialists in machine learning. The rapid evolution of AI technology and its integration into various industries has created a high demand for professionals who can develop, implement, and manage AI systems.

• Cybersecurity Engineers: With the increasing threat landscape and evolving regulatory frameworks, cybersecurity roles remain in high demand. The need for professionals who can protect digital assets, respond to cyber threats, and ensure compliance with new security standards continues to outpace supply.

• Data Scientists and Analysts: The importance of data in decision-making across industries has led to a significant demand for data scientists. These professionals are crucial for extracting insights from data, which helps in strategic business decisions, but the specialized skills required make these positions hard to fill.

• Software Architects: As software systems grow in complexity, the need for software architects who can design scalable, maintainable, and efficient systems has increased. Their role in defining the architecture, infrastructure, and technology stack makes them invaluable, yet their expertise is rare.

• Health Care Professionals: Particularly roles like home health aides, personal care aides, and specialized medical roles (e.g., ultrasound technicians, nurse practitioners) due to an aging population and the ongoing need for health care services. These positions are challenging to fill due to the physical demands, specialized training required, and often due to the nature of the work which involves direct patient care.

• Tech Art and Design Roles: In the creative tech sector, positions like Tech Art, where candidates need both artistic and technical skills, are hard to fill. This reflects a broader trend where roles requiring a blend of creativity and technical proficiency are in high demand but low supply.

• Accountants: Specifically, staff and senior accountants have been noted as difficult to recruit, possibly due to the specific skill set required, compliance knowledge, and the volume of work in financial sectors.

• Service Industry Workers: Despite not being in the tech or highly specialized fields, roles in retail, hospitality, and agriculture are experiencing shortages, attributed to broader labor market issues, including low wages, poor working conditions, or the allure of other industries.

The difficulty in filling these positions stems from several factors:

• Skill Shortage: The rapid advancement in technology and specialized fields means that the skills required are often highly specific and in short supply.

• Competitive Market: High demand for these roles leads to a competitive job market where companies vie for the same pool of talent.

• Training and Experience: Many of these roles require extensive training or experience, which takes time to acquire, further reducing the number of qualified candidates.

• Economic and Social Factors: Broader economic conditions, retirement of older workers in certain fields, and shifts in workforce preferences (like moving towards tech jobs or remote work) also contribute to these shortages.

This overview reflects a combination of insights from industry reports, job market analyses, and sentiments shared on platforms like X, indicating where the most significant hiring challenges lie in 2024.

 And then it shared a few tweets (Xs) related to my query. Here is one of them.

Not bad and not all that surprising. If I asked the other LLMs the same thing, its likely I would get a similar answer. I wanted something more, something only Grok can give me. Hmm… Since its connected to all of that real-time X data, I asked it, “On X, which companies are discussing the need for AI and machine learning specialists the most? Give me 3-10 examples and the number of posts they made about it.” And this was the response…

Although I did not get the number of X posts I wanted (not something Grok offers, apparently), it was interesting to see which companies were talking the most about AI and machine learning because it suggests there may be a big recruitment need there. Additional questions I would ask Grok when looking for employment opportunities.

• “What companies come up the most in topics related to (insert job related keyword here)?” Why? Someone beyond the usual key players may be mentioned and that is a company worthy of my attention.

• “Name smaller niche players that compete with (insert company name here).” If they can compete with the big boys then, they likely have similar needs I could fill.

• “Who has been actively seeking (insert job related keyword) talent in the past 90 days?” This suggests immediate openings I can act on by soliciting project work from them.

• “What companies that are focused on (insert job related keyword or industry here) are expanding, merging, or acquiring other businesses?” If a company is active in this way, its very likely they are looking for recruitment help.

• “What companies have received series C funding in the (insert industry of your choice here) space?” Why? If they just received funding, they may have money to hire you.

Okay, this is a long rabbit hole but hopefully you get some ideas that will spark your search. If you do not have access to Grok, try these searches on the LLM of your choice. The results may be just as useful. Either way, let me know, I want to hear from you.

Jim Stroud
Your SourceCon Editor

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Recruiter Meme of the Week