Looking for work? Career experts share advice for job seekers

Over the last two months, career coach Eliana Goldstein has seen a spike in job seekers looking for help.

While the U.S. unemployment rate dropped last month and the labor market appears to be on solid footing, hirings have slowed. Employers added 143,000 jobs in January, falling short of forecasts and the average monthly gain of 166,000 in 2024. Meanwhile, the hiring rate stood at 3.4% in December, down from 4.6% in 2021.

“For many job seekers who are extremely ambitious, very competitive and highly qualified, they’re having a lot more trouble,” Goldstein said.

Job seekers say unemployment today can be grueling, with about 1 in 5 without a job for at least six months. Career experts who spoke with USA TODAY shared steps job seekers can take to have their application stand out in a competitive job market.

How to figure out which job is right for you

Job seekers struggling to find work should take time to reevaluate their goals, according to Amanda Augustine, a career expert at resume-writing service TopResume. Finding a job may require jumping to a new industry, she said, or saying yes to a “stepping stone” job that could lead to a better opportunity down the road.

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One of Augustine’s favorite ways to find new opportunities is to search through LinkedIn for workers who held similar roles, either at the same company or a competitor. What kind of job did they take next? What industry are they working in today? Is it possible to reach out for advice?

“Let’s make sure the goals are realistic,” she said. “It requires some research, as well as some self-reflection.”

Job seekers can also use their spare time to broaden their skill sets. Augustine said they should examine the job descriptions that piqued their interest and make sure they’re not missing any relevant skills.

That doesn’t necessarily mean spending thousands of dollars going back to school, said Catherine Fisher, a career expert at LinkedIn.

“Just start bite-sized learning,” Fisher said. “Even if it’s 10 minutes a day of taking a course so that you’re acquiring those skills.”

US jobs report:Employers add 143,000 jobs in January as unemployment rate sits at 4%

Why is networking useful?

Rhodey Matthew, 24, of Amarillo, Texas, said he sent more than 400 applications before he landed a job in October.

The seven-month job search was brutal, he said. Days were spent scanning LinkedIn for new opportunities and sending applications. Afternoons were for following up with companies to check on applications he’d already sent, a step that proved critical.

“They liked to see that motivation, that drive (that said) hey, I really want this position,” he said.

Matthews isn’t confident the approach will work for every job seeker, especially those in bigger markets, but he said it was a strategy that paid off for him when he didn’t have an established network to lean on.

Generally, networking is among the first steps job seekers should explore, according to Augustine.

“You’re much more likely to land the job – not only the interview, but the job – if you’re referred,” she said. “Those referrals are known to bring in people who are typically a good cultural fit who have already been vouched for in some shape or form. So the more you can leverage your network, the less competition you face.”

Goldstein said having a referral is “almost a necessity” in today’s competitive landscape.

“Relying on traditional means for landing role just not going to work the way it has in the past,” she said. With “so much competition and because of the proliferation of (artificial intelligence) and that taking over things, it makes it even more difficult to get through to humans.”

Experts said other trends – like ghost job listings, uncertainty under a new administration and a renewed push from some companies to get workers back in the office – further complicated matters.

“People are landing jobs every day, but it takes a much higher volume of effort and level of consistency, and overall, the timelines are just a little bit harder,” Goldstein said.

How to spruce up a resume

Goldstein recommends keeping resumes focused on the value the applicant can bring to a company.

“Don’t just talk about, ‘Here’s what I did,’ but rather, ‘Here’s what I did, and here are the outcomes,’” she said.

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool when building a resume. A 2023 experiment from a Massachusetts Institute of Technology student and co-researchers found job applicants were 8% more likely to be hired if AI helped fix spelling and grammar errors.

But Augustine warned that applicants shouldn’t overrely on AI, and said there’s been a backlash among recruiters who have been inundated with AI-generated resumes. A survey of 3,000 hiring managers by Resume.io, TopResume’s sister brand, found about half of hiring managers automatically reject resumes written by AI.

“It’s about finding the balance between using AI so it benefits and doesn’t sabotage your search,” Augustine said. When you don’t “do a very heavy-handed edit to it, that’s where you get into trouble.”

Augustine suggests creating a longer base resume that lists every skill, accomplishment and added value. When the time comes to apply, all of the information needed is written down, and the applicant can simply trim down the elements that aren’t a great match for that specific role and make other minor tweaks.

“It’s not a complete overhaul of your resume. You have this expanded resume that you edit pieces out to make sure it’s curated for the role that you’re applying for,” she said.

When the time comes to send in the resume, Augustine said applicants are better off sending it in early.

Even then, candidates shouldn’t expect a quick hire. Taking on a new employee can be expensive, Augustine said, so employers are “really drawing out” the interview process.

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