From ghosting to burnout, experts share how you can land a job in a brutal market. Jeffrey Hazelwood/CNET
Stephanie Wandell applied to hundreds of jobs since getting laid off from a tech marketing role last November. When I spoke to her this summer, she'd been ghosted by recruiters and hadn't received any offers.
"I was a little bit naive going into it, thinking I could do what I always do and depend on applying to as many places as I can," said Wandell. "It became pretty clear that this time is different."
The job market feels tougher than ever. Just ask anyone who's out of work or take a look at my LinkedIn feed. Over the past several months, it's been filled with posts from laid-off professionals recounting grueling job searches, many lasting over a year.
Headlines about the job market being "solid " genuinely get under my skin. They remind me that headline labor statistics aren't always reliable narrators.
Even if official unemployment figures appear relatively low, millions of Americans are wading through choppy emotional and financial waters. According to Daniel Zhao, lead economist at the career and job search site Glassdoor, the health of the job market is actually measured by people's ability to get a job.
With the economy on shaky ground, companies are pulling back on hiring, leaving job seekers in the lurch. Facing fierce competition for a shrinking pool of open positions, candidates are trying to master new strategies to get past AI screeners into the hands of a human recruiter. Some wait months for a response, only to be ghosted by HR departments.
"Once workers lose jobs, they're having a tougher time finding new ones," said Odeta Kushi, deputy chief economist at First American Financial Corporation.
Listening to these stories, I was left with a lot of questions. Why are so many qualified and talented workers getting the silent treatment? What is HR actually looking for? Should folks be using AI in their job search? Is the job search a universally miserable experience?
I spoke with several career specialists to gather the most straightforward advice for helping job seekers on their journey. I also compiled a list of free employment resources and upskilling platforms below.
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