It's Hard to Land a Job

IT IS HARD TO LAND A JOB!

I'm an outplacement coach. I talk people down from the ledge every day - helping professionals navigate the transition between a lay-off and the next step in their career. It's a tough journey. No one ever tells you how hard it is to land a job.

Your family and friends will say - geez, unemployment so low 3.4%! Why is it taking you so long? Maybe it's inner dialogue. Or maybe it's your brother in law saying why don't you just go down to Home Depot?

LinkedIn just released a report that will be of interest to many white collar job seekers wondering WHY IS IT SO HARD TO LAND A JOB?

" Harder than it looks: Job seekers face hidden stresses in today's economy" is the latest headline from the recently released LinkedIn's Workforce Confidence Report.

As the chart below shows, confidence for active job seekers has tumbled since the start of 2023. On a scale that ranges from +100 (most confident) to -100 (gloomiest), job hunters’ outlook in May slipped to +27, down from January’s +36.

The Marketplace

One of the reasons for the downturn is that the white collar job market has taken a hit by concerns about pending economic downturns.

Listings for technology roles are down 55% from a year ago, while banking industry vacancies are down more than 40% and insurance listings have fallen 18%, according to research from?Indeed .?

According to the Wall Street Journal, "amid?layoffs and hiring freezes , many employers have slowed down filling office jobs, from receptionist to chief financial officer, executives and recruiters say. They’re slow-walking candidates, piling on new requirements ranging from more years of experience to higher scores on technical tests, to running prospective hires through additional rounds of interviews."

The WSJ also cited that the labor market has stayed strong overall. Employers added 253,000 jobs in April, with gains across sectors ranging from healthcare to architecture to hospitality. Still, those figures mask that many white-collar industries, including finance and professional and business services, have cut back hiring and for many professionals, switching sectors isn’t always easy—especially now.

How to Look for a Job

Consider the methodology and metrics of your job search. Are you aware of the best practices of resume development and LinkedIn branding? Do you know the most effective way to look for a job? Consider the following statistics.

Your Job Search Metrics - From Zippia - 2023 Job Search Statistics

• 65% of currently employed individuals?are looking for new jobs as of 2022.
• The average time to find a job in 2023 is?five months.
• 80%?of all job searches are done online as of 2022, with roughly?50%?of job applications come from job boards.
• 75% of online applications get rejected by ATS simply by the way they are formatted.
• 85%?of all jobs are filled through networking. Networking job searchers have higher success rates, with a job match occurring in a time frame of one to three months.
• 70% of jobs are never published publicly, meaning the vast majority are found and filled through recruiters, employee referrals, and other forms of networking.
• More than 90% of recruiters use LinkedIn to search for candidates to fill company job openings.

High Stress Job Search

In addition to a highly competitive marketplace, my clients are stressed from many challenges. Recruitment and hiring processes have become longer and more unpredictable, with many interrupted by hiring freezes. Online Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) prevent more than 75% of resumes from ever being seen by human eyes. Ghosting - a sudden communication break - provokes anger and anxiety. Work from home? Jury is still out, but it's stressing workers as companies trend to require seats be filled in offices.

And the new artificial-intelligence tools are transforming jobs and generating anxiety at warp speed. According to the World Economic Forum , more than 67% of all workers will need re-skilling by 2025.

Long term job seekers often face discrimination from hiring professionals. Uncomfortable conversations focused on "what have you been doing with all your time off" or "why is is taking you so long to land a job" are implied if not asked out right.

Good News

An executive client recently landed after 12 months of search. She worked diligently every day. No stone unturned. The offer wasn't what she wanted, but it was close enough and she was tired of job search. And as always happens, another offer came several days later. It just works out that way.

Be Prepared

No one realizes how hard it is to land a job until you lose a job. Be prepared is always my mantra. Update the resume, build a dynamic LinkedIn brand, strengthen your network, and ensure all your contacts are downloaded. Establish that unemployment savings account. If you're called into a termination meeting, negotiate for outplacement services or a career coach.

Despite the challenges of the market and job search, my clients land great jobs every day. If you can look at your job loss as a sign that something much better is waiting for you, you'll be on your way to a transformative, if sometimes challenging journey. Attitude affects altitude. Assemble your personal board of advisors. Take risks. Adopt a growth mindset. Engage a career coach to accelerate your learning curve and ensure you're ready to go to market.

Never give up. Ever.