Welcome to Career Essentials, where I share actionable insights and curated articles that will help accelerate your career and supercharge your job search.
The Job Search Has Changed. Here's How to Adapt.
Stop submitting. Start strategizing.
If your inbox is empty after dozens (or hundreds) of applications, the problem isn't your resume — it's your approach. Sending more of the same won't change the outcome.
The job seekers winning right now aren't waiting for a job to appear. They're putting themselves in rooms, conversations, and situations where opportunities are created — not applied for.
It's time to get in the driver's seat.
First, a clear-eyed look at today's job market:
Large companies are cutting headcount to satisfy shareholders, while recruiters are drowning in AI-generated, bot-spammed applications. Hiring processes have grown longer and more complicated, and many organizations are betting on AI technology rather than new employees.
But the landscape isn't as bad as it sounds. Exceptions and workarounds exist, you just have to know where to look.
Smaller companies are actively hiring. Many organizations quietly post openings on niche job boards or route searches through third-party recruiters. And a growing number are doubling down on human skills like: emotional intelligence, leadership, collaboration, precisely because AI can't replicate them.
In order to create a new strategy, consider these ideas: :
Target smaller companies
Look at small companies who are getting funding or ask AI to identify small-to-medium businesses that compete with [Name of big company].
Identify niche/specialty job boards
You can use Job Search Database (free) to find different specialty job boards (by industry, occupation or even remote).
Develop relationships with 3rd party recruiters
Search for firms, then look up people on LinkedIn
Be visible on LinkedIn
Build a profile that aligns with what you want to do next, comment on posts related to your future job goals, and if you haven’t already, announce your job search.
Practice and prepare for every interview
The stakes are high; you need to have superior interviewing skills. Know how to answer “tell me about yourself”, “why did you leave your last jobs”, and be sure all your answers are under 2 minutes! (This all takes practice.)
It may feel overwhelming, but starting tomorrow, just add one of these actions to your to-do list. Identify 3-5 small to medium-sized companies that are in the same line of work as the Fortune 500 company you’ve been interested in. Then identify people you know who work there and ask them about their experiences working there.
🔎 JOB SEARCH
The Translation That Lands The Pivot, A Smarter Way To Spot Fresh Roles, And 4 Strategy Fixes - Teal, Beyond The Resume
This issue covers how to identify transferable skills and key job search strategies everyone should know! Do you have difficulty identifying and including transferable skills in your resume? Watch the video!
How To Reset After A Layoff - Sharon Markowitz
What are you doing May 11th, Monday, 12-12:30pm (PT)? Sharon is hosting a live and no-cost event. I’ve known Sharon for years and I guarantee, her information will be valuable! Register here.
3 Hidden Features For A Faster Job Search - Jan Tegze
If you haven’t heard of these three features, you’ll want to use them. They increase the chances of your profile showing up in recruiter searches.
- Job Alerts
- “I’m Interested” button
- Resume sharing
🔮 WORKFORCE
Private Sector Adds 109K Jobs — Most Since Early 2025 - Emma Thorne, LinkedIn News
This sounds positive, but don’t get too excited. These new jobs were created in Education/health services (61k), trade/transportation/utilities (25k), and construction (10k).
To get a much better understanding of what is going on, and who is getting hired, watch this short video on CNBC interview with Alan Guarino of Korn Ferry.
Key Points:
“Frozen middle” job market: Currently, job growth is heavily concentrated in lower-paying, commoditized roles and high-level senior positions, resulting in a "frozen middle".
"Return on People" replacing job numbers: Within five years, overall job numbers will no longer be the primary indicator of economic health and growth. Instead, the focus will shift to a new metric Guarino calls "Return on People" (ROP).
AI decoupling GDP from job growth: Artificial intelligence will drastically increase individual productivity, meaning companies can achieve strong business and GDP growth without needing to add many new jobs, as one person can manage a team of AI agents.
Demographics will soften the blow: This lower demand for jobs is not necessarily dystopian because the labor force is shrinking due to demographics. A healthy economy now only needs to create 60,000 to 70,000 jobs a month, compared to the historical benchmark of 150,000.
New work structures and a shorter workweek: Increased AI productivity could widen income inequality, but it could also provide adequate subsistence-level employment for many, potentially even paving the way for a standard three-day workweek.
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is the critical skill: Because AI tools will handle many hard technical skills, "people skills" and emotional intelligence will be in much higher demand for tasks like touching clients and motivating teams.
Learning agility over traditional coding: AI's ability to write its own code puts traditional programming careers under pressure. Guarino advises that the key to future success is no longer just "learning to code," but rather being nimble, adaptable to change, and having "learning agility," which will be far more important than IQ or traditional book learning.
💰 CAREER
There’s a lot to learn about being resilient and ready for what comes next. Gina’s summary of McKinsey’s Global Economics Intelligence executive summary, March 2026 will help you set a plan.
📶 RECRUITER PERSPECTIVE
Recruiters Are Drowning And AI Isn't Saving Them Yet - Human Resources Director
There are multiple sources cited in this article. Instead of saving time, AI tools are adding clunky, manual steps to workflows, actively slowing recruitment teams down. Some of the key points raised include:
The "AI doom loop": Candidates are using AI to mass-apply to jobs—driving application volumes up 400%, while employers use AI to sift through the noise, causing quality matches to get lost on both sides.
Gen Z is uniquely disadvantaged: The flood of AI-generated applications makes it exceptionally difficult for younger jobseekers, who lack established professional networks, to stand out.
Strong foundations are required: Businesses successfully using AI are overlaying it onto well-structured hiring processes; AI cannot fix a broken or disorganized system.
Quality over speed: While AI isn't currently boosting productivity, it is successfully improving the quality of hires and helping recruiters act more consultatively, such as advising on hiring criteria and sourcing strategies.
Next steps for leaders: HR leaders are advised to stop overselling AI's productivity benefits, tailor AI deployment based on role complexity (e.g., using it more aggressively for high-volume frontline roles), and involve recruiters directly in redesigning workflows.
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JOB SEARCH VISUAL
Your answer to “Why did you leave your last job?” might be derailing an otherwise strong interview.
Because when an answer carries too much emotion, interviewers may question your readiness and objectivity.
And for many job seekers, this question is loaded.
Toxic workplaces. Difficult managers. Layoffs that came out of nowhere.
Those experiences are real. But this isn’t the time to unpack them.
When candidates start justifying, venting, or replaying what happened, the conversation stalls. And it pulls focus away from what actually matters: what you bring and what you want next.
Your answer to why you left your last job generally boils down to one of 5 reasons
1️⃣ Management change
2️⃣ Career progression
3️⃣ Personal/family change
4️⃣ Career or purpose clarity
5️⃣Reduction in force
Your job is to choose the category that fits and deliver a brief, grounded response.
Keep it:
▪️ Fact-based
▪️ Owned (no blame)
▪️ One or two sentences
▪️ Future-focused
Then pivot: why this role makes sense for where you’re headed.
(It’s always better to end your answer on a positive note!)
I often remind job seekers that their answer is about what they are running towards, not what they are running away from. (I heard someone else say this, so I can’t take credit)
Practice your answer until it feels calm and natural. Not defensive. Not rehearsed. Just clear.
Because the goal of this question isn’t to relive the past.
It’s to move the conversation forward so you can talk about your strengths, your value, and your interest in the role.
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