Employers hold all the cards

More than half of job seekers say employers have the upper hand in hiring. Sixty-seven percent feel pressured to accept the first offer they get, according to ZipRecruiter's survey of over one thousand five hundred job seekers between July twenty-fifth and August twelfth.

Old advice doesn't work anymore

The success of job search strategies is lower right now across the board, says Daniel Zhao, chief economist at Glassdoor. Some well-meaning career advice that worked in the past may not apply in today's market or work as well as it used to.

“The success of job search strategies is lower right now across the board”

Stop using AI to write resumes

Roughly half of workers have used AI to apply to jobs, with resume writing among the most common uses. But AI-generated resumes now end up in a recruiter wasteland because they all look the same.

Why AI resumes fail

You get resumes and application materials that are very similar to each other because people use the same types of prompts to customize their applications, says Daniel Zhao. Using AI to do what everyone else does won't help you stand out.

“You get these resumes and application materials that are very, very similar to each other because people have used the same types of prompts”

How to use AI smartly

Never use AI to write your entire resume, says Sam DeMase, career expert at ZipRecruiter. Instead, drop your job description and resume into an AI tool and ask it to identify missing experiences or skills. Fill those gaps with examples you forgot about.

“never use AI to write your entire resume”

High effort stands out

A high effort application makes a big difference in a sea of generic files, says Bonnie Dilber, recruiting leader at Zapier. A copy-paste resume from AI tools can raise fraud alerts that a recruiter has to investigate.

“Someone who has genuinely written a response here that sounds like a human, that stands out”

Cover letters are mostly dead

Businesses care a lot less about cover letters and may no longer ask for one, especially if they're an earlier stage company or startup, says Julia Stiglitz, chief education and workforce officer at Handshake. Write one only if you have a really good reason.

When a cover letter helps

Write a concise cover letter bridging your experience if you come from an unexpected background. For example, a pre-med college grad who decides they're not going to medical school should explain why they're applying to a job.

Quality beats quantity

Now is not the time to mass apply to jobs. Focus on what specific roles you want, set alerts for them, apply within the first forty-eight hours with a tailored resume, and reach out to contacts who can move your application forward.

“You need to be a specialist and not a generalist”

Search by skill, not title

Most people search for jobs by title via online platforms. Instead, search by skillset like data analysis, relationship building, team leadership, copywriting, or technical skills like Figma, Jira and Salesforce. This unlocks opportunities you may have previously overlooked.

Keep LinkedIn professional

Getting recruited is the second most common way people get a new job. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is polished and professional, not a place to vent. Recruiters now check LinkedIn more often to combat fraud issues from AI-generated applications.

“If it's not something you would share with your manager at work, you probably shouldn't put it on LinkedIn”

Expand your network beyond LinkedIn

LinkedIn and alumni groups are obvious places to look for jobs. But also tap your existing social networks like neighborhood Facebook groups, gym buddies and other friends online or in real life about opportunities in their worlds.

Hold off on career changes

Now is not the best time to change careers or go for a stretch job. Companies have their pick of candidates with highly relevant experience, so employers aren't considering people who are stretching into the role.

“employers aren't going to be considering people who are sort of stretching into the role”

Focus on what you're qualified for

Reserve your job search energy for things you're ninety-five to one hundred percent qualified for to make the effort worthwhile. Applying for jobs you are objectively extremely qualified for is really the best thing people can do right now.

“Applying for jobs that you are objectively extremely qualified for is really the best thing people can do”

Consider contract and temp work

If you're looking for a timing signal, it may be an especially good time to consider contract or temp jobs. Hiring managers are trying to fill these urgent openings before the end of the year, says Sam DeMase.