The (Pretty Grim) Job Search Advice We Need to Give You Right Now
If you have a job right now, hold on to it at (almost any) cost. That’s the bottom line for workers right now, and it’s extremely unpleasant advice to give and to hear.
We’ve never seen a job market like this. One in four unemployed U.S. workers has been out of work for more than six months. That’s 1.8 million people. As Alison recently noted, this feels a lot like the Great Recession — but without the long-term unemployment benefits that cushioned the blow for mid-aughts workers.
Employed workers should also be planning for emergencies. Now is an excellent time to cut expenses wherever you can and pad your savings. Budget apps like Rocket Money can help you identify places to cut and duplicate subscriptions. (Not an ad, BTW: just the particular app that Jen uses. Note that the basic version is free.)
For unemployed workers, survival is the name of the game:
Take any job you’re offered, within reason, for any money you can get. Keeping yourself out of a debt spiral is more important right now than finding the perfect job. You can do that later, when the marketplace has stabilized. (And it will stabilize, sooner or later. More on this in a minute.)
Consider gig work or freelancing to get by.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help from friends, family, community resources, food banks, or local animal shelters that may have food banks for pets.
Ask about mortgage and car loan forbearance. You may be surprised how willing your lender is to work with you. The same goes for other kinds of debt, like credit cards.
Shop at cheaper places, e.g., Walmart, Aldi, or Lidl. Warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam’s Club are also great if you have a membership (or a friend with one, but you didn’t hear that from us). But bring a list if you go the Costco/Sam’s route to keep from buying more than you planned.
Join your local buy-nothing or freecycle group on Facebook or other social networks.
Tweak your job search. Target company websites, not job boards, look for direct referrals from friends and family, and try local businesses (which include services like the public library, local hospital, or town/county government). You’re more likely to get hired if you’re already a customer, neighbor, or friend.
Finally, we’ve heard a lot of speculation that this job market — or maybe even mass unemployment in general — is the new normal. The argument is that technologies like AI, etc., are replacing human workers, possibly forever.
We’re not buying it. AI *is* changing work, for sure. But only 3% of layoffs since 2023 were directly attributable to AI, according to Challenger, Grey & Christmas. A bigger factor? Corporate greed. Announcing massive AI-fueled productivity gains (and cost savings due to labor cuts) has been a successful message for many corporations, especially in terms of stock prices. Other contributing factors: trade policy, including tariffs, and layoffs in the government sector.
Trade policy isn’t forever, and companies can only squeeze workers so much, especially if AI doesn’t turn out to be the complete labor replacement that its biggest boosters claim it will be. That doesn’t mean that things will go back to the way they were a few years ago. It’s possible, for example, that technology will permanently reduce white-collar workforces in some sectors (just probably not to the extent that, say, Bill Gates is predicting).
In the meantime, it’s never a bad idea to look at your skills, interests, and long-term goals and think about whether it’s time for a career pivot. We’ll be covering that more in-depth in future issues.
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Earlier Posts From The Job Hopper
Are You Applying to Ghost Jobs?
If you go by the number of listings on job sites and data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job openings are seemingly plentiful. So why is everyone we know having an impossible time getting hired? The answer is ghost jobs.
Jobs Report: Revisions Show 403,000 Fewer Jobs in 2025 Than Originally Reported
The monthly jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows 130,000 jobs added in January, nearly double economists’ expectations. Dig deeper, however, and you’ll see the uneven and stagnant job growth that’s become typical for labor data.
Is AI Really to Blame for All These Layoffs?
Layoffs surged 205% from December to January, according to Challenger, Grey & Christmas, with technology and tech-adjacent sectors especially hard hit. If you’ve skimmed the headlines lately, you might assume that these cuts are due to companies deploying AI technology in order to cut labor costs. But there may be more to the story.
Here’s How Long It Takes to Get a Job Now
Huntr released its Annual Job Search Trends Report last week, and the numbers confirm what many job seekers have been saying: getting hired really is taking longer than it used to.
The 5 Best Ways to Get Hired in January and February
If you’re seeing more job openings right now, you’re not alone. Our LinkedIn feed is full of brand-new listings for jobs that were nowhere to be found a few weeks ago. On Threads, there are lots of posts sprinkling good luck job dust for people with interviews on their schedules. Such is the magic of January, when budgets are open, and hiring managers are (finally) interested in staffing up. Here’s how to grab the opportunity while it lasts.
Free Tools for Job Seekers and Career Changers
You don’t necessarily need to pay for help when you’re looking for a job. Some of the best job search tools are 100% free. You can get no-cost help finding job listings, writing your resume and cover letters, interviewing for jobs, and more. There are even free career quizzes and online classes — just in case you’ve decided to pivot to an entirely new line of work. Find tools here.
How To Find Companies That Are Still Hiring
If your job search is stalled, take a break from looking for specific job openings. Instead, target companies that are staffing up. Here’s how.
Where To Get Financial Help When You’re Unemployed
What can you do if you’ve run out of unemployment benefits, are about to lose them, or if your benefits aren’t enough to pay the bills? It’s scary to have little or no income, but you may be eligible for financial assistance to help you through this difficult time. Here’s where to go for help.