Strategy for Job Searching in 2026
In 2026 you can be searching for an internship or your first fulltime job and barely able to get an interview. In 2026 you can be a great employee, you can be getting consistent top performance reviews and still be laid off. AND AFTER MONTHS OF SEARCHING STILL BE OUT OF A JOB!
If you are conducting a job search in this 2026 job market it is easy to feel like you are just spinning your wheels and not getting anywhere - not even an interview. And because job searching is very lonely and isolating it is easy for your brain to take you to some dark places like "Will I ever get an interview", "I'm an imposter", "Was I really good at what I've been doing" and become more than a bit anxious and depressed.
I'm here to tell you IT IS NOT YOU. THE PRESENT JOB MARKET IS VERY CHALLENGING. Why? Due to the current economy, unpredictable business climate and the impact of AI on jobs including increasingly entry level and other white collar/knowledge jobs many companies have at least temporarily limited or frozen hiring. Employers are adopting AI to achieve greater productivity and often discovering they need fewer employees. As a result there have been layoffs in some industries. In addition, there have been significant government layoffs and terminations. Thus, there are many experienced applicants along with career shifters and recent graduates competing for fewer openings.
WHILE I CANNOT PROMISE YOU INTERVIEWS I CAN HELP YOU WITH YOUR SEARCH STRATEGY AND TECHNIQUES IN THIS AI-DRIVEN JOB SEARCH WORLD AND HELP YOU FEEL MORE CONFIDENT ABOUT YOUR SEARCH.
As you likely know most employers and recruiters are using AI driven applicant tracking systems, screening interviews and applications like LinkedIn recruiter which allow them quickly to identify applicants who they believe best meet the job description. LinkedIn recruiter is a tool that recruiters pay for to identify applicants based on their LinkedIn profile which they believe best meet their job description. In this environment it is more critical than ever for applicants to understand how to conduct their job search and craft compelling resumes and LinkedIn profiles so they rise in applicant tracking systems and in LinkedIn recruiter and are actually seen by a human. One key to success is obtaining referrals through your network.
As a January 2026 Wharton - Accenture report emphasizes it is now a skills focused job market. See Wharton video on my Imagine Your Career page and the report link on my 2026 skills page.
I help applicants develop a search strategy and educate them on critical tactics including:
- Identifying AI resistant jobs and critical skills in the near term from 2026 - 2030
- Using AI in their job search;
- Crafting compelling resumes and LinkedIn profiles that will rise in applicant tracking systems and in LinkedIn recruiter;
- Networking to understand the hiring market in industries and to obtain referrals (applicants are up to 20 times more likely to have a human look at their resume if they apply within 4 days of the job being posted and get a referral from someone in the company);
- Developing an effective elevator pitch;
- Surviving AI driven screening interviews; and
- Acing in-person interviews.
If you are just starting your search or perhaps feeling lost or a bit hopeless email me today and we can schedule a time for a complimentary session. Email me at:
