Coffee & Career Hour
A genuine & informative podcast on all things career - hosted by two career counselors and friends. From practical strategies to motivational & reflective content, this podcast is here to empower and guide you to find meaningful work, make informed career decisions, and reach your full potential. So, grab a cup of coffee and join in for some career talk.
Coffee & Career Hour
Stay in the Game: Practical Tips for Job Seekers During Market Shifts
Feeling stuck in your job search? You're not alone. The employment landscape is shifting dramatically due to policy changes, advancing technology, and evolving workplace models—creating a perfect storm of uncertainty for job seekers everywhere.
In this practical episode, we break down how to stay motivated and strategic when the job market feels like it's shrinking. We explore how personal branding becomes your secret weapon during challenging times. Most people significantly undervalue their skills and experiences, especially those gained outside traditional work settings. The key is tailoring your approach to each opportunity by researching companies thoroughly and speaking their language.
Building your career community is perhaps the most powerful strategy for navigating uncertain times. We share concrete techniques for conducting informational interviews, working with recruiters, and exploring temporary positions that can provide stability while maintaining momentum toward long-term goals. Equally important is maintaining your mental wellbeing during this process. We provide practical advice for establishing routines, celebrating small victories, and remaining positive when rejection feels constant.
Ready to transform your approach to job searching? Listen now for actionable strategies that will help you not just survive, but thrive, during these challenging times. Share this episode with someone who could use some career motivation!
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Workers are always needed. Companies, businesses, organizations need to run. You know they may have less funding, they may have less resources. The way they work may be evolving with all of the changes in society, but they still have to run. Businesses still need to run. So workers are still going to be needed. Your skills, your talents are still very, very much relevant. You are listening to Coffee and Career Hour. We are your hosts. I'm Armina and I'm MJ, two career counselors and friends chatting about all things life and career.
Speaker 2:So grab a cup of coffee and join us chatting about all things, life and career.
Speaker 1:So grab a cup of coffee and join us. Feeling stuck in your job search, or maybe you know someone who's struggling to land that next opportunity. You're not alone, and the good news is there are strategies that can help.
Speaker 2:In today's episode, we're going to dive deep into practical ways to stay motivated and navigate an uncertain job market. So do yourself and a friend a favor Listen in, take notes and share this episode with someone who needs it.
Speaker 1:Wow, MJ, what times we're living in huh, Tell me about it seriously. Yeah, there's a lot going on and the changes that are happening in the federal government are impacting society in many, many ways. Seeing in our work and hopefully to provide some motivation to keep you all thriving and give you some practical tips so you can stay on top of the game.
Speaker 2:Yeah, where this episode kind of came from is Armine wrote this amazing blog post that you all have to check out on her website on careerriseorg. Please go read it. But we wanted to put this into different terms and so we can also honestly reach a different, a different and much more broader audience as well too. But this is really difficult times that we're living in, challenging times that I don't think any of us really expected that were going to happen this early on. Throughout this year, the job market has really been changing the last couple of years since COVID, so we can't really say that this is also a surprise too. The last couple of years since COVID so we can't really say that this is also a surprise too. But this is a time where we didn't really know that a lot of layoffs were going to happen, a lot of shortages in terms of opportunities, and technology is rapidly changing with the job search and the job market also looks like too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's so many factors happening here. It's the new policies, the funding sources that are changing with the federal government. It's AI advancing so rapidly, and then remote work versus in-person work and hybrid, and how companies are shaping their policies. Now there's many different factors that are impacting the way that we work today and the types of jobs that may be available and what employers are looking for. It's all a hot mess.
Speaker 2:I should say yeah, truly and honestly. Even though it feels like the job market is shrinking to a point or deflating, know that there are still opportunities out there. There are opportunities that exist, opportunities being created, and you can still access them, even during this really challenging time.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, because workers are always needed. Companies, businesses, organizations need to run. They may have less funding, they may have less resources. The way they work may be evolving with all of the changes in society, but they still have to run. Businesses still need to run. So workers are still going to be needed. Your skills, your talents are still very, very much relevant. Hey, listeners, do you also indulge on your favorite cup of coffee? During our show, we want to share something to delight any coffee lover Unique coffee themed merchandise I'm so in.
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Speaker 2:Now let's get back to our show.
Speaker 1:So what are some strategies, MJ, for the job seeker today who may be feeling uncertain, who may be feeling overwhelmed or feeling hopeless that there may not be something that they can find?
Speaker 2:at your next opportunity search, how you're looking at branding yourself, whether it's on LinkedIn, when you meet someone in person, go in for an interview or even throughout your resume. But also how you really showcase the skill set and the value you're going to bring to this new organization or role, in the case that you are looking for something different or just forcibly put in that situation.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so showcasing your skills, showcasing your talents? You know that happens in many different ways, right? We talk to our clients all the time about resumes, personal branding, their online presence, the way they show up in the real world and the way they interact with people. So what would you say is one of the most important ways our listeners can can showcase what they have to offer?
Speaker 2:I'd say first you need to start with a deep dive into yourself and kind of re either dust off that old resume that you have not updated yet or that LinkedIn profile that you haven't looked at since the last time you're looking for a job and really think about what are the skill sets that you have gained in your current role or previous role? What are the things that you're looking for a job and really think about? What are the skill sets that you have gained in your current role or previous role? What are the things that you want to highlight in your work, projects that you've worked on, initiatives that you've led or even teams that you've managed as well? And let's kind of start there by identifying those skill sets, looking at how, on these different opportunities whether it's a LinkedIn post or your social media that's professionally facing your resume, your cover letter how are those skills being demonstrated? How are you elaborating, articulating on those skill sets to the person reading this document or your LinkedIn profile?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, I think one thing we see from our client base is that people tend to undervalue themselves 100%.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, it's actually pretty heartbreaking to see, because we all have so many different roles and responsibilities in our lives, whether it's in a work setting or in our personal lives, or in our hobbies and freelance gigs or other things we may be involved in. Right, and all of those come with skills and knowledge and experience. But for some reason, it's such a common tendency for people to undervalue those things, especially the things that they're not necessarily being paid for. Right, and we, as career counselors, are always talking to our clients about everything that you do is a skill set, and you can brand that in your resume, in your online portfolio, anywhere in your interviews to be able to highlight what it is that you have to offer. So I think I'm absolutely on board with, like re-evaluating yourself and assessing, ok, what do I have to offer? And then thinking about how can I package this when I'm talking to recruiters, employers, when I'm presenting myself, whether it's in person or virtually.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I think you're 100% right, I agree. I couldn't agree more, because I'm one of those people when I'm like, oh, like, even now, what are your skills? I'm like I don't know. Or how do you do a certain thing? I'm like I don't know, I just do it. And it's really understanding what do we have to offer? How can we offer it? But also, how is this important to the person listening, to the person reading? That's the key, because it can be important in so many different ways.
Speaker 2:But if the person interpreting your information doesn't understand how it's important to them, or the team you're applying for the job you're trying to do, then it doesn't really work the way you need it to work.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh, my gosh, that's so true. I mean, we've heard so. The other day, the recruiter that we interacted with did share that the best way to get an interview is to tailor your resume. Oh, a hundred percent Right. And so what you're talking about here is being able to tailor the skills and the knowledge that you have to what that company needs, and what that means is. We got to do research, we got to understand the companies we're applying to. We got to understand what skills they're looking for, so we can package what we have to offer accordingly.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so a lot of people tend to understand, tailor your resume by copying and pasting different words in the job descriptions or the industries that you're applying for, whatever their common language is and throwing that into your resume. Okay, like, if I explain it technically, like, yes, you are looking at the language and seeing where it fits in your resume, but if you're thinking about it theoretically, from a bigger picture, it's how does my experiences, how do my skills that I already have, meet the need of the recruiter, the employer, the hiring manager, the committee, whoever they are how does that match and how can I use their language to explain that I have those skills? That's how you want to see it. That's how you really want to position yourself in a way where people are going to be able to understand your skillset, how it meets what they're needing and how you're a perfect match or a competitive candidate for this role.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely so. I'm thinking as a client or a student that we work with. They may ask us, right, mj? They may ask like okay, so how do I find out what this company needs? How am I supposed to know? What do you think?
Speaker 2:Okay. So finding out what this company needs goes back to how are you communicating with people around in and around this industry or this organization, right? So it goes back to one of the basic things that we teach people about the whole researching part of a job search job searching or job applying, whatever you want to call it. Job hunting doesn't mean you're also actively networking, building your career community, connecting with others and going deep down into individuals who work for their, who have worked for their, have experience in that area, and understanding what that organization was like, what that team was like, what are they looking for? What are the things that they're missing? Who is their dream candidate? Right, but also, what was that person's experience in that role? What did you like? What drew them to that company? And doing what we call a good old informational interview, where you're not necessarily asking for a job. You're seeking information, which is more valuable to you when you're job searching.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, absolutely. I mean I'm thinking about times when we've been on hiring committees in our jobs and candidates have actually emailed us or messaged us on LinkedIn stating that they are interested in the position, they saw a position available, they're applying or they've already submitted their application. And if we had some time to chat with them. How many times has that happened? It's happened a lot, yeah, and that is the way to do. It is talking to the people who are working at that company, talking to the people who may be in that industry. At least if you can access somebody at the company, maybe at least accessing people in the industry and, of course, doing your research on the company through their social media profiles, through their website and any avenue that you can find to learn about what the company's values are, what the company's long-term goals are and what their challenges are. What challenges are, what challenges are they facing right now? Maybe there's some challenges that are going on in that industry and you can help help them address those industry challenges with the skills that you have.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely so. I also want to share that this is not an awkward thing to do. Don't feel embarrassed or shy or out of place when you're reaching out, no matter where you are in your career journey, because you should always be curious, you should always want to know more, you should like being a learner in strengths terms, which just means someone who wants to constantly know things. Grow in that particular way is such a positive for your potential employer, for your future supervisor, because that shows them that you want to grow, that you want to expand your knowledge, that you want to do different things, grow your skill sets right. So, again, reaching out to people for information is not a bad thing, and you should always be doing this, whether you have a job or not.
Speaker 2:So in these challenging times, you should be connecting with people even more so. But even when we're not in challenging times, you should be connecting with people. Why? Because you have no clue what this relationship can offer you, and that's at any point in time and could be so beneficial to your personal growth as a professional in the industry, or even when you are job searching, or when there's an open role, this person, this mentor, this person in your what do we call your board of directors could just see that you're a great fit and recommend you absolutely the networking piece, and I know we we try to stay away from the word networking you and I just because it has such an intimidating connotation to it, but it's not intended to be that way.
Speaker 1:It's just establishing connections and connecting with other people. Just like we connect with friends, we connect with other people outside of the formal work setting right with other people outside of the formal work setting right. That's what networking is is connecting with people in the same line of work as you and branding yourself so that they know what you're passionate about, what skills you have to offer, because you never know what opportunities could come along from there. So, absolutely, I agree, in these challenging times, maintaining that career community is going to be one of the key ways to hopefully attract new opportunities, in addition to, besides, just maintaining career communities but also working with recruiters. Talking to recruiters, there's absolutely nothing wrong with like working with a recruiter to get placed in a position that they deem to be aligned with your skill sets. Right, because recruiters have access to a lot of jobs and companies so they could help place you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I will say knowing how recruiters work right, they're going to want to also understand who you are, what you're looking for. So you doing that understanding who you are, what you want, knowing what type of opportunities you want, organization, using your network, your career community for that information is going to only help the recruiter. Also help you too. If you're not in a position to work with a recruiter, use your online tools that are free, that are accessible right, like specifically, I'm referring to AI. Ai is a huge help right now, but also just do the research. I know it sounds lame and traditional, but that's a lot of the time what it takes to definitely get here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, of course. Yeah, ai can be your ally and it can be in replacement of, maybe, some of the other resources that may be not accessible right now. Right, but recruiters, networking, career community, even like temp agencies. What are your thoughts on like finding a job through a temp agency just to make ends meet, because it's difficult times right now, or you may have like been laid off and you don't know what your next step is. Until you figure out, until you build that career community, what are your thoughts on having a temp job?
Speaker 2:so I actually was sharing this with a couple of individuals last night. Sometimes when you were working with, you have no idea who's going to walk in your door right. As career counselors, as practitioners, as coaches, we have zero idea what our client's going to come in with and we don't know their circumstance. And at times you know, when you're job searching you may be in a position to look for a what we call survival job versus being more selective and applying for a selective type of job.
Speaker 2:The difference between that and why I bring this up in referring to temp agencies is because a temp agency in my mind is more like I just need a job. I just need something to survive, meet my financial needs at the moment, scrape by whatever that is, but you can also be selective in the process. But when I think of temp agencies, that is what I think of as like a quick band-aid just to get myself on my feet. Figure it out, enter in a role, do something, and then I'll grow from there. That every job, role, opportunity in your career journey is also going to directly impact exactly what you want to do, and we kind of have to let that go sometimes when we're in these challenging times. So those are kind of my thoughts.
Speaker 1:Yeah, of course I absolutely agree. I don't think there's anything wrong with taking on a temp job, working with a temp agency. Ultimately you're still gaining skills. It's still experience that you put on your resume. Let's say you do a temp job for six months. In those six months you could still be building your skills. You could be building your career community. You could still be actively working towards your longer term career goals. But you're just using this time to also make sure you're getting your financial needs met and at the same time, sometimes temp jobs turn into long term. You could get hired long term or permanently at that company as things evolve and they see that maybe you really do bring a lot to the table and your skills and talents are needed at that role. So it can only be beneficial. I don't think it can hurt in any way as long as you're still being intentional about what are going to be my next moves and positioning yourself to get to that long term goal.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I think there's a lot you can learn and gain from a temp agency. You never know where you could end up. Of course you always.
Speaker 1:You ultimately have the choice Right, but it really can open up a door of opportunity that you didn't even know was there thing that I was thinking people can do is enhance your skills and credentials while you're also in this temp job, so in other ways like what are some ways people can enhance their skills and credentials?
Speaker 2:I'll tell you something that people tend to do, which we may. I have. I have a little bit of a like a well, let me not even go there. What you can do is you can really look for those free resources to expand your knowledge. Right, we are living in a time and an age where you can learn anything you want, anything you want. You can YouTube it, you can Google it. There's probably an article, a blog Someone talked about it somewhere A TED Talk, whatever it is A book, right? People AI, for God's sakes, you can really learn anything you want. Yeah, so there, right, people ai, for god's sakes, you can really learn anything you want. Yeah, so there are platforms that are designated for different courses, right, one is like coursera. Another one is linkedin learning that a lot of people have free access to too. If you're living in the los angeles area, you have free access to it with your los angeles public library card for linkedin learning and you can access all their courses.
Speaker 2:But really doing that, a lot of individuals also end up going back to school. So I've had clients or friends that are like, oh, I'm just going to go back to. You know, either have a degree or don't have a degree they're going to. They go to community college for a couple of classes, right, and then they pick up a couple of new things or projects and things like that too. So expanding your skillset in a traditional or non-traditional way is always valid, and now that we have so much access to all this information, why not use it to your benefit?
Speaker 1:Yeah, of course it'll be time that you have to spend right Working on maybe a course through the LA County Library or Coursera or so forth, but it is things that you can be intentional. You're adding to your portfolio, to your brand, and so I think that sometimes it can be difficult, right? Because if we're thinking of somebody who may be just laid off and is in a very negative mindset, they're not necessarily feeling motivated to go out there and build new skills and, like, enhance their portfolio. And so it can be, when you're in a negative mindset, maybe not feeling that motivation, but at the same time, while you're in this space, it doesn't have to be a situation that you can't get out of.
Speaker 1:Yeah, right, the temp job can meet your financial needs while you build additional skills through these online courses, through these different certifications, through accessing information, reading more books, through networking and your career community. And before you know it, three months has gone by and that person you just had an informational interview with was like oh yeah, my company is about to open up a position. Why don't you apply? Right, right, and this is kind of like also happenstance to in the career space we talk about happenstance theory, where, where you're, an opportunity can come up when you least expect it, because you end up in a space, you end up having a conversation with someone that you didn't expect to have a conversation with, and that conversation leads to a job or a career opportunity that you had never imagined.
Speaker 2:Right, absolutely. I think learning there's so much benefit to it in this way, because you really don't know how this will impact you for the positive, really in your career journey. And so many people like feel stuck. And, of course, please process right, grieve if you need to, because losing an opportunity or transitioning is really hard for some of us. But definitely also look on the bright side, right, there's always something out there for you. This learning, learning these different skills, these tactics you advancing in yourself is only going to positively be applicable to your career journey as well.
Speaker 2:Staying positive and motivated in this journey is hard. Job searching is not fun. It's something that I have personal icky stories about, but it is something that you need to do. And whether it is eating ice cream I had someone share with me they're like just eat ice cream. You know that makes me feel better. I love that. But if you're also someone who's like, okay, I need to dive deep into the newest thing so I can feel like on my game and sharp and all those things, whatever works for you to stay motivated and inspired during this journey and connected. Staying connected is also really important too, because this can be really isolating.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh, my gosh, everything that you said and that connection piece, because when you step out of your own kind of internal space and you see that other people may be experiencing the same things or just even being in connection kind of brings that positivity into your life. It works wonders. It works wonders. I will say, too, that our mindset also impacts a lot of the experiences that we have.
Speaker 1:So not to say that you know if you're struggling with job search or financial means right now, of course, like your mindset isn't going to be positive, but taking these steps and utilizing these practical strategies can help with overcoming this a lot faster and that positive and that connection and that positive mindset that you maintain can help you kind of leap forward a lot faster in this difficult time.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. One of the best tips that someone gave me when I was struggling with finding a job was like, yes, don't give up all that good stuff Like who are all that good stuff but stay in your routine right Like stay in your routine.
Speaker 2:Don't let yourself like slump out and like fall out of it. Right, you know, still wake up at whatever time. Use that nine to five, you know, if that's the hours that you work for like job searching and schedule in your time. For two hours, I'm going to spend looking for different opportunities, looking for different opportunities. For another hour, I'm going to spend tailoring my resume or whatever it is, or applying to these different opportunities. For another 30 minutes, I'm going to hop on a call with someone, or I'm going to call this person or send those messages or whatever.
Speaker 2:That is giving yourself a routine, prioritizing yourself as well, and that means, like basic needs, right, like sleeping, eating, making sure that you are giving yourself what you need to survive and live. I need to take my own advice sometimes, but that's what you need. That's what you need and, honestly, we don't want to see you crash and burn throughout this process, because having that negative or not so limiting that, having a negative or limiting mindset in this opera, this era, can really be detrimental to your job search and how you really approach it, but also how you what your results are too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And the positivity and the motivation comes from taking steps. Yeah, right, staying in your routine, maybe even celebrating progress. If you get an interview, celebrate that, that's progress right.
Speaker 1:You may not get that job, but getting an interview is one step closer. That means you did something right in the application process the resume, the cover letter. It was tailored, it was targeted, you branded your skill sets. That means you're on the right track. This opportunity may not have worked, but maybe take lessons from that interview and apply it to your next interview opportunity.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Don't give up right. Take everything you've learned, put it to use and you know what. You're one step closer, even if it feels like you're 10 step back.
Speaker 1:You are one step closer to where you want to be. Thank you so much for listening. If you enjoy our show, we ask that you write a review on Apple Podcasts to help us reach more people looking to level up their career.
Speaker 2:Want to connect with us, be sure to follow our Instagrams and websites.
Speaker 1:Follow Career Rise on Instagram for career advice and motivation to help you stay up to date on all things career. Be sure to also visit my website, careerriseorg, to book a career counseling package and access free career resources. My goal is to help you clarify your goals, make a plan and feel confident in your career journey.
Speaker 2:You can follow me on Instagram at careerconfidentlatina for your daily dose of career advice and my journey as a first-generation Latina counselor. You can access free resources or even work with me by visiting my website, careerconfidenceonline. I want to help you grow your confidence and help you reach your career dreams. Adios.