Job Seekers: Look to Those Who Are Getting Hired

Image Credit: Sue Styles

This past August, I participated in a LinkedIn Live session with career coach Ruth Sternberg, titled Job Search Myths Shattered. In my closing remarks, I mentioned that even in today’s challenging job market, people are getting hired every day.

High inflation, recession fears, and geopolitical posturing, such as tariffs, have many companies and industries operating in a state of fear, prompting them to question whether it’s wise to be hiring. Even if you doubled Canada’s national unemployment rate of 7.1% (August 2025) in order to satisfy those who claim unemployment is higher than reported, it would still show that over 85% of Canadians are employed, a positive data point. Another positive, though not to the extent job seekers would like, is that employers are still hiring.

Regardless of the state of the economy, the job market is constantly churning, creating job openings through promotions, terminations, resignations, retirements, and unexpected events such as deaths. The job market is neither inherently good nor bad. It’s neutral. It’s indifferent. It simply reflects the economics of business, showing where capital is flowing and why.

It’s easy to find “the bad” when you’re always looking for “the bad.”

For quite some time, companies have capitalized on the cost benefits of offshoring their jobs. As automation and artificial intelligence rapidly enhance their capabilities, companies are focusing on investing in technology that will reduce their biggest expense: labour costs. I believe we’re witnessing the beginning of a future with a smaller workforce, where working for a business in the traditional sense will become less common, but let’s wait and see what unfolds. For now, amid efforts to leverage technology to lower the number of employees, hence boosting profits—the core reason a business exists—hiring continues.

When you describe the job market as “bad” because your job search is taking longer than expected and you keep pointing to other job seekers facing the same challenges, you’re signalling that you don’t understand the economics behind business decisions. If you can’t demonstrate that you understand the economic factors influencing business decisions, especially when it comes to hiring, why would a company trust you to help them make or save money?

I get it; pessimistic and inflammatory posts about the job market and employers, which, by the way, discourage employers from contacting you, drive engagement. However, if your ‘likes’ and ‘commenting for reach’ aren’t resulting in employers contacting you—which is probably the case—consider a different approach. Pay attention to what those who are getting hired are doing that you might not be doing or not doing to the same extent.

From what I’ve observed, those who are getting hired focus on a few key areas:

Following instructions

Quality applications stand out.

I’m not a fan of applying to online job postings alongside hundreds or even thousands of other candidates, making your application akin to a lottery ticket. Networking offers better odds; however, applying to jobs where you meet at least 90% of the requirements should still be part of your job search, as you never know when you might hit the jackpot. Therefore, to increase your lottery odds, follow the instructions!

Meticulously following instructions showcases your professionalism and willingness to adhere to directives. Carefully review the job posting. Identify submission requirements, such as document format (e.g., PDF), specific questions to address in a cover letter, or ‘Reference Job ID #H587’ in your email subject line. Your applications will get noticed more if you do what most job seekers don’t: submit a quality application that dots all the ‘I’s and crosses all the ‘T’s.

Submitting 2 – 3 quality applications daily and following up two days later, if necessary, is a much more effective job search strategy than the ‘spraying and praying’ method many job seekers use. Quality over quantity!

Connecting

Deny all you want; you won’t change the fact that networking gives you a significant advantage by uncovering job opportunities that aren’t advertised publicly. Job searching is a people-oriented activity, not something you do by hiding behind your keyboard and naively believing that engaging with people’s posts and comments on LinkedIn will lead to forming meaningful professional relationships. Even in 2025, face-to-face interactions have much more stickiness than digital outreach efforts.

Those who are getting hired are circulating in the real world, grabbing every chance to connect with others; making eye contact, focusing on the person in front of them, and setting aside their ego, asking themselves, “How can I help this person?”

Connecting with others happens when you:

• Show genuine interest in the other person
• Are honest and authentic
• Ask thoughtful, meaningful questions
• Ensure the other person feels heard

Refusing to be a victim

People with a victim mentality tend to have a longer job search than those who do not. Social media, especially LinkedIn, has become flooded with job seekers feeling sorry for themselves. Those getting hired refuse to see themselves as a victim or feel sorry for themselves.

Achieving success in your job search requires focusing on what you can control, such as networking and how you present yourself to employers, rather than dwelling on factors outside your influence, like the economy and others’ behaviour. Although many job seekers didn’t choose to be job searching, everyone can choose where to direct their focus and energy.

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Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned corporate veteran, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. Send Nick your job search questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.