It’s a tough market right now, there’s no mincing words about it.
- In October, the ADP National Employment Report recorded some modest growth, but also employers shedding business and IT roles.
- A meta-analysis of several labor market reports has shown that the average days to hire is pushing 68.5 days.
So, if you’ve been doubting yourself during a longer-than-usual job search, you can rest assured that you’re not the only one struggling these days. With that said, you should also take this as a reminder that the traditional job search strategies aren’t going to cut it.
The good news is you can still find and land job opportunities that can transform your career for the better. That is, if you’re willing to follow these tips.
1.) Learn Market Compensation Trends (and When to Compromise)
Tech salaries have leveled off from their runaway growth even a few years prior. The Dice 2025 Tech Salary Report found that the average IT professional only saw a humble 1.2% YoY increase in their salary. Though inflation is putting pressure on everyone, tech salaries and compensation aren’t universally rising with the tide.
That said, researching the worth of your skillsets can help you have educated compensation discussions. For example, the report found that tech professionals can gain a $10,000 salary bump with these nine skills:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Cloud Computing
- C#
- Docker
- Cyber Security
- DevOps
- BASH
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
- VMWare ESXi
Those are just high-paying skills across the country and don’t account for any regional or experiential differences. You’ll find even greater swings for a variety of skills if your metro region is in a drought for specific talents.
Doing your own research through salary guides or compensation databases can be a starting point and conversations with recruiters can help you to determine your asking price for your target market. And they’ll tell you honestly whether you need to make revisions, both up and down.
2.) Customize Each Application within Reason
These days, everyone is writing to the algorithm. When it comes to job applications, savvy job seekers have known for a while the importance of tailoring their resume to align with the job description. That means matching the company’s keywords when applicable and emphasizing your experience when relevant.
Easy enough, but generative AI tools have made resume customization so effortless that candidates are sometimes sending applications with accidental white lies. Since ChatGPT is a glorified text predictor, there’s a risk it can add IT skills to your resume that don’t reflect your actual experience. This happens because it’s trying to predict the right words rather than represent your actual work history. When hiring managers research you and find out your reality doesn’t line up with your resume, they might blacklist you unfairly.
The lesson? Proof everything you feed to ChatGPT. It can help you tailor your resume, leading with your most attractive skills, but make sure it doesn’t fabricate any talents or omit any marketable capabilities or experiences that fall outside the job description. Sometimes, employers don’t know what they want until they see it.
3.) Ditching Interview Bad Habits
Are you really putting your best self forward in the interview? Some experts see a major gap in how professionals see themselves and how job interviewers see them.
According to Madeline Mann, HR leader and author of Reverse the Search, only about a third of job candidates are seen as likeable by employers while 84% think they’re giving off the right vibes. The reality is they’re coming off as too-polished, overly professional, stiff, or even sing-songy in the way they talk.
What employers really want is:
- Someone who feels confident without being rehearsed
- Someone who appears honest and realistic
- Someone who demonstrates true self-awareness
Running some practice interviews with a recruiter can help to identify when your responses to questions sound a little too rehearsed and how you can come off as more natural and approachable.
4.) Leverage Your Network
“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” didn’t become a truism by accident. People just have an easier time finding work when their network lends a hand.
Cold applications to open positions can work, but you’re playing a numbers game that takes much longer to pay off. Especially since Business Insider reports that tech job openings are down 33% compared to their level in early 2020. Moreover, you’re potentially wasting time and energy on ghost jobs or belated applications. Companies are eager to build their talent pool for when they need to hire, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get in-depth consideration until they’re ready.
On the other hand, using your network can help you to bypass the queue – if you’ve been keeping your network warm. An old but enlightening LinkedIn survey found that even though 78% of global respondents said their network was valuable to their career progression, only about 48% said they do the preliminary work to keep those bonds strong.
Though the numbers might have fluctuated, our experience shows those numbers are still close to the mark. So, make sure that you do the work to maintain connections, share value, and even make job referrals before you go to the well for help. You’ll get far better results.
An Extra Tip: Work with an Experienced Recruiter
Maybe not surprising, but we’re confident about the value of working with an experienced recruiter has during an extended job search. The best recruiters have not only done the work to build trust with a range of organizations, but they can submit you directly to stakeholders, bypassing overactive ATS filters and avoiding ghost jobs.
Plus, if you take the time to build trust and transparency with them, they can help you find the type of role that will match your skills and your career goals.