The Right Fit
A question I receive frequently is “How is the job market?” It is a question I get from relatives and friends that know I am a Job Search Strategy Coach. It is a question I will often get when assigned a new client from the outplacement organizations for which I do most of my work. The question is one that I feel is somewhat incomplete in terms of how it is being asked.
Each month one can get government statistics on the percentage and number of individuals hired in the previous month. There are statistics of the number of individuals looking for work. However, a job search is so much more. It is a quest to find the right opportunities for the person seeking employment. It is hours of preparation preparing the written documentation (resumes, Linked In profiles, cover letters), that represent you when applying for job openings. There is the research one does on various companies and their needs. However, most of all it is about are you “the right fit” for a particular opportunity that an organization may have, (or if working for yourself, for the customer in need of your services).
“The right fit” is a concept that works not only for the hiring company, but the person seeking to offer their talents to another. That is something that is many times overlooked by those entering job search. Each role for which they apply will have certain requirements connected to it. For some jobs it may be the amount of time you are expected to be in the office, versus hours that you can work virtually from home. Other jobs may indicate your hours are from 9 to 5 each day, but there is an expectation that you are available in evenings and weekends to take calls. If working for a company with multiple locations, your role may have you on that 9 to 5 schedule, but it is aligned to the time zone of the home office, as opposed to where you live, (think office in London, England, you located in the Eastern United States).
Certainly, the longer that your search may go for work, the more open you may be to adjusting your expectations to what you will tolerate in terms of accommodating an organizations or customer’s requirements or needs. For some the need for immediate cashflow coming in to pay the bills becomes an immediate priority. Others will find that the longer they are away from the working world, the more they miss not being active in their field of endeavor. Perhaps a current opportunity, while not the most ideal, is a springboard for future opportunities.
2024, was in my estimation, no doubt a frustrating job search year for those with whom I worked with as a coach, or met in terms of the job search webinars that I provide. That was amplified even further by the postings I would see on Linked In and comments of those in search. Applying to positions, and not receiving any feedback has become a common occurrence. Going through multiple rounds of interviews with a company only to find you were not the chosen candidate, also occurs more now than ever before. Competition to just get your credentials noticed in a world that has become more automated and virtual is a continued challenge. And, certainly 2025 and the foreseeable future will be more of the same.
So, what is the answer to all this insanity? First take the time to get to know yourself very well. Spend some time determining the types of roles you are seeking. Identify organizations and/or ways of working that may provide those opportunities. Reconnect with those in your network to see where they may be at this time of their career. Perhaps the companies in which you are seeking work, are ones for which they work, and can be an advocate on your behalf. Determine how you would prefer to work. Is it fully in person? Is it virtual? Is it some combination of the two? If virtual, does that open you up to opportunities in locations far from areas which you live. Taking the time to get this fine in your search will absolutely increase your “focus” of what you are targeting and seeking.
Will taking the steps I just outlined mean your search will be easy sailing? Job searches never were, and likely never will be. Will the suggestions put you more in control of your search, absolutely! Above all, they will put you on the path of being “a right fit” for the organizations and clients for whom you choose to work, and those that need your skill sets to meet their goals and mission.
