Career Briefs: Moving up, moving on and... let's get moving

Dear Reader:

The #1 thing I hear from job seekers is, “I want more recruiters to reach out to me.” My follow-up question is always: What are you doing to make yourself more visible?

Job seekers then give me a list of things that they think are helping— like updating their profiles, selecting more skills, posting, etc. And these things do help.

However, they are overlooking the two most impactful ways to get more eyeballs.

First: They aren’t following company pages. 

LinkedIn Recruiter sources candidates based on keyword alignment and filters like "Open to Work" or "More likely to respond.” “More likely to respond” has been tied to activity level on the platform and whether you’re following the company.

Secondly: They aren’t connected to enough of the “right” people.

Most job seekers haven’t been intentional about building their LinkedIn networks. They joined LinkedIn in college because a professor told them it was good for networking. They connected with classmates, and over the years, they added a few colleagues and professional acquaintances.

But most people haven’t stopped to think about who they don’t know yet, but should.

Here's how I think about it: If you want more people reaching out to you about opportunities, more of the right people need to know you exist.

Start with your target company list. Identify recruiters at those organizations and send them connection requests. Then, think about where you would sit on the organizational chart if you worked there. Who would you report to? Who might be involved in the hiring decision?

If you're not already connected to those individuals, consider reaching out.

My best advice to you is to build out a target company list of places you’d want to work and then follow the company pages, recruiters in your niche, and the person who might be your boss if you worked there.

As always, I am rooting for you,

Sarah

Ps. If you’re considering hiring the Briefcase Coach team to write your career branding materials or help you with interview prep for a Q1 job search, now is a good time to schedule a call with me.

It’s Time to Update LinkedIn

In one of my last emails, I surveyed readers on the last time they updated their About section on their LinkedIn profile. More than 50% of respondents said that it’s been two years OR MORE!

Your About section is your digital first impression— it’s your opportunity to show the world who you are, what you do uniquely well, and why you make the decisions that you do.

Use our free LinkedIn Guide to update your profile or let my team do it for you.

Let's Make It Easier for People to Move On

When Microsoft announced a voluntary exit program for 60,000 eligible employees, the headlines made it sound like another massive round of tech layoffs.

But according to HR industry analyst Josh Bersin, that's not what's happening.

In his fascinating blog post, Microsoft's Voluntary Exit Is Not a Layoff. It's a New Model of Management, Bersin explains that Microsoft is offering employees who may no longer feel aligned with the company's direction an opportunity to leave with severance, healthcare benefits, and career transition support.

There's no mandatory reduction in headcount. In fact, Microsoft reportedly expects only 1,800 to 3,000 employees to take the offer.

The philosophy is pretty simple: Not everyone who works for a company wants to be there. So why not make it easier for people who are ready for something different to move on?

Bersin argues that this approach reflects a broader shift in talent management. Rather than focusing on headcount, companies should focus on what he calls talent density: having the right people, with the right capabilities, who are genuinely invested in the organization's future.

💼 My bottom line: If this really is what Microsoft says it is, I kind of like this approach! We've all worked with someone who mentally resigned three years ago but forgot to tell payroll. Giving people a dignified, financially supported way to move on could be a win for everyone. The key, of course, is making sure "voluntary" actually means voluntary.

The Job Market Isn't Collapsing. But It Isn't Moving, Either.

If you've been wondering why the job market feels so difficult right now, two recent labor market reports help explain what's happening.

The short version? Companies aren't laying people off in massive numbers, but they aren't doing much hiring, either. And that creates a particularly frustrating environment for job seekers.

Economists have been describing this as a low-hire, low-fire labor market.

According to Employ America's September Labor Market Recap, the unemployment rate was 4.18% in September, and the economy added just 29,000 jobs. That's certainly not a strong number, but the researchers characterize the overall market as soft rather than dire.

Some industries are still growing. Construction, particularly nonresidential construction supported by AI infrastructure investment, has been a bright spot. Professional, scientific, and technical services have also shown resilience. Meanwhile, financial services and the information sector continue to shed jobs.

But here's where things get interesting.

Indeed Hiring Lab's latest JOLTS analysis found that employers are hiring at their slowest pace since 2013. Workers are also quitting at their slowest pace since 2015.

People who have jobs are staying put. They're not leaving for better opportunities, which means fewer positions open up for people who are actively searching. And companies that might have hired aggressively a few years ago are being much more cautious.

The result is a job market that looks relatively stable on paper but feels incredibly difficult to navigate.

Indeed reported 7.5 million job openings in September, but the number of openings doesn't tell the whole story. What's missing is movement. Without people changing jobs and employers making new hires, opportunities are harder to come by.

There are a few encouraging signs. Job postings have recently started increasing on a year-over-year basis, suggesting that employer demand may be improving. But it's too early to call this a meaningful hiring recovery.

💼 My takeaway: If you're an experienced professional struggling to gain traction in your search, don't assume that your resume, qualifications, or approach are necessarily the problem. The market itself is unusually stagnant.

In a market where fewer opportunities are circulating, relationships, referrals, targeted outreach, and visibility with decision-makers become even more important.

Your Next Direct Report Might Be an AI Agent. Are You Ready?

For years, we've talked about how AI will change the way we work. But here's a leadership question that isn't getting nearly enough attention: What happens when managers are responsible for supervising AI agents alongside human employees?

A recent Harvard Business Review article, To Thrive in the AI Era, Companies Need Agent Managers, explores an emerging management role. At Salesforce, for example, managers are already overseeing teams of AI agents, monitoring their performance, troubleshooting problems, and evaluating results. In some ways, it looks surprisingly similar to traditional people management.

But there's an important distinction. AI agents can independently execute tasks, make decisions, and coordinate work. And they don't always behave the way we expect.

Wharton professor Ethan Mollick explores this challenge in his fascinating Substack article, Agency and Agents.

Mollick introduces the concept of a "dark factory," where AI agents do nearly all the work and humans simply provide direction and evaluate the results.

Sounds efficient, right? But is that actually the workplace we want?

He proposes an alternative called the "Twilight Factory," where AI handles much of the work but proactively involves humans when their expertise, creativity, judgment, or approval would improve the outcome.

One of his most compelling arguments is that we shouldn't automate away all the interesting parts of people's jobs. After all, people develop professional judgment by solving problems, making decisions, and sometimes getting things wrong..

Applying Directly On the Company Page Could Triple Your Chances of Landing an Interview

According to new research from Huntr, job seekers who applied directly through company career websites landed interviews 6.87% of the time, compared to just 1.95% for those applying through job boards. That's more than three times the interview rate!

 💼 My takeaway: Go straight to the source.

36% of Americans Admit Faking Skills

With AI changing the workplace at lightning speed, there's growing pressure to keep up. Skills that were valuable just a few years ago are evolving, job descriptions are changing, and employees are wondering whether their expertise will still be relevant five years from now.

Apparently, some people are responding by faking it.

According to new research from Addison Group, 36% of working or job-seeking Americans admit they've exaggerated their skills, knowledge, or experience to appear more capable or competitive.

And that's not the only surprising finding:

• 93% say at least one aspect of building a successful career has gotten harder in the past five years.

• 72% report some level of career anxiety or vulnerability.

• 58% aren't confident they can adapt to changing skill requirements.

• 43% have taught themselves to use an AI tool in the past year.

The researchers introduce an interesting concept called skill security: the idea that career stability increasingly depends on your ability to learn and adapt, rather than simply holding on to your current job.

Can you do me a favor?

I’m on a mission to help job seekers land amazing jobs. Would you consider doing one of the following:

• Forward or use the referral link below to share this newsletter with your job-searching friends or post about it on social media. This small act really helps!

• Reach out to us about featuring your executive job posting in our newsletter. We are looking for hiring managers, founders, and search firms to talk on video about their ideal candidates.

• Consider sharing my company name with your HR leadership. We are a great “white-glove” boutique option for executive outplacement

• Recommend me as a paid speaker for your company events on networking, job searching, or leveraging LinkedIn

• Recommend my services to high performers wanting to work one-on-one with an executive resume writer / or experienced interview coach

In Case You Missed It...

Top five articles from our past two newsletters: