As 2025 winds down, the job market feels complicated. Open roles exist, but hiring is slower, workers are fatigued from years of disruption, and AI is reshaping job descriptions faster than most professionals can update their résumés. Recent labor data shows U.S. job openings remain in the millions even as hiring and the quit rate have cooled, signaling a more cautious and competitive market for talent. At the same time, career platforms describe the mood of the job market with words like “fa
Executive resumes are changing faster than ever. What impressed hiring leaders in 2020 can feel outdated—or even raise red flags—in 2026. AI-powered screening, shifting leadership expectations, and the rise of digital-first organizations have reshaped what recruiters look for in senior talent. Today’s executive resume must be part strategic narrative, part business case, and part proof of digital fluency.
Here’s what’s in for 2026—and what needs to go.
Whether you’re actively job hunting or just exploring what’s next in your career, interviewing well remains one of the most valuable skills any professional can develop.
An interview is more than a Q&A — it’s a conversation that reveals your value, confidence, and fit for the organization. Mastering it takes preparation, presence, and strategy.
Here are six steps to elevate your interviewing game and make every conversation count.
Don’t just read the job p
For years, the job hunt revolved around polishing a résumé, tailoring keywords, and hoping an application cleared the ATS gauntlet. That still matters—but for “power jobs” (high-impact roles with influence, budget, and visibility), strategic networking now outperforms résumé-first tactics. Three forces are driving the shift: how companies actually source talent, how platforms amplify relationship “signals,” and how skills—not pedigree—are reshaping hiring.
Source: Getty Images
Looking for a new role before the year ends? Fall is your season to shine.
The autumn months—especially September and October—are crucial for job hunters. As businesses conclude summer slumps and prepare for year-end goals, hiring activity surges. Companies seek to allocate remaining budgets and fill critical roles before the year closes, creating a window of opportunity for job seekers.
Proactivity involves se
As summer winds down and employers gear up for the fall hiring season, there’s one powerful tool every professional should be sharpening right now: their personal brand.
Whether you're actively job-hunting or seeking to advance in your current career, the months of August and September are critical windows of opportunity. Many companies begin evaluating hiring needs, finalizing budgets, and posting new job openings at the end of summer. By taking the time now to refine your online presence an
Your LinkedIn profile is more than just a digital resume—it’s your first impression, your personal brand, and often the deciding factor in whether a recruiter reaches out or scrolls past. If you are unable to pitch your experiences and skills in person, a strong LinkedIn presence is one of the most powerful tools in your job search toolkit. READ MORE AT PROFESSIONAL ALTERNATIVES
You've identified an amazing job opportunity and decided to apply for it. Your resume has been updated, and the cover letter is written; everything seems to be in order. Wait! Are you forgetting something?
Depending on how active you are on social media, you may want to take some time to review your accounts. While you should always be aware of what your social media accounts look like, the job search process in particular is a great time to step back and review all your prior posts and rethink
With most things in life, organization is key. This is especially true when it comes to a job search. Try these for yourself and take some stress out of job hunting.
Put your best foot forward by staying organized in your job search. The journey to success starts long before your first day on the job. READ MORE AT VERIZON
Have you ever wished to have a secret formula that is guaranteed to put you ahead of the competition? Of, course! In truth, there are numerous ways you can increase your chances in standing out among stiff competition in your quest for greater career opportunities. READ MORE AT BIOSPACE
Over 40 and looking for a career change?
It’s not easy, especially when you are competing against fresh graduates with the latest tech skills, abundant energy and willingness to work for less.
Chris Ball, chief executive at The Age and Employment Network, London, England, says, “You really do have to be ready for anything in job interviews — you can always encounter ageism.”
But, there are ways of crossing that hurdle. No challenge is insurmountable with the right attitude and skills. READ MORE
It should surprise no one that plenty of millennials are addicted to the internet, constantly scrolling through their favorite social networks, and annoying people around them with obnoxious smartphone habits. But just as there are plenty of people who still buy dumb phones instead of smartphones (including some millennials), there are some millennials who have opted out of popular social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. READ MORE AT CHEAT SHEET
A baker recently shared her prize-winning cake recipe. Not surprisingly, it contained quite a few ingredients that needed to be accurately measured and combined in a very specific order. When you don't follow the recipe, unfortunate results will likely ensue.
The same thing goes for job searching. It's about combining the proper amount of several ingredients, in the correct order, over a period of time to receive that most delicious job offer.
1. Self-assessment. Take time at the beginning, and
Searching for a new job can often be a lengthy, frustrating process. Yet, you have a much better chance of success when you take the time at the beginning to understand yourself, your goals and your value. Here are seven things worth clarifying in your mind at the very beginning:
1. Your career goals. Are you looking for a job or a career path? Your approach will be different depending on if you are either desperate to just take anything for an income flow; or if you are in the midst of a career
The national unemployment rate remained 5 percent for a third straight month, while the Hispanic unemployment rate lowered slightly to 6.3 percent in December, as more Americans started looking for work, and most found jobs.
According to the Department of Labor, American employers added a strong 292,000 jobs in December, suggesting that the U.S. economy is so far defying global trends and growing at a solid pace.
The government also said employers added a combined 50,000 more jobs in October and
According to a new AARP survey, four out of 10 experienced workers will be looking for a job this year, and of those, a quarter are considering a complete career change.
If you’re one of those eager to change careers in 2016, what can you do to improve your odds of success?
The trick is to convince an employer that your “old” skills and experiences can be just as — or even more — valuable in a new industry or role. Or, as my colleague Kathryn Sollmann, founder of the career advisory firm 9 Lives
Unemployment continues to follow its downward trajectory, according to October data from the Bureau of Labor statistics that show 5 percent of the population was without a job. The insurance industry played a significant role in the job market recovery, hiring hundreds of thousands of professionals over the past five years. Looking solely at insurance agents, more than 95,000 were hired between September 2010 and July 2015 (representing a 15 percent increase).
New agents who joined the insurance
Spring is the season for cleaning up, clearing out and starting fresh. It's also a great time for job seekers to ramp up their search efforts and finally land the position of their dreams.
A new batch of college students will be graduating soon, which means that companies are seeking applicants for both entry-level jobs and the higher-level positions needed to supervise those new employees. If you want to compete, it's important to make sure your résumé is current when it comes to both personal
Confidence could be a bad thing, but getting fired could be good for your career.
When it comes to career advice, sometimes it seems like we’ve heard it all: Ask the right questions at the end of an interview, fine-tune your social media presence, and so on. But every now and then, we’re lucky enough to run into a piece of advice that’s totally fresh, and that has the potential to change the whole game.
Today, we’re talking about those kinds of tips—less talked-about wisdom nuggets that might at
