The 2026 Job Market Is Brutal: How to Stand Out and Get Hired with Melissa Grabiner

Episode 89 Melissa Grabiner

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[: 00:00:00

Unlock. We're all about those light bulb moments. I'm talking to people who are still trying to figure out what they're meant to do, coaching them life to reach that magical, yes, this is it moment, and we'll also hear from those who've already found their dream careers and figure out exactly how they did it.

Whether you are looking for inspiration or actionable advice on finding a career you love, I've got you covered time to unlock some career clarity. Let's dive in.

If you have been sending out [: 00:01:00

She is ranked the number one [: 00:02:00

Let's get started. Welcome, Melissa, to Career Clarity Unlocked. Thank you for having me. I'm happy to be here. I'm so excited for this conversation. And I wanna start off, you have such incredible experience, both from a hiring manager recruiter, as well as job search coach perspective, and you've reviewed thousands of resumes in LinkedIn profile.

Yes. And I'm wondering if there's ever been a moment for you when a candidate completely changed your perception in a matter of. Seconds. And what exactly did they do differently than other candidates that our job seekers right now could learn from? Yeah, so interestingly enough, this happened to me recently where I had a client who hired me to help them with their resume and optimizing their LinkedIn profile.

, as I do with all my calls, [: 00:03:00

So my perception of initially reading the LinkedIn profile was, alright, we, we have work to do on this profile. I think there's some ways we can enhance it. But then again, when I took a look at the resume, it was totally different from the profile. And it's a perfect example, and this is what I say to all my clients, is that.

ndreds, if not thousands, of [: 00:04:00

So the resumes that stand out are the ones that show the impact of your job. And so one of the things I do with my clients is say, alright, let's take a look at your experience and how can we quantify, and I'm not saying every bullet on a resume has to be quantified. I'd actually. Say it shouldn't be every bullet, but you definitely wanna have at least a third to a half of your bullets under each job to be quantifiable, because what hiring managers and recruiters are looking for, again, is the impact of the work that someone has done.

Okay. That's super important. Mm-hmm. And I a hundred percent agree. When I do that work with my clients, , the most common question I get is, oh, I don't have any quantifiable achievements. Yeah. I don't have that access to the numbers. Or I wasn't in sales, which is obviously the clearest one. Right?

soft skill-based role or in [: 00:05:00

Quantifiable achievements, and we were talking about it and she's like, well, I haven't done anything that's quantifiable. So then what I did was I asked her to walk me through her background, and based on our conversation, I was able to say, here's what you did, but. What about this, what percent dollar did you save by changing the process?

What percent, , efficiency did you increase it by, by changing the process? So I do think, you know, for most jobs there are ways that you can quantify a resume bullet, right? And so, um, I think it's just a matter of really thinking through your experience in thinking about, did I save time? Did I prove efficiency?

l, like, reduce that or were [: 00:06:00

I'm not sure how to quantify it. Quantify it. What are some ideas? And then based on what I AI is telling you, then think through your experience and say, oh, maybe I was able to quantify it. Either this way or that way. So there's nothing wrong with using AI to help in that regard. Um, you just wanna be able to make sure that whatever you indicate on your resume, you can talk about in an interview, right?

You don't wanna have something on your resume and then you're asked about it, but you're not able to speak to it. That is something that you don't wanna get yourself into. So a hundred percent. And I really love the idea. I fused AI in that way too. Mm-hmm. I put a resume bullet in and be like, give me a placeholder anywhere possible where I could add a quantifiable number in there.

[: 00:07:00

How many teams did you collaborate with? Mm-hmm. Exactly. What was the timeline of the project? Right? There's so much more than just the dollar figure that you produced. Yes, exactly. And I wanna get your take on this too. Something I often recommend when people think about work experience, that's five years ago, 10 years ago, and they're like, I didn't take any notes.

, but [: 00:08:00

Having a plus keeps you safe there. Mm-hmm. Exactly. Yeah, I agree. Love that. Now, I think we both probably have the experience of talking to a lot of job seekers that right now feeling like every application they're sending out is going into a black hole. Mm-hmm. From your insider perspective, what is actually happening behind the scenes in the hiring process that most candidates might not even see or misunderstand, and how will that impact their strategy?

people looking for a job in [: 00:09:00

o the last day of the year in: 2025

How come my phone is silent? Why am I not, um, getting replies on my emails? I think it's because. People don't realize at the start of a job search just how challenging it is. So what I always say to my clients is that the job search right now is not. A sprint. It's a marathon. And I don't say that to burst their bubble, and I don't say that to make them scared, but I try to set the expectations.

mpany doing mass layoffs. So [: 00:10:00

Hundreds, if not thousands of resumes for one opening, which is insane. The other thing that's happening in, um, behind the scenes with a lot of companies. And I say this because one of the things that I do is I do talent acquisition consulting. Um, I work with biotech companies and I work as an extension of their teams, and these companies hire me to find people for their jobs.

ow is they're using these AI [: 00:11:00

So a lot of these resumes are starting to look very similar to one another. So my clients contacted me and said. We want you to use your LinkedIn recruiter license to find people for our jobs. So what I do is I go on LinkedIn and using the recruiter tool, I search for candidates who are a potential fit for my clients.

So I think the, the key takeaway here is that what's happening behind the scenes is that recruiters are getting absolutely slaughtered with an incredibly high level of applications. But a lot of companies are also having their recruiter teams find candidates proactively, whether it's on a tool like LinkedIn.

em optimize their profile. I [: 00:12:00

So I take them behind the scenes on LinkedIn, I show them what it looks like from a recruiter standpoint and what their profile looks like if they were being viewed in recruiter mode, and then they understand why it is so important to have an optimized profile. And I personally would not be surprised if at some point in time.

Resumes are just an obsolete thing because of ai. So many resumes are being written by AI that companies don't know what is truthful and what isn't. So it's gonna be an interesting time in the near future to see how the landscape changes within talent acquisition. It's fascinating how AI is impacting every facet of our lives, but in this case, the recruiting process.

day if you said it that way, [: 00:13:00

And reverse recruiting firms are popping up everywhere. So my personal take of it is I am not a fan of reverse recruiting. First of all, it's very expensive for the candidate, especially a lot of job seekers are cash constrained because they're not getting an income. So what a lot of these reverse recruiting firms do is they'll say.

In a week, we're gonna send out a hundred applications on your behalf. And there's, to me, there's a lot of issues with that approach. First of all, to your point, it's just flooding the market with more applications. And a lot of times when someone applies for a role, they have to complete a set of prescreen questions.

ons sometimes. And so, um. I [: 00:14:00

And I tell them, I'm against it also, because the chances of finding a job through a posting is minimal. The chances of landing a job through your network is much more probable. Oh, yes, 100%. Yeah. And. I, I personally, I am getting, starting to get allergic to AI content no matter if I see it yes, written somewhere or on a resume or on a LinkedIn profile, you can immediately tell that this was written by ai.

and then copy paste that in. [: 00:15:00

And so to your point earlier, I mean, that's just flooding the market with more competition. But as a recruiter, myself and someone who's been doing this for 20 years, I could spend five seconds on a resume and tell you if it's AI written. And when you have a job description that perfectly aligns with your resume, that to me is a red flag.

Because then if I start talking to the candidate, did they really truly do all these things? Or are they trying to get their foot in the door by being the best fit as they can based on the duties and responsibilities that are contained within the job description? So hiring right now is in a very interesting time.

be interesting to see where [: 00:16:00

And I also believe, and I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think I am, I also believe that the job market is only gonna get worse. I mean, you know, it was in the news recently that Meta or Facebook, they're gonna be laying off over 10,000 people. Dell computers, same thing. Um, but almost every day you hear about these companies that are doing these mass layoffs.

And now with AI taking a lot of these jobs. I just feel like it's gonna get worse. And so it will be really interesting to see what happened six months from now, a year from now. Um, that's why I always tell my clients, if you can build something of your own or start a business with the knowledge that you have, maybe that's something smart to look into as well.

now this is anything but job [: 00:17:00

Mm-hmm. To make sure your LinkedIn is updated, that you have an updated resume, that you track your accomplishments, that you also really contribute. And be visible in the company you work for so that they see your value and will not replace you with ai Well. What job security is nowadays. Yeah. And I'll tell you really quickly what happened with me.

So I worked at a company for 18 years. I was, um, the global director of talent acquisition for one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. And I live in Chicago and they moved my position to New York. And my sons at the time were in high school and I didn't want to relocate. So I ended up leaving.

York and I did not wanna, , [: 00:18:00

Mm-hmm. And the second layoff was the push that I needed to start two small businesses, which is something that I always dreamed of doing, but I was too scared or reluctant to start looking back. Those layoffs were the best thing to happen to me because it gave me the push to go out on my own. And you know, when you're a business owner.

There are pros and cons. You know, , it's not always easy being a business owner, but I am my own boss. Um, I can take vacation when I want. No one is gonna approve my vacation time. I, I can take off a month and no one has to approve it. , I work as little or as much as I want. I don't have an alarm clock so I can go to the gym at two in the afternoon.

y to a lot of my clients is, [: 00:19:00

So betting on yourself is really the best thing you can do. And even if someone still wants to get a corporate job, that's fine. Continue to look for a role, but maybe see if you can make some money on the side with the skillset that you have. It doesn't hurt to try and you never know what could happen.

ffer this as a consultant to [: 00:20:00

At the same time, continue the job search and it gives you two opportunities. One, they might hire you as a consultant, keep you on it, and then hire you as a full-time employee, right? Mm-hmm. If this is what you want, not everyone wants to be self-employed, but it gives you another in. Mm-hmm. As you're job searching, I've had that with a client happen.

They were in a final interview where the company realized they actually don't need a full-time employee, and they hired them as a consultant instead because they have that service available. It. Creates more opportunities. It does, it does. It, it, it's so important to, I think, leverage your knowledge into a way that you could potentially make some money on the side.

ho I am, gonna decide that I [: 00:21:00

I was very, very happy. I had a lot of upward mobility for the time that I was there, and when they moved my position to the East coast. Um, it emotionally took me a long time to get over that and it kind of threw me for a loop and I was very fortunate. They offered me a relocation, but at the end of the day, it wasn't an option for me with my family.

Um, I don't regret leaving at all. But at the time it was a really hard thing that I had to, you know, kind of work through. , But after then when I took another job and after 18 months I was laid off from there, that's when I said, you know what? I, I'm done putting my fate in the hands of a, of A CEO who doesn't even know who I am.

're aligned on the, on their [: 00:22:00

A hundred percent. You know, I'll tell you something interesting. A couple weeks ago, one of my clients I worked with was a vice president for Microsoft. This guy was incredibly polished, incredibly, , seasoned. He had an, a remarkable background and a remarkable resume, and he got laid off from Microsoft.

He was distraught, devastated, rightfully so, and we had a nice. Long talk about, you know, the higher up you go, the less jobs of those titles that there are, right? And so I was very honest with him, like, if, you know, if you wanna still get a job in corporate America, by all means try to search for that job.

never even thought of that. [: 00:23:00

Right. At the same time, you can still continue to look for a new job. And then it was interesting because about a week ago, he got in touch with me and he told me that he actually has two clients now that he's working with. Um, and so, you know, he's a perfect example of someone who's very seasoned, who has an incredible background, leverage it to try to do something and be your own boss.

And he was, he said he was thrilled that I even kind of planted the seed in his mind. That is amazing. Yeah. And. It could have played out , so different had he not worked with you. Right. He might have been on a year long job search. Yeah, exactly. Which is quite common of what we see right now. Which then really takes a toll on your confidence.

h. Mm-hmm. So even if he, if [: 00:24:00

Yeah, I mean it's a win-win all around. There's, there's absolutely no negative. And I think one, one thing that's really hard for a lot of job seekers, and I completely understand this 'cause the. Thing happened to me is I think the longer you go through a job search, the more your confidence gets hit, right?

And so imposter syndrome seems to kind of seep in. And so many of my clients come to me after they have been in the job search for four or five, six months, maybe longer, and they're banging their head against the wall saying, why is nobody? Looking at my resume, why can , I not even get an interview. And I think even the most seasoned professional, that has probably the most incredible background, it's only human nature to have your confidence take a hit when you are facing rejection after rejection, after rejection.

And [: 00:25:00

And so one of the biggest challenges I think the job seekers are facing is that confidence and self-esteem really seem to do take a hit. And I think the longer the job search goes on. The more people start feeling those feelings. Um, and it's, it's just my heart goes out to everyone looking for a new opportunity.

standpoint, but just from an [: 00:26:00

100%. I see this so often, and it's. It's so important to take care of your mental health as you're going through it. Mm-hmm. To carve out time for yourself, as you said, to not let them define your value, and also having a support system around you. You can't go through this on your own. You have to have people around you that lift you up.

That when you have those low days and they come in a job search where you get yet another retraction that there is someone you can lean on and they have their support. Yeah. You raised a great point. I mean, having a support system of people that you trust and really love you and care about you, I think is imperative when you're going through something like a job search.

rlooked to actually being in [: 00:27:00

Um, I think a lot of job seekers. Rely solely on a job board and they don't rely on their network or forming relationships with people. Um, it is incredibly important, and I, and you probably know this right, but when, when you are in a job hunt in a market like this where there are a thousand other people applying for the same job.

You have to stand out from the rest. And one of the things that I do with my clients is I show them how to find decision makers on LinkedIn. So I'll say, okay, gimme the name of a company you recently applied to. We'll go to the company page. I'll go into the people tab, I'll go into the search bar and we'll do, we'll play around a little bit in the tool.

Reaching out to decision [: 00:28:00

There was no job posting. I had no idea if the company was hiring. As far as I knew they weren't because there wasn't a job posting. But this was a company that I always had in the back of my mind, and so I thought, you know what? I'm gonna reach out to the CEO and one of two things are gonna happen.

king to build out our talent [: 00:29:00

Why don't you and I have a conversation? Um, her and I had a call, I had a job offer in my hand two weeks later, and I worked there for three years. Wow. And the reason I'm sharing this story, and I share this story with my clients is because I know for sure that if I did not contact her, there was no way I would've had that job because there was no job posting for me to even apply to.

And I always thought, shoot your shot. The worst that can happen is you don't hear back or they decline you, but then at least you know, you tried. And so in this job market, I think being your own best advocate and reaching for the stars, those are the people that are going to get jobs faster.

really want, you have to be [: 00:30:00

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. It's the only way to stand out in this market. Yes. I could not agree with you more. Yeah. Yeah, applying online, the chances are pretty much non-existent. That mm-hmm. They will reach out to you even with the perfect resume. Right. We're still one of a hundred plus. Yes. Yeah. And I think the other thing that is really challenging about this job market is that companies are waiting, , a lot longer to make a decision.

And so I think a lot of companies know that they're in the driver's seat because it's an employer driven market versus an employee driven market. So what's happening is, is that these hiring timelines have become really, really long. A lot of companies are requiring candidates to submit an assignment or take an assessment.

[: 00:31:00

You know, when, when COVID hit and the world shut down, the landscape was so different. I mean, back then companies couldn't find people to hire fast enough, and the pendulum has completely changed to the other side. Where right now it is absolutely an employer driven market, and I do believe it's gonna be that way for, for the foreseeable future.

who wants to gain their own [: 00:32:00

Um, what works when it comes to building a brand? Is that something you recommend professionals do? And are there any mistakes or something they might not be doing? Right. So I love this question because I think it's an important one. Um, building my brand was one of the best things I did. And what's so interesting is that when I started on this journey, my goal wasn't to build a brand.

Like I wasn't like, oh, I wanna build the Melissa Grabner brand. That never even crossed my mind. But the more active I became on LinkedIn and the more my follower account continued to grow. The more fun I was having with it. And so, you know, people ask me all the time, how did you amass almost half a million followers?

oaching business, um, I have [: 00:33:00

So building this brand has allowed me, um, to. I would think for a lot of job seekers, I've built that trust because I already have that personal brand. , I work with companies on brand partnerships. That's because I've built a personal brand. So there are many, many advantages to building a brand, but I will say that it takes time.

ommitted to it for it to work: 1000

dropped him off at college, [: 00:34:00

I was maybe on it once or twice a week. Um, and this was about five years ago, a little over five years ago. And um, I remember saying to my husband, oh my God, I have 30,000 followers. And he was like, that's incredible. And it hit me then that maybe I have something here. Maybe if I keep up with this, we can kind of see where it takes me.

And in that timeframe, you know, between like then and now. I've really grown my following and because I've grown my following, it was through that I started two small businesses. I started a business helping job seekers and I started a business, , working with select companies on brand partnerships, and I also do talent acquisition consulting.

you're not gonna wake up one [: 00:35:00

It's a marathon, it's not a sprint, and so it takes time to build an audience. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. I post on LinkedIn about once a day, maybe six days a week, sometimes five days a week. , And that's all. I mean, I see people that are posting like five, six times a day. I personally think that's overkill and you're gonna fatigue your audience.

I typically post once a day. , I comment on other people's posts. I think a lot of the magic on LinkedIn is not necessarily from posting. It's from commenting. Yes. Um, because when you comment on a post, that is when people really, really see you. And so what's nice about LinkedIn is it shows you the impression.

ssions each of your comments [: 00:36:00

Well, every time you comment on LinkedIn, the beginning of your headline follows you. So, so many people reach out to me and say, Hey, Melissa, I saw your comment on so-and-so's post. I noticed that you're a resume writer. I need help with my resume, and people aren't reaching out to me because I posted that I'm a resume writer.

People are reaching out to me because they saw a comment and I didn't comment that I'm a resume writer, but my headline shows it. Yes. So that's what, when I'm working with my clients, when we, when we talk about like, how do we shape your headline? And again, the headline's under your name, how do we shape that?

a post, what are the things [: 00:37:00

Kind of just cringey and not their thing. And I know there's a lot of people that hate on it, but honestly, I mean, it's changed my life. But you have to put in the work. You're not gonna wake up one day with half a million followers. It's gonna take time and it's gonna take effort. But to me, the reward is the the end result and the reward is so worth it.

I couldn't agree more. I just had an example with a client I'm working with. She is very interested in specific types of companies. She's very passionate about a cause in a specific area, and is following those companies on LinkedIn engaging with their posts. She commented on one of the company's posts, which had a senior leader in the company reach out to her just because of her comment.

d example. It's the power of [: 00:38:00

So you might not get directly to the hiring manager, but there are the majority of company posts on LinkedIn. They have about 10 K impressions and two comments. That is such a missed opportunity. Mm-hmm. If you are interested in that company, comment on that post. Hundred. That means 10 K of these people see the post.

Let's say a third of them sees your comment. That's about three K of people see over three K of people seeing your comment. Mm-hmm. Chances are people within that company are following that company and also see your po. See your comment. Yeah. It's a old mine. A hundred percent. I mean, the gold, and this is what I tell clients, this is what I tell people who reach out to me.

[: 00:39:00

Yes. Yes. So the, the magic is in, in the commenting. There's no question. The magic is in the commenting. Yes. Mm-hmm. And the magic is also in how you approach and use LinkedIn. Mm-hmm. I hear from a lot of job seekers that get so frustrated because all you see on your feed are people who just landed a job, which jobs, which makes you just feel bad because it wasn't you.

. If you are interested in a [: 00:40:00

Let's say you're. Really interested in all the latest AI technology and how it's used in hr. They are fantastic thought leaders. Posting about it every day. Fill your feed with those by engaging with them. That makes your experience on LinkedIn a million times better. And it's the people you actually wanna network with.

Yeah. You know, the other underutilized portion of LinkedIn or groups. Um. I, I will share this. And so I am a member of this one group. It's called The Emotional Intelligence Network. I love this group, and there are about a th I wanna say about a million followers. So I posted on this group. Two days ago, I, I made a post and, , again, , this has a million followers.

articular group, my post got [: 00:41:00

So 252,000 people saw my post three days ago. So one of those hidden gems of LinkedIn are groups. I'm not saying you have to join. A ton of groups. I'm a member of maybe four or five groups, but the groups that I'm a member of have a lot of members in those groups, right? Um, and I really love the content in these particular groups.

grown so quickly is because [: 00:42:00

Yeah, because that's how your name is gonna get out there. Yes. Mm-hmm. That is such a beautiful example. And imagine as a job seeker, that content, you put out your name and your LinkedIn headline is seen by 250,000 people, even if it. Doesn't do as well, and it's seen by 25,000 or just by 2,500 people.

thousands of groups you can [: 00:43:00

So just like, I'm gonna just say this, I'm just gonna do this quick search search. So if, if I type in human resources in the search bar and I click on the the word groups, there are 10,000 groups on LinkedIn that are in hr. Think about, think about how crazy that is. So there are groups, 10,000 groups that are HR focused.

So yeah, join the groups that have a lot of members, , but don't just join it, like engage in it, engage in the posts, um, post to the groups, you know, maybe once a week and usually about once a week. I post to the emotional Intelligence Network. , But my post tend to do really, really well when I, when I actually post in there.

So the groups have been a lot of fun. Oh. This is again where AI is such a fantastic thought partner. If you're someone who's never written a post on LinkedIn. You can talk to it or you can tell, hi, I just joined this group . It's a human resource group of let's say female professionals in hr.

that people post about these [: 00:44:00

You can have it to. Audit or edit, your post, but you tell the story that comes to mind as you're reading those ideas. Yep, definitely. That is what people resonate with. Exactly. Yeah, a hundred percent. That's, I love the idea of this groups. You have to be careful on LinkedIn to find one that is active, though there are some groups that are not active, but you'll know immediately when you join of how many posts you see coming through, and if it's something that's interesting to you.

, what would be the plan for [: 00:45:00

And what does that look like Step by. I would say spend time writing down everybody, you know? 'cause remember, everyone has their own network, right? So you might know 10 people, but those 10 people have networks of their own and try to build meaningful network connections with people. Reach out to.

I would say five to 10 people a day on LinkedIn asking for 15 minutes of their time. Really, really put yourself out there. So not just connect with them, but have actual conversations. I would say spend a small portion of your time actually applying to jobs. Spend more of your time networking. So in other words, getting visible or that visibility.

s gonna move the needle more [: 00:46:00

This is what I see from my clients. 90% of my clients, , who have , received new jobs since I've started working with them, found new jobs through their network. It's how I found my prior job as well. I was telling you the story about reaching out to the CEO Christine Matthews on LinkedIn. Um. Take care of your mental and emotional health.

u have that you can monetize [: 00:47:00

Um. You know, a, a full-time job. , I have one client who got a part-time job at Trader Joe's because he needed just to get his mind away from the job search, and it was a way to still bring money in, still be out in the public, still kind of interact with people. , , searching for a job could be like a full-time job, , but take care of yourself.

But , the number one suggestion I have for anyone, and I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but it's putting yourself out there. The worst that can happen is you reach out to people and you don't hear back. But if you don't put yourself out there, you're never gonna know. And that's the best advice I would give to anyone searching for a new opportunity right now.

I could not agree more. And in the end, all you're looking for is that one. Yes. A hundred percent. Exactly. So how you said it was so beautiful is it's not gonna last forever. Yes. There might be nos sometimes a lot of nos on the way, but the one thing you're looking for is that one. Yes. Exactly. And that's all it takes to turn everything around.

Someone saying yes to a [: 00:48:00

So you, uh, connect with me on LinkedIn, of course, and if they want to learn about my services, there's a, a little, um, little they could, like a thing, they can click where it says, book an appointment that will take people directly to my website.

But, , yeah, thank you for asking. And you know, please follow me on LinkedIn. Please connect with me and if you need help with your job search, , I'd love to assist. I love that, and I will make sure that we link to your website as well as to your LinkedIn profile in the description of this episode so that people can find you and follow you and get all your amazing content and connect with you.

Thank you so much for your time today. Thank you.

ht feel on one of those hard [: 00:49:00

And if there's one big takeaway from today, it's this, . Your career is way too important to leave it entirely in someone else's hands. The more you invest in your visibility, your network, your strengths and your own growth, the more opportunities you are creating for yourself.

career you love because you [: 00:50:00

Keep chasing what makes you come alive, and I'll see you back here next week on Career Clarity Unlocked.

And that's a wrap for today's episode of Career Clarity Unlocked, if you feeling stuck in that. What's next? Spiral and are ready to finally break free. Let's chat. You can book your free career clarity call where we'll uncover what's really important to you. Tackle any obstacles holding you back and map out your best next step.

Schedule your free 30 minute call today on career bloom coaching.com and before you head out, be sure to follow us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, so you never miss an episode. If today's conversation gave you new insights and inspiration, please leave a review. It really helps us reach more amazing listeners like you.

pport truly means the world. [: 00:51:00