The 2025 graduating class is entering a “Fake Job Market ” and the most turbulent job market.

The “Fake Job Market ” comprises fake employers, recruiters, job seekers, and people who refer and work with fake career service providers. It must be considered a marketplace when phony LinkedIn and other social profiles exist among companies, recruiters, and others who conduct business ethically.

Grads must vet and research each employer and navigate the AI-generated content landscape. They’ll need to note and scrutinize all information on job descriptions and compare listed jobs to the company’s website (and make sure it’s the real site).

New grads can navigate jobs through internships for the next year or two. While interning, they can amass experience and increase their network among their peers, landing jobs, coworkers working in the industry, and jobs they aspire to. Internships can also inform and enhance the skills employers want and deepen work relationships, which in the long run will benefit them later in their careers.

The work will provide real-world applied knowledge and help them compete in a market demanding practical experience. This is also an opportunity to learn how AI is effectively used in business and understand how it translates to various industries.

The best strategy is always to look at different industries to see how your skills fit into the industry. This way, the graduate will have more choices to get hired than one or two types of jobs. While mass applying is done by their peers, a more thoughtful approach is efficient.

I encourage you to subscribe to “The Job Scam Report” on Substack at the top of this webpage.

Job scams are here to stay.

Layoffs are rising.

Ghost jobs are blurring the lines between real and fake jobs.

We’re just trying to make sense of it all.

Here’s a video version of the podcast from two weeks ago. I participated in a St. Xavier’s University career panel, helping graduates search for jobs. While it was recorded in 2024, it’s relevant to this class of graduates.

If you’d rather listen to the podcast, here it is. You can also find “The Voice of Job Seekers” podcast in most podcast directories.

The significant ROI for me attending a conference is engaging in conversations over the conference app and letting everyone know I’ll bring my recording tools for podcast episodes. People were already engaged in productive discussions about my industry when I arrived at the meetings.

Conferences are crucial to networking, but so is having a podcast. When you’re strategic, this combination is natural and potent. Re-imagine connecting in ways to have great conversations, deep connections, and possibly be remembered for opportunities down the line. It’s a long game, but job search is a long-game lifestyle strategy.

The last two conferences I attended in person opened up a couple of business opportunities and added episodes to my roster for several months. On one in Feb. 2023, I live-streamed conversations with several industry leaders on my LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter channels. With excellent hotel Internet connections, the recording was seamless and more straightforward than virtual interviews. Through the live stream interviews, I connected to a couple of other opportunities for speaking due to the video’s visibility.

At the second conference, I recorded several months of podcast episodes and content to repurpose for the rest of the year. Most importantly, I met many people I wouldn’t have met without this strategy.

The critical takeaway is when you have a mission or intention, your conference experience can be career-filling. When you connect, have great conversations, and use the information to retool to give an employer or a connection value, then it can be a powerful experience. I hope by sharing my conference experience, you can reimagine how yours could be.

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Welcome back to The Voice of Job Seekers podcast. I took an unannounced break from this podcast to concentrate on content for “The Job Scam Report” podcast. Some of you subscribe to the newsletter and podcast. Many good things have been happening there, so it has been quite busy.

In March of 2024, I was invited to join a panel (actually two) at St. Xavier’s University in Chicago. The panel consisted of Nathan Peck, an Associate Professor, James Miller, Shared Governance President, and Lauren Milligan, Founder of ResuMayDay, a Resume Writer and Career Coach. Each session had about 30-50 students.

Below are some of the highlights of the 75-minute panel:

Craft a Strong Resume: We encouraged students to tailor their resumes to highlight relevant skills and experiences for each job application, ensuring they’re clear and visually appealing. Lauren provided a basic overview of the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) and its role in hiring and emphasized the need for simplicity. She also added how ChatGPT can be helpful in the process.

Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile: The panel collectively agreed students must create a compelling LinkedIn profile to reflect their professional brand, including a professional photo, detailed work experience, and engaging summaries. We discussed how LinkedIn can facilitate the expansion of their network, and learning from successful career industry professionals through their profiles.

Network Actively: We advised students on building and nurturing professional relationships through networking events, social media, and industry groups to increase job opportunities and get referrals. Networking is vital for career advancement today, especially for introverts. It’s a great connection hub for building relationships with present and future collaborators.

Develop Interview Skills: Practice common interview questions and situational responses to prepare for interviews, enhancing confidence and communication. Lauren and I honed in on informational interviews as a tool. Students should do many of them to hone their interviewing skills, add depth to their network and industry knowledge, and accept feedback as constructive direction.

Create a Multi-Tiered Job Search Strategy: Implement various job search methods, such as job boards, company websites, recruitment agencies, and direct networking, to maximize reach. The college experience is an opportunity to use as much of your learning to bring value to an employer, using your strengths to stand out.

Research Potential Employers: Investigate companies of interest to understand their culture, values, and recent news, preparing insightful interview questions. Lauren suggested how ChatGPT could help you understand the job description to help you appeal to employers.

Stay Current on Industry Trends: Follow industry publications and join professional organizations to stay informed about changes and skills in demand. Participating in those organizations gives you a front seat to learn, network, and train, using the experience to prepare for industry job opportunities.

Utilize Informational Interviews: Contact professionals in your desired field for informational interviews to gain insights and advice on navigating your career path. It’s a good time to ask people and discern if you’re a good fit. What makes someone succeed in this industry versus someone else? What makes someone fail? What competencies in this industry are valued the most?

Follow Up After Interviews: Send a thank-you email to interviewers to express appreciation, reiterate your interest in the position, and underline key points discussed. Follow-up with the interviewer is rare among young professionals, but it may be a way to stand out among competitors.

Be Resilient and Persistent: Understand job searching is challenging. Maintaining a positive mindset, staying persistent in pursuing opportunities, and learning from rejections is vital.

You can look for episodes every other week. Subscribe to this podcast in your favorite podcast directory.