Job Search - The Voice of Job Seekers

Your Short Guide to Being Discoverable and Verifiable

The long-term job search seems harder this time if you’re under 30. It is hard. More so than tying your shoe. Harder than job searching in 2008-10. People are getting hired, but it seems like it’s not you.

If you’re looking for articles on how to get hired right now in the summer of 2026, abort reading this article now. Oh, wait. Stay for a moment because this article is something you want to use for the long-game job search.

In the next five years, there are two things you can do to make your next job search easier. I’m not talking about the old way of planning your career trajectory. The idea that careers are linear these days has universally phased out. Much like writing in the white space with white font keywords, it’s not a successful strategy, and it’s also extinct, like the 5-inch floppy disk.

First, my job search foundational strategies

This is my mission and foundational job search strategies I wish job seekers would know and practice:

1) Job search is a lifestyle. How we search for jobs, market, and upskill has changed dramatically, especially since March 2020. Access to mobile devices is constant, and so is how we scale, pivot, and process our efforts for a better career.

2) Adopt a consultant mindset. I’ve written and talked about using this approach for some years now. There has been substantial independent contractor growth just in the last three years. The traditional employee mindset is fading. We’re now consultants, if not by job position, vetted by job performance, and expertly showing impact in solving company problems.

3) You are the prescription to the company’s job description. You control the narrative andprescriptive solutions how it’s presented. Just as a pharmacist knows how drugs perform, you must know that your performance will positively impact your next employer. You also add value by offering solutions in a prescriptive manner. You may have employee status, but you must act as a business partner.

4) Upskilling is not a singular lane. Survey how your current and continuing education translates to several industries and not just one. Many freelance writers continuously work because they know how to write for several industries. Technology specialists, accountants, and engineers are examples of well-paid careers in many industries, not solely in tech, financial, and mechanical companies.

These are important, as I think these are good strategies now. You can apply these without any promises; these will solve your long-term unemployment.

Think about your next job search by preparing for it

If you’re working, you know you could be next, especially if layoffs are floating around the workplace rumor mill. The imaginary bell is ringing louder in your head if your company lost millions of dollars and managers with duckfaces are sour because their bonuses have been severely reduced in recent years.

I’ve included many of my podcast guests, friends, and experts in articles and on the podcast. They‘re likely to tell you they find candidates through a Boolean search on LinkedIn and Google. With today’s AI search, you must think about using this tool and its search capabilities to make you credible, discoverable, and verifiable.

Credible

Employers are working on a fake-candidate-proof hiring process right now. While it may seem crazy to you, the investment is real. It costs millions of dollars and time if they hire one fake employee, and compromises the company’s proprietary information. What’s worse is a company’s payroll is stolen, or a data breach takes place.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Most Young Professionals Should Ignore Their Parent’s Career Advice

If your parents haven’t been on the job market in 10-15 years, even if they were jobless during the Great Recession, you should **mostly** ignore their advice. If they are career practitioners or have intentionally changed jobs two or three times since 2008, then politely thank them for their input. Or maybe it’s their attitude you should ignore, because still, even for someone like me who is a career writer and practitioner at times, it reeks of an “old-school” stench.

I’m critical of my generation of professionals because we have one bit of advice that stands the test of time—people.

“People make the world go around,” to paraphrase the Stylistics. People hire people—all of those clichés.

Many in my generation give sprinting advice, not marathon tips. Even worse, they are giving hybrid advice that’s, at best, outdated and helps only a few.

“Look full-time to get a full-time job.”

That was true when you went door-to-door visiting employers in person, attended cattle calls for jobs, and visited job fairs where people actually had real jobs and hired on site. That would be true if we were looking through the newspaper daily, faxing or mailing in resumes, and oh wait, don’t call them because they’re not taking calls.

“You got to sell yourself.”

True. But more often than not, it’s all they got. Ask them how they sell themselves, and they will revert to the unemployment training they had from 1999. Have they interviewed in front of a panel of five potential coworkers? How do you handle a panel interview? If they have, they may offer something valuable. Today’s job interviewing is not about using your will to get a result. There is a skill requiring research, tact, and respect with a pinch of personality that makes an attractive job candidate and is needed more than ever in virtual interviews.

“It’s a numbers game.”

There are too many stories of those who applied to hundreds of jobs without getting an interview and a plethora of reasons why, outside of filling out applications. That was true in 2000, but not so much today.

“All you need is a social presence online.”

Many employers and recruiters check social profiles before initiating contact, and many more vet candidates through background checks. I cringe at all things, “…all you need is…” It’s best to be where your industry colleagues find jobs, with a robust profile that lets people figure out what you do in seconds. People who want to refer you make their final decisions based on what you tell them in your profile and compare it to others.

“You need to get out of the house.”

Well, we know that’s not true. Yet, some forgot what March 2020 to June 2020 was like.

“Employers will do a credit and background check during references.”

Well, not true. Credit checks are a different story. Credit checks are banned in 10 states and some cities, and in others, they’re less restricted. It’s good to know whether a state permits credit checks as part of its hiring process and to understand what employers are considering.

These are just a few of the many outdated pieces of advice parents are giving their young. They probably got it from friends, but if they don’t regularly hire, work as career advisors of some type, or have experienced the interview process in the last few years, you should consider their advice carefully. If you ignore it completely, fine. It’s probably better to hear it all from elsewhere, as the resources are plentiful. And you’ll need to vet that too.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!"

You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

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by Mark Anthony Dyson

Do This One Thing To Communicate Value to Employers

I wanted to offer one small perspective about cover letters. While many recruiters and hiring managers stand 10 toes down, saying they are unwanted, I’ve talked to several of my recruiter friends who said a good cover letter is not ignored.

I think Tom Peters was on to something when he talked about the importance of knowing the value you bring. I’ve always thought a cover letter should be less of a formal introduction and more of a contribution statement.

I think about a friend of mine who was a great major league player. I won’t name him here, but when he was coming up through the farm system, I remember him saying he knew the Yankees drafted him to hit home runs.

He knew exactly what he was there to contribute.

That’s how job seekers should think about cover letters.

If you don’t know what you’re contributing, the cover letter becomes much harder to write. And I think that’s where many cover letters miss the mark. They’re not bad because people can’t write. They’re weak because the contribution isn’t clear.

And that contribution may be different for every company.

Sounds elementary, but I think communicating value is not just listing what you add. It’s also knowing “what to leave in, and what to leave out (a little Bob Seager).”