The job market in 2025 is a dynamic landscape, where the pendulum seems to be swinging from a candidate-driven market to an employer-driven one, which wouldn’t be the first time for this type of shift or will it be the last. Regardless of where the market is pointing, what always remains critical is having the right people for the right job. This means the best strategy is to take a proactive approach to your career management.
David Fano, former WeWork executive and founder of Teal, an AI-powered career coaching platform, shares that, “It can feel like the system is controlling, but moments of big change are a great time to reposition and reestablish yourself. When you hit moments like this there are new jobs and titles springing up in lots of industries. Moments like this present opportunities for new titles, jobs, etc.”
Implementing the following strategies can help you get out in front of those opportunities.
Most of us don’t want to do the work of managing our careers. After all, unless you chose a career coaching or recruiting profession, you’ve probably put all of your time into other professions and skills. But if you want to shape your career to match your interests and align with your life goals, you’ll have to roll up your sleeves a bit and at least move from a passive player to an active driver of your success. “Having an attitude of control and agency makes a big difference. Whether you’re faking it or you already believe it, you need to convey it,” advises Fano. “You should be playing to win vs. playing to not lose.”
To make it easier on yourself, put a method to the madness. For example, Fano’s company, Teal, designed their platform to help professionals find and secure jobs they love. By offering tools like an AI Resume Builder, Job Tracker, Job Search Board and Chrome Extension, it simplifies the job search process and empowers users with the resources, insights and guidance they need to manage their career planning and job search efforts.
It’s already helped millions to streamline the application process, reducing time spent by 60%, while helping users track achievements, tailor resumes and prepare for interviews. Fano shares that, “Teal is revolutionizing career navigation and addressing the disparity between the HR resources available to companies and employees. Whether proactively job hunting or recovering from a layoff, Teal’s AI-driven platform puts the power of career success at the employees’ fingertips.”
To get the most out of your efforts, identify the impact you want to make within your career. Instead of waiting for someone else to come tell you what you should do with your career, take the time to uncover the work that engages and inspires you. “Part of being able to seize this moment is being clear. You need to take position. A career decision has far less permanence than it used to. The world is moving too quickly. Your career is more iterative. Instead, take an agile approach,” recommends Fano.
“Job hunting is the perfect landscape to play with a lot of the technology out there. We are living in age where people make snap decisions. We’ve all gotten better at processing and spotting good content quickly. That means it’s harder to earn people’s attention,” emphasizes Fano. “But that also means the technology is easier to use to help us build strong and attention-grabbing profiles. For example, get Canva and create a better visual for your banner in your LinkedIn profile. Play with technology. Don’t fear it.”
“We’re moving from a labor-based economy to an information-based economy. That means impact will be valued over effort. In the past if we worked long hours it was enough to demonstrate our value. Now it’s about how impactful were our efforts. Speed, impact, efficiency and return on investment is what will be measured now,” cautions Fano.
This means leveraging technology to increase efficiency, building on your strengths and evolving your ability to get work done with others. With technology taking on more of the labor, our capability for thought, communication, collaboration and creativity will be key to set ourselves up as critical contributors to the workforce.
According to the World Economic Forum’s The Future Jobs Report 2025, the shift to skill-based hiring is on the rise. This means that employers are beginning to prioritize practical expertise over formal qualifications. This isn’t to say that education is no longer prized to build your credibility. But instead of general degrees, it’s becoming more about personalized learning paths that will develop the exact essential skills needed for the intended job.
On the job, this means looking for, identifying and volunteering for projects and work opportunities that build out your work experience in meaningful ways. This should be based on what makes your skills more marketable based on industry trends. But it should also connect to what your passionate about. To be trusted to take on new work, often outside of your current expertise, you have to bring the best version of yourself to every responsibility given to you.
According to LinkedIn’s Work Change Report, by 2030 70% of the skills used in most jobs will change, with AI emerging as the catalyst. Within Indeed’s 2025 US Jobs & Hiring Trends Report, it states that widespread use of GenAI tools promises to boost productivity, but adoption will need to spread beyond a handful of power-using sectors (including software development and mathematics) for the tools’ full productivity-boosting potential to be realized.
“This is good news. Everyone is back to zero years of experience when it comes to how AI is reshaping how work gets done. It’s a whole new world of experience. Seize the moment,” emphasizes Fano. He goes on to advise that, “If you’re dealing with a concern about whether recruiters are passing you up, get out in front of it. Demonstrate in your resume and social media presence that you are engaging in the latest AI connected to your area of expertise. Authentically engage with where your industry is headed. How are you showing up online? What are you commenting on. How are you showing up in the workplace? What are you controlling to set yourself up for success?”
Recent data from LinkedIn shows that job candidates are submitting more applications than ever before, with nearly 40% applying to a higher number of positions. However, they are receiving fewer responses, leading to increased frustration. On the employer side, human resources professionals report that only 27% of applications meet all the required criteria, causing gridlocks in the candidate pipeline.
Many applicants are mass applying to multiple jobs at one time because the technology has made it easier than ever. But if you want to stand out, you should take the time to ensure your resume and cover letter legitimately match the requirements of the job posting. Take the time tailor them and connect the dots between what you bring to the table and what the job requires.
Fano shares that, “We all need to think as marketers when it comes to our career. Packaging and positioning are key. Historically, it’s I have my one resume, and I send it to everyone. But companies are getting more specific with their needs. The more you can present yourself as that specific solution, the better chances you’ll have to be a match. That means showing that you’re willing to put in the effort. Convey that you care. The little things, like thank you letters and personal connection, still matter.”
