Job market is trash right now, career coach says — heres why

CEO confidence plummeted in the second quarter of 2025, seeing its largest quarterly decline on record dating to 1976, according to a survey by The Conference Board. Uncertainty around geopolitical instability, trade and tariff policy were the largest business risks, according to Roger Ferguson Jr., the groups chair emeritus.

The share of CEOs expecting to expand their workforce fell slightly, to 28% in Q2 from 32% in Q1, and the share planning to cut their workforce rose 1 point, to 28%.

“The steady erosion in the US job market cannot continue forever — at some point, there will just not be much left to give,” Cory Stahle, an economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab, wrote in an analysis Friday.

“In a low-hiring, slow-growth environment, employers can only hold onto their existing employees for so long before they too will have to be let go — increasing unemployment even as job opportunities continue to shrink,” Stahle wrote.

Dont underestimate personal connections

Dont underestimate the “power of personal connections” to help get noticed in a competitive job market like this one, said Woodruff-Santos, the career coach.

Her No. 1 piece of advice: Make yourself “uncomfortable” in order to network and build professional relationships.

“You need to put yourself in situations where you may not know everybody, you may not know one person, where you may actually need someone to give you a bit of a helping hand, and to feel confident and OK doing that,” Woodruff-Santos said.

If you‘re pushed to accept a job you don’t love to make ends meet, make a plan to keep current in the field to which you aspire, she said.

In other words, build the skills that will eventually help you get that job, perhaps by taking a training course, getting a certificate or doing contract work, she said. Also, consider joining a professional organization, putting yourself in the same room as people in your desired field and with whom you can connect, she said.

These steps raise your chances of getting attention from future employers and keeping your skills sharp, Woodruff-Santos said.

She also had some words of encouragement.

“The job market has been trash before,” she said. “It‘ll be trash again. This probably won’t be your first trash job market. And youre going to be OK.”