The Toxicity of Today's Business Office

The Toxicity of Today's Business Office

Has your office an incredibly unbearable place to work?  If so, do not feel alone.  Some will say it, most will not in fear of reprisals.  As most of you know, I run my own business (resume writing and LinkedIn profile writing) so I am not afraid to speak the truth, providing perspective to those who need to hear the thoughts of a neutral third party. I will be providing objective thoughts that I hope will help you get through the craziness.

I will be posting about this subject for the remainder of the week and all of next week.  Stay tuned - I will have some good content for you to mull.  

Frankly, this has been happening for some time by the "Titans of Technology" (Zuckerberg and Benioff as well as others) set the tone when in the Spring of 2020, they told employees what a wonderful job they were doing in the face of change from in-house to work from home (WFH).  They said that everybody was doing such a great job that they could work remotely forever.  That was crap and they knew it.  Productivity was never great and too much $$$ invested in real estate holdings made this HIGHLY improbably.

What they should have said is the following:

"All of you have been incredibly collaborative and diligent during this unprecedented era in world history.  I applaud your efforts and we will revisit the working environment in 90 days".

That would have been a key step to managing expectations.  It would have stopped most workers from relocating to new regions (often less expensive) since they would not have to be in the office any longer.

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Does this post add value to your business day? I post about job search best practices and issues related to the job market 2x per day M-F. Click "Follow" on my profile - Allan

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abrownresumewriter/ (posting job search advice 1 – 2x daily) 

Evaluating the Job Market - Factors affecting the Market has Effectively Stalled - Part 4

Evaluating the Job Market - Factors affecting the Market has Effectively Stalled - Part 4

Job Market Realities (Especially in the Technology Sector)

Fewer Job Openings: Total job postings for jobs in the tech sector remain down roughly 33% to 36% compared to peak pre-pandemic baselines.  That number is actually much higher given ghost posts, a practice that is notorious in the Silicon Valley.  This issue, combined with the "low hire; low hire environment) that is still highly evident (across all sectors, job titles and career experience levels, has created an epidemic known as "job hugging" - nobody is moving and most employees are getting low wage increases - creating employee disengagement.

Lastly the competitiion for jobs is high - When a role opens, hundreds of applicants—including seasoned professionals who were recently laid off—compete for the same position.  With the increase of AI driven resumes, which are unfavorably viewed by hiring managers (can be spotted via eyeballs as well as software products designed to ID AI, the job market is a complete mess.

Solution - When the Iranian War is over and their is a calming in inflation, coupled with companies willing to spend more because they can predict their cost of goods sold (COGs), then we will see a real uptick in job opportunities.

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Does this post add value to your business day? I post about job search best practices and issues related to the job market 2x per day M-F. Click "Follow" on my profile - Allan

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abrownresumewriter/ (posting job search advice 1 – 2x daily) 

Current Market Realities

Fewer Openings: Total tech job postings remain down roughly 33% to 36% compared to peak pre-pandemic baselines. [1, 2]
Low Hire, Low Fire: Massive wave-style layoffs from 2022 and 2023 have slowed down, but companies are very cautious about opening new headcount. [1]
High Competition: When a role opens, hundreds of applicants—including seasoned professionals who were recently laid off—compete for the same position

Quote: Preparation

Preparation:

One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.” – Arthur Ashe

For those of you are do not know of Arthur Ashe, "google him". A international tennis star who broke barriers like a few before him.

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Does this post add value to your business day? I post about job search best practices and issues related to the job market 2x per day M-F. Click "Follow" on my profile - Allan

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abrownresumewriter/ (posting job search advice 1 – 2x daily)

Today's Quote

 “When a great team loses through complacency, it will constantly search for new and more intricate explanations to explain away defeat. After a while it becomes more innovative in thinking up how to lose than thinking up how to win.”

― Pat Riley, The Winner Within: A Life Plan for Team Players

Evaluating the Job Market - Factors affecting the Market has Effectively Stalled - Part 3

Evaluating the Job Market - Factors affecting the Market has Effectively Stalled - Part 3

Economic and Business Caution: Given the poor economic climate caused by inflation, tariff uncertainty, geopolitical factors (Iran), changing demographics due to the crackdown on immigration and the inability to predict the cost of goods sold (COGS), not to mention the difficulty to predict AI and the relationship with productivity, business leaders are hesitant to invest in new talent.  

These factors, combined with over-hiring (esp. in tech) during the post-pandemic growth spurt, companies (for now) are doing what they can with less staff.

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Does this post add value to your business day? I post about job search best practices and issues related to the job market 2x per day M-F. Click "Follow" on my profile - Allan

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abrownresumewriter/ (posting job search advice 1 – 2x daily)

Tuesday's Quote

 “Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window. ”

― Peter Drucker

Evaluating the Job Market - Factors Affecting the Market has Effectively Stalled - Part 2

 Evaluating the Job Market - Factors affecting the Market has Effectively Stalled - Part 2

Ghost Jobs Ads: A long source of frustration for job seekers, it has come to the point for lawmakers at the state level have proposed legislation hiring posting timelines for uploading and deleting ads.  Ads stay "live" for months, esp. on LinkedIn and are never filled.  Employers cite economic uncertainty and either stop looking to fill the job, either putting the role "on hold" or rethinking the finances around the job.

Ghost jobs generally do not show up in government labor statistics, which are based on surveys that ask employers to include only jobs that could start within 30 days and for which they are actively recruiting outside candidates. In June, U.S. job openings slipped to 7.4 million, according to the Labor Department.   The number is not consistent with the number of jobs that are filled, so it is logistical to surmise that ghost posting is a real issue and not fabrication.

Source: WSJ.com - August 24th

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Does this post add value to your business day? I post about job search best practices and issues related to the job market 2x per day M-F. Click "Follow" on my profile - Allan

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abrownresumewriter/ (posting job search advice 1 – 2x daily)

Evaluating the Job Market - Factors affecting the Market has Effectively Stalled - 1st Installment

Evaluating the Job Market - Factors affecting the Market has Effectively Stalled

AI and Automation: Artificial intelligence is increasing worker productivity, allowing companies to handle more work with fewer people, which heavily impacts entry-level and white-collar support roles, especially in the technology sector.  During April 2026, according to CNN, 50% of the new jobs created came from healthcare, while the remainder came predominantly from retail, and transportation and warehousing sectors.  Technology companies, which famously overhired in 2021 - 2022, is still retrenching while trying to figure out how to properly scale AI.

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Does this post add value to your business day? I post about job search best practices and issues related to the job market 2x per day M-F. Click "Follow" on my profile - Allan

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abrownresumewriter/ (posting job search advice 1 – 2x daily)

Monday Morning Quote - Leaders / Energy

Monday Morning Quote - Leaders / Energy

“Your first and foremost job as a leader is to take charge of your own energy and then help to orchestrate the energy of those around you.” - Peter Drucker

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Does this post add value to your business day? I post about job search best practices and issues related to the job market 2x per day M-F. Click "Follow" on my profile - Allan

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abrownresumewriter/ (posting job search advice 1 – 2x daily)

Today's Quote - Change and Innovation - Peter Drucker

Change & Innovation:" Success requires taking calculated risks and letting go of old methods to make room for new ones." - Peter Drucker

Concerning your job search - If you continue to apply for jobs online via the job boards, you are lucky to get a 1-2% response rate.  Time to change and start leveraging your network to find the best new opportunities, surpass the ATS systems, which have become a black hole with unqualified candidates and AI driven resumes.

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Does this post add value to your business day? I post about job search best practices and issues related to the job market 2x per day M-F. Click "Follow" on my profile - Allan

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abrownresumewriter/ (posting job search advice 1 – 2x daily)

Summarizing Older Roles

Summarizing Older Roles

How to handle past jobs on your resume (10+ years).

You should summarize / keep brief the roles on your resume older than 10- 12 years and in most cases, omit roles that are older. 

Delete roles not related to your career

Keep jobs in the resume that show your career progression

You need to identify a balance between the skills you offer (currently used as well as past skills that could use a "brush-up" without including outdated information.

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Does this post add value to your business day? I post about job search best practices and issues related to the job market 2x per day M-F. Click "Follow" on my profile - Allan

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abrownresumewriter/ (posting job search advice 1 – 2x daily)