Bad news and good news for job seekers.
First, the bad news. More than 7.6 million Americans are now unemployed after the March 6, 2026, federal jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed the economy unexpectedly lost 92,000 jobs in February, pushing the unemployment rate to 4.4%.
For many job hunters, the biggest frustration isn’t just finding openings, it’s applying for jobs and never hearing back from employers.
That’s the view of nationally recognized career counselor Robin Ryan, the bestselling author of 60 Seconds & You’re Hired.
The good news is: “People are still getting hired every day when they use the right strategy,” Ryan said in a recent phone interview.
“Whenever layoffs rise, people panic and start applying to everything, sending out a hundred resumes,” said Ryan. “Ironically, that’s often the slowest way to get hired. The people who land jobs fastest focus on targeted companies, effective networking, and a resume that clearly shows results.”
Ryan is a career counselor, author, speaker, and job-search expert known for helping professionals improve resumes, prepare for interviews, and land new jobs. She has been a widely cited expert on career development and hiring practices for several decades.
In the past 30 years, Ryan has coached more than 8,000 job seekers on resumes, interviews, LinkedIn profiles, and job search strategies. Ryan has appeared on thousands of TV and radio shows, including “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” "Dr. Phil," CNN, and NBC Nightly News.
Ryan said many unemployed workers rely on outdated job-search tactics that delay their return to work.
The Fastest Way to Land A Job Now
According to Ryan, these are the top five ways to get hired now:
Resume. “It must scream accomplishments and results. Instead, many people’s work histories have generic job descriptions, and even worse, if AI wrote them.”
LinkedIn profile. “It is as important as your resume, though many job hunters ignore this, so recruiters don’t find them.”
Don’t let AI do the search for you. “This is becoming one of the worst errors because they use AI to write a poor resume and weak cover letters that employers recognize as AI-generated and discard, so their resume never ends up in the recruiter’s hands.”
Take control of the interview from the start. To answer the “Tell me about yourself?” question, Ryan recommends they use her 60 Second Sell technique, which is a strategic elevator pitch on steroids. She recommends job seekers research and deliver a five-point agenda that ties the employer’s challenges with their skills.
Apply with a referral. ”This is the magic bullet. It guarantees your resume will get reviewed. About 50% of people with a referral land the job. This is the kind of networking, though, that few know how to do.”
Ryan said, “Behind every unemployment statistic is a real person worried about what comes next. But even in today’s challenging job market, people using the right approach will significantly shorten a job search.”
Ryan is one of America’s leading career experts and the bestselling author of 60 Seconds & You’re Hired!. She writes a career column for Forbes. She has appeared on more than 3,500 television and radio programs nationwide.
Henry DeVries is the author of 20 books and is the publisher/partner of Indie Books International, Inc. in Oceanside, CA.
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