It’s harder to find a job this year, especially a corporate position

Minnesota needs workers. There’s a worker shortage.

So why can it be so hard to find a job, especially if you’re looking at one of Minnesota’s corporate offices?

The truth is, it depends on the field you’re in. Economic uncertainty has employers in several areas pulling back on hiring.

It makes an already challenging task all the more daunting, both experts and job seekers say.

However, employment experts say there are strategies you can use to thrive, even in an uncertain market, and land the job.

Minnesota’s job market is generally on par with or slightly above the national average for growth, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).

Angelina Nguyen, director of the Labor Market Information Office, said Minnesota has the sixth highest labor force participation in the nation.

“We’re about 6 percent higher than the national labor force participation rates, which is good,” she said.

That makes for a healthy labor force, she said.

The state also has an aging workforce and still is about one-on-one between people looking for jobs and employers looking for new workers.

“Education and health services have consistently been the leaders in job growth, both over the month and over the year, for many years now,” Nguyen said. “And that is mostly because we have an aging population, and therefore we have more demand for jobs in nursing homes or personal care systems.”

Yet there is a visible pullback overall.

Kyle O’Keefe, district director for the recruiting company Robert Half, said employers are hesitant to put out more job openings at the moment because of economic uncertainty.

“There’s just a lot of uncertainty in the market when it comes to the economics and the tariffs and just the political landscape that‘s going on right now” O’Keefe said. “So there is just a lot of pause or what I would call measured type activity with all organizations, and that‘s not specific to industry.”

Julia Toothacre, a career coach who previously worked in college career services, said the corporate market is particularly difficult.

“It’s what we call an employer market, where there are more candidates than jobs available,” Toothacre said. “I haven’t seen it like this since 2008, and even back then it wasn’t this bad.”

This might not be the time to find something new or enter a new field, Toothacre said, because you’ll need to lean on your experience and connections.

“If you have a well-established and active network of professionals, I think you could get a position within four to six months because hiring timelines can be a few months,” she said. “Without strong connections, we’re seeing up to a year or more.”

Job boards and online platforms like LinkedIn are still good places to start, said Art Larsen, DEED’s job service field director for the CareerForce program.

CareerForce offers a job board for all industries and parts of the state, Larsen said. Employers can post job listings for free.

Also use job fairs to generate leads and network with company representatives, experts said.

Toothacre said new graduates — and even those a few years out — should also take advantage of their university’s career readiness offices.

“That is [where you will find] your most targeted entry-level early career opportunities,” she said. “People will go to those schools specifically to recruit from them.”

Networking is key, she said. Use your current connections to build new connections. If you went to college, take advantage of your school’s alumni network.

“A referral will go a lot further than a cold email,” Toothacre said.

Also research and go to networking events, she said.

“People are craving that connection, so in-person events are a great opportunity to expand your network,” Toothacre said. “If you don’t want or can’t do in-person, look for online groups.”

When submitting job applications, Larsen said it is important to be aware of what skills an employer is looking for and to tailor your relevant experience to fit a job posting.

Using the employer’s language to fit your skills will help you land an interview.

“They’re required to compare what‘s on the job posting to what they see on the résumé, and if it‘s not worded the same, they’re highly likely to go on to another applicant that may have the same skills but took the time to customize their résumé to make it really stand out,” Larsen said.

Larsen said applicants applying for a job through LinkedIn should avoid using the “quick apply” function, because it takes information already on your profile and puts it on an application. While this makes it easier to apply, your LinkedIn profile is probably not well tailored to a specific job description, making it more likely your application will be put aside.

“Even though it takes more time, I really suggest going through the full application process if it allows for them to,” Larsen said.

This year, it’s even more important to prioritize jobs that fit the natural progression of your career, Toothacre said.

“Recruiters and hiring managers want candidates to be able to hit the ground running as soon as they can. You don’t have to meet 100 percent of the qualifications, but if you’re at about 60 to 70 percent, go ahead and apply,” she said. “They want to see that you can grow, but that they don’t need to hold your hand.”

For new graduates, it is important to use their experiences from all aspects of their undergraduate career, including campus jobs, internships, coursework and clubs, to showcase their skills, said Emily Reinert, a career coach at the University of Minnesota.

“They’re learning all of these core competency areas, which are going to be ideal and desirable in any field that you’re going into. Those are things like critical thinking, problem solving, ethical reasoning and all of those good things that they’re learning throughout their coursework,” Reinert said.

Larsen said interviewing is a crucial time to set yourself apart from other applicants in the running. Researching the company to see how your skills fit their needs is one way to do this.

Most employers start an interview by asking the applicant to tell them about themselves, which can be difficult for people to answer because it is such an open-ended question, Larsen said. Having a scripted answer helps to zoom in on what is important to include.

“People will go on and on, talking about what drives them, what they like to do, their hobbies, their family, their church,” Larsen said.

Instead, talk about how your life and skills have prepared you for the job.

Larsen said most interview questions tend to be behavior-based, where the interviewer provides a situation and asks how the applicant would respond. Research what these may be and practice answers for them, too.

This is where an AI tool like ChatGPT might help. You can ask one of them to generate potential interview questions.

“There are AI tools built right into LinkedIn that allow you to do very similar things, to take mock interviews,” Larsen said.

CareerForce also offers mock interview opportunities to practice speaking with a real person in preparation for the actual interview.

Reinert said it is important not to sell yourself short during an interview.

“Practicing interviews is so important because some folks find it really hard to talk themselves up,” she said. “So practice talking through your skills and what you can what you can do for an organization.”

After the interview, O’Keefe said sending a thank-you note to your interviewer is a great way to set yourself apart from other applicants. Sending one via email is good, but taking the time to mail a handwritten note is even better.

Nearly one-third of employers say that thank-you note can tip the scales when comparing candidates with equal skills and experience, O’Keefe said.

“It is shocking to me how it does separate people when I get a simple email, or taking it a step further is a handwritten note that got mailed,” he said.

Rachel Hoppe was a University of Minnesota student reporter on assignment for the Minnesota Star Tribune.