Job Hunting Tips for Single Women to Land the Right Job

From The Great Resignation to The Great Depression, why is landing a job in 2025 so hard? As company layoffs continue to take hold, many job seekers are having a hard time getting their foot in the door, and once they’re in, they are struggling to stay there. So far in 2025, 8,283 employees have been laid off, and in 2024, that number was a staggering 152,104 in the tech industry alone.

Are companies fighting back? During the pandemic, corporations saw relief from the government to help with payroll bailouts and much more. This ensured that companies could continue paying their staff despite the economic downturn that had taken place, leaving many consumers to either retire, quit, or get fired for their refusal to take the vaccine. If customers can’t afford anything, who is going to spend money?

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Fast forward to today, and it’s become evidently clear, with inflation, that our government is seeking to recoup those funds—whether it’s money from PPP loans, employment benefits, tax breaks, or even that stimulus check—they’re raking it back in. Not only that, but the boomers in America are worth around $78.55 trillion, making them the wealthiest generation in the country. How? Well, things like credit scores didn’t get introduced until 1989, which means the average boomer could have worked, bought a home, and ranked in their assets without having a college education or a bloated salary.

Those entering the workforce are requiring a six-figure salary upon entry, which only just a few short years ago was highly unlikely. “When I graduated college, it was very hard to get a job. I remember we had to go to Staples and get that high-quality professional paper to print our resumes and cover letters on, then go to job fairs and present them to companies. Many companies have job fairs on their own, or they attend ones held by a third party.

Either way, presentation was everything, and not only that, we had to know a lot about the company we were interviewing for,” author Lisa K. Stephenson shares. That question, ‘Why do you want to work here?’ seems trivial in hindsight (because duh, I need to make money), but as the world shifts back to an employer’s market, it’s become quite important to note that your response could be the only thing standing between you and the ability to pay your rent next month.

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Companies are taking back control of the economy and placing the ball in their court. During the pandemic, many of us had the luxury of making demands about what kind of salary we wanted, benefits, etc., because so many people were unwilling to take the vaccine, which left many companies struggling to fill their roles or complete basic daily tasks with a skeleton crew. Well, all that did was force companies to pivot, so much so that they’ve increased prices on their basic goods to generate reserves, introduced AI into the workforce, and made communication with a hiring manager much more difficult.

We saw the shift from an open market to exclusivity when brands like The Row and Oscar De La Renta decided to only invite their customers/spenders to their fashion shows, deviating from the norm. But this type of exclusivity has now trickled its way into the workforce, with companies only aiming to hire people who have (a) shown themselves to be a loyal customer at some point or another, (b) know someone within the industry or company, or (c) qualify. But with the recent rollbacks on DEI, even with no announcement, companies will begin to heavily implement these changes.

“Why should we pay you when you know nothing about our company?” This is a valid question that, while they will never ask aloud, is something major corporations are taking into account when screening applicants. Nepotism, internal networking, and company-based knowledge are the keywords for today’s job market.

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NO MORE JOB SITES – Job sites like Indeed, Monster, and even, in some cases, LinkedIn are not good platforms for job hunting because many companies use those sites to generate backlinks to their websites or for brand awareness. Yes, those sites have become a marketing strategy because when a job seeker finds a company on there, they may venture to their website. Now, without much effort or spending, the jobseeker is familiar with this brand—one they otherwise may never have known about.

PREPARE AND PRIORITIZE – If you do happen to see a company on those sites and you've taken a look at their website and see that they have a ‘careers’ tab with a similar job posting as the one found on a job-search site, then it is safe to say they are a legit company. Now that you know this, you will want to peruse the site, take in as much information about the company as you can, and begin working on your cover letter.

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Your cover letter should include things like: full name, location (not your address), information about your experience and how it is relevant to the position you’re applying for, and information about the company. The information part is very important. If it’s a retailer, you need to include key points about your customer experience with them and how you’re looking to go from customer to employee because you want to assist them in providing excellent customer service. Or, as a customer, you see there are areas where improvements can be made and you’re willing to go above and beyond to enhance the customer experience.

If it’s a corporation or a publication, you should be familiar with the brand to some extent—maybe you’re already a subscriber, a frequent flyer, or came across their commercial at the doctor’s office. Something that attaches you to their brand and shows that you are familiar with them in some capacity. Companies will often ignore Indeed and LinkedIn applicants because they are applying with no real effort or urgency.

Yes, your time is valuable, but to a company, so are their resources, and while it’s a trade—your time for their resources—the company wants to know that their resources are going to someone who is not only qualified but genuinely interested in taking their company from point A to point B. They are looking for loyalty and someone with a good work ethic. A person who applies for a position with no cover letter, a Word doc resume, or an attachment with no body in the email is not someone who will be a good addition to the workplace.

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LAST TIP!
Respond quickly and use an email address that is specifically catered to job hunting and/or professional use. When you submit your cover letter and an HR rep replies, be sure to respond within a timely manner. If the HR rep confirms a date and time for an interview, be sure to show up at least 15 minutes early and be dressed appropriately.

If it’s in person, bring that resume on high-quality printed paper, not the basic white printing paper you get for $6.99 at Staples. No, you need that good old-fashioned Southworth Linen paper or resume paper. If it’s over Zoom, be sure to email your resume using PDF format only! You can download our Wealth Planner now for just $6.99. The planner is equipped with an interview prep checklist, goal-setting pages, and sample cover letters.

by Riley Cook