LinkedIn Career Experts Offer Advice On How People Can Succeed In 2023

To gain insights into what people should do to find a new job or fast-track their careers, Forbes turned to smart, experienced LinkedIn career experts to gain their sage advice, guidance and suggestions. Their collective overarching themes include having a strategy; always committing yourself to learn and update your skills; networking; personal branding and storytelling; being organized and keeping track of the job-search process; finding a good recruiter; having a crystal-clear rèsumè and LinkedIn profile; leveraging your human touch to stand out amongst the growing artificial intelligence trend and taking care of your mental health and well-being.

Last year didn’t end well for workers and job hunters. It was the beginning of the end of quiet quitting, acting your wage and the Great Resignation. Companies enacted layoffs, hiring freezes and rescinded job offers in response to runaway inflation and higher interest rates and costs.

Likely, the first few quarters of 2023 will also be challenging. Usually, the beginning of January is a time for workers and management to get acclimated to the daily routine. Headcounts and budgets are discussed. For many firms, bonuses, raises and promotions are still open items. Although the holiday season is seen as the time for vacations and personal days, many people also take off after New Years, avoiding travel congestion.

What Career Experts Say You Should Do To Get Ahead In The New Year

Paula Christensen, Rèsumè Writer And Interview Coach

“My advice is to seek out professional organizations. Professional organizations host events and meetings where individuals can get to know and connect with other members. In addition, these organizations afford learning opportunities through webinars, conferences and certification courses that help increase confidence and help them stay up-to-date on industry trends and technology. Participation in organizations also yields content for rèsumès and interview answers.”

Ed Han, Senior Recruiter

“2023 will be the year job seekers collectively embrace the power of personal branding: articulating their wins with context and with clear business impacts. A personal brand consists of who you say you are, who you manifest as and what your victories say about you.”

Kenneth Lang, Career Coach

“It is more important than ever to have your own job-search accountability team, where you can each practice and role play everything from rèsumè review to interviewing. Make sure your LinkedIn profile markets you and how your previous successes will support a future employer. Attend networking events and keep learning. Take care of yourself along the way.”

Colleen Paulson, Career Development Consultant

“With all of the talk about AI in hiring and in work in general, I think both workers and job seekers can succeed in 2023 through bringing a human touch to their work. Instead of rushing through work tasks or using AI to most quickly fill out a job application, try to think about the person on the other side of the interaction. Take time to understand the challenges that companies are facing and identify how you can solve their problems. So many people are forgetting the little things these days, so if you are interviewing, I recommend that you prepare and dress for interviews appropriately and send a personalized email after the interview to stand out.”

Cassandra Shelley, Senior Technical Talent Acquisition Partner

“It’s important to keep it simple. LinkedIn and rèsumè need to be clear, consistent and have your accomplishments, not the job description posted on your rèsumè. Rèsumès should be easy to read and tailored to the job you’re applying to, skip the fancy templates and colors. Stay organized, apply to a job and reach out to a recruiter or the hiring manager letting them know you applied to the role. But track this, there are new tools coming around to easily track the jobs you apply to. When interviewing, have your rèsumè and some notes already prepared. Answer questions using STAR format, and don’t be afraid to ask if there’s anything else they would like to know if you didn’t cover. When wrapping up your interview, don’t ask about their culture. Ask about their core values, and make sure they align to yours. Keep networking and engaging, find a mentor in the industry you're interested in and continue building your community of people who inspire you.”

Virginia Franco, Executive Career Storyteller, LinkedIn And Rèsumè Writer

“My advice is to be crystal clear on what you want and what you don’t want. Your target informs everything, from how you write your rèsumè to how you answer interview questions. Being clear on your deal breakers will ensure you don’t jump out of the frying pan and into the fire.”

Daisy Wright, Executive Career And Interview Coach

“There's always a lot of advice on how to get the job, but once you have that job or once you get the promotion, what happens next? Don't allow complacency to set in. Start thinking of how to advance in 2023 and beyond. What do you need to do? Who do you need to connect with? What skill sets do you need to learn or improve on? Who are potential mentors and sponsors I could reach out to?”

Ella Wright, Leadership Consultant And Career Development Coach

“Get clear on what type of life you'd like to create and what values and needs should be supported to achieve that vision. Then, find a role, environment and company that will provide you with what you need. When your career supports your life's vision instead of your life revolving around your career, you'll find you're open to more diverse professional experiences. Multiple roles could help you achieve your vision, and that realization will help reduce the overwhelm we experience when we limit ourselves to specific titles or roles.”

Erin Kennedy, Executive Rèsumè And LinkedIn Profile Writer

“Ready for your next role? Plan it! Having a strategic job search will save you time and stress. Build a list of 20 target companies and research them. Find five to 10 contacts who work there (use LinkedIn for this) and start up a conversation. Set up interviews or ask for referrals. Create a spreadsheet to keep track of convos and interviews. Spend Xnumber of hours a day on your job search. When you have a plan, your job search feels like it is in your control (and less like it's controlling you).”

Samantha Foster, Executive Recruiter

“Always be connecting and networking 365 days a year—not solely when you are looking for a new job. Being curious about others will help you do this naturally.”

Terrence H. Seamon, Career Coach And Senior Consultant

“Take good care of yourself. Your health, your outlook, your resilience and your well-being. Put yourself out there—on LinkedIn, in professional groups and in your community. Improve yourself via self-initiated learning. Reach out to people (especially recruiters, former bosses, mentors and coaches) and schedule calls and coffee chats. Make these four points into habits.”

Shelly Elsliger, Senior Career And Leadership Coach

“One thing that I am telling job seekers is to dig deeper to find out more about the person behind the title and how to effectively sell and market that. So many people rely on titles but very few know how to distinguish themselves because of the opportunity. In other words, storytelling is key. Start writing a story about your experience and make the title come to life. Not only does it raise confidence, it raises interest.”