Hello 2025! Employment outlook as we start out the new year

Job Search

This year has started with a dramatic bang. I can only imagine how the rest of the year will unfold!

So, beginning with some positive news: The US economy is showing extraordinary staying power as it heads into January 2025, with persistent growth and a lively job market. The best executive resume writers are ready to help you manage these changes. We have our team in place, ready to do just that.

Here is a look at the current economic trends and employment growth patterns that define this period, heavy on stats and at-a-glance readability.
(Sources/Credit: Reuters, APNews, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Retail Federation) 

Economic Growth and Stability
The U.S. economy has maintained its growth trajectory at a reasonable clip. The economy expanded at an annual rate of 3% in the third quarter of 2024, driven by strong consumer spending and increased business investments.
This uptick is expected to continue in 2025, with estimates of 2% and 2.5% growth. However, this might be influenced by upcoming trade policies, changes in immigration, and fiscal regulations. Hold on tight!

Labor Market Performance
The labor market remains a cornerstone of our economic strength.
For December 2024, the economy added 256,000 jobs, more than the consensus forecast, and brings the total for this year to about 2.2 million. This reflects an average of 186,000 jobs added per month which is slightly below the 2023 average of 251,000. The unemployment rate stayed steady at 4.1%, reinforcing the healthy landscape of employment.

Industry-Specific Job Growth
Several key sectors have driven the gains in employment:
• Health Care: Payrolls rose by 46,000 in December, with gains in home healthcare, nursing and residential care facilities, and hospitals. The healthcare sector has averaged 57,000 jobs per month thus far in 2024, the same as the average monthly gain in 2023.
• Retail Trade: Retail added 43,000 jobs in December, after a decline in November. Gains occurred in clothing and accessories, general merchandise, and health and personal care stores. For the year, retail employment was unchanged.

Government Sector Growth
The public sector continued to chug along upwards with 33,000 jobs added in December. In 2024, government employment has added an average of 37,000 per month – (though down from a 59,000-average monthly gain posted in 2023).

Monetary Policy by Federal Reserve
The Federal Reserve has been playing an important role in shaping economic conditions. After many interest rate hikes aimed at containing inflation, the Fed started slashing rates from late 2024 onward.

However, it has been cutting at a gradual pace, a sign of how officials have acted cautiously in response to elevated inflation and a strong labor market. This is intended to keep economic growth going while sustaining price stability.

Challenges and Key Considerations
Looks good, but a few challenges persist:

  • Labor Force Participation: An aging population and lower immigration rates will result in a decreasing labor supply, which might dampen job growth in the future. The ratio of job openings to unemployed persons remains above 1:1, reflecting tight labor market conditions.
    • Sectoral Imbalances: Although a few sectors of the economy, such as health and retail, have posted strong performances in employment growth over the years, other industries within the economy have contributed negligible job creation-growth rates in areas related to information and financial services among others.

    Outlook for the Economy in 2025

    Most forecasters are very optimistic about the outlook of the US economy in 2025.

While there are challenges, the general outlook remains positive for ongoing job creation and economic growth in the months ahead. So, get your resume and LinkedIn in order and create a strong and strategic job search plan. If you need help, let me know.  

One Fast Way To Evaluate Your Resume

Resume Keywords

one fast way to evaluate your resume
If your resume is not getting the results you’d expect based on your skills and experience, maybe it needs to be evaluated. All the information could be perfect; perfectly bland. Here’s a fast way to evaluate your resume, and it’s based on the way it will be evaluated when it reaches that VIP looking for someone to fill a position:
Pick up your resume and scan it for 30 seconds, then cover it and write down what you remember. 
Actually, thirty seconds might be longer than most HR people look at it, but they have developed serious speed reading skills. What do you remember about your resume? What stands out?
Now consider that your resume is something you are familiar with — and it was probably hard to remember what you said about yourself. Imagine what it’s like to read through hundreds of resumes in an attempt to find the best candidates to call in for interviews! These people don’t know you, and they do know what they need in the position.

Be Memorable and Consistent

The keywords that need to be there are the words used in the job ad, because that’s what they are looking for. But you are offering a unique spin on that because of your individuality. Build on that uniqueness by presenting yourself with synonyms of those keywords where it’s appropriate and keep a consistency throughout your resume by answering the question in their mind:
Why should I hire you?
Another way to say the same thing is, “who are you and what do you bring to this position?” If the answer to the question in their mind isn’t obvious, then you need to work on your resume until it can answer that question with fast and clear.
 

Executive Resumes Don't Brand Themselves

Executive Resumes

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At least twice a week clients will ask me if their resumes have enough branding–specifically, executive branding. Does their resume accurately reflect their expertise and what they are recognized for? Can I tell what their brand might be? Usually, my answer to these questions is NO.
Your executive brand doesn’t always speak for itself, especially if your resume is basically a job description of what you’ve been doing. No, you have to sprinkle aspects of your brand throughout your resume and let your reader know who you are.

How Do You Make Your Brand Stand Out on Your Resume?

Your brand is something that makes you uniquely you. You’ve had a steady career progression and along the way have honed your skills, learned new things, and carved out a name for yourself. You have distinguished yourself from others this way. You’ve also used your qualities to guide you to the next level in your career.
A brand is an evolution of where you are today. It communicates your value to the reader. Have you Googled yourself lately? What comes up in the searches next to your name? That will help you realize your brand.
To represent your brand on your executive resume, make a list of 5-10 strengths and personal attributes that describe you. Are these strengths and attributes on your resume? If a reader were to glance at your resume, would they be able to tell within 10-20 seconds what your brand is, who you are, and what you bring to the table? Is the first half of your resume selling the reader on your brand?
I know sometimes this can feel like a difficult thing to do. Many of our clients tell us they have this information but are unsure of how to incorporate that into their resume. There is help for that. There are many talented executive resume writers who specialize in executive branding and can walk through it with you. Whether you hire someone to help you with that or do it yourself, the most important thing is that your resume is infused with your unique brand.

Executive Resume Branding

Executive ResumesResume Writing

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If you aren’t living under a rock, you have been hearing lots of buzz about “branding“. So, what exactly IS branding and how will it help my executive resume? What will it do for me?
With the tight job market today, and thousands of qualified senior level candidates, employers can afford to be picky. How do you get to the top of the pile? How are you going to stand out? Your brand.
Your personal brand is the promise of the value you bring to the company. Your unique-ness. What makes you, you.
Think “Heinz”. When I say that, what immediately comes to mind? Ketchup. You know exactly what it will look like, taste like, smell like, etc. Heinz’ brand offers the promise of tomatoe-y goodness on a french fry or hot dog, right?
It’s more about action, rather than words. What you can do for the company? I talk to my clients about that all the time. In promoting your executive brand on your resume, you are stating to the company, “This is who I am, these are what my strengths are, and this is what I can do for you.” You have to uncover your assets and cultivate them in order to drive credibility and increase your professional/executive presence.
There is so much to be gained from branding your executive resume for the job search. One of the main reasons I like branding resumes is because there is no guesswork involved in what the person does, what their strengths are, and what they are recognized for. Any recruiter out there would agree– there is nothing worse than getting a resume that has no identifiable statements at first glance of what they do– you have to read line by line halfway down the page to figure out, “Ohhhhh, they are Senior VP at the firm, OK.”
I will get more into executive branding in future posts– how it can help you: increase your visibility and online presence, differentiate you from your peers, help you achieve professional success, realize how people will be drawn to you, want to follow/listen to you, and more.
So, in the mean time, dig deep, discover what makes you tick– your strengths, drive, and interests– and start building your brand.