It can be hard to get a job, especially right now it is difficult to land a job as the market has changed.
There are significantly fewer jobs available for both permanent and temporary positions.
But, this article will provide you with tips and advice to help you stay motivated.
Falling Job Vacancies
The current market, with fewer jobs available, is in stark contrast to what we saw during the Great Resignation (a term coined by Anthony Klotz), where there appeared to be a spike in the number of people quitting their jobs in 2021 that started before the pandemic.
According to a survey by KPMG and REC, vacancies for permanent jobs in the UK declined at their fastest pace for four years in January 2025.
The survey also shows that temporary vacancies fell in December 2024, and the labor market had been slowing down in 2024.
The U.S. has also seen the number of job openings fall.
In October 2024, this dropped to 7.4 million versus 7.9 million in September 2024.
Jobs in healthcare and government agencies also saw a lot of losses (the latter may be due to the election).
According to Newsweek, the number of Americans leaving their jobs dropped to its lowest since August 2020, but the number of layoffs increased.
There may be fewer Americans leaving their jobs voluntarily because they are more satisfied with their jobs.
According to Pew Research, half of U.S. workers are happy with their jobs, and 38% are somewhat satisfied.
There are 12% who are not satisfied with their job. Those who are self-employed (60%) are more likely to be highly satisfied than those who are not self-employed.
11 Tips To Get A Job In Marketing in 2025
Employers can now be more picky about who they hire. So, how can you make sure you land your job this year?
Here are my tips from my experience of looking for a job in this current climate.
1. Be Patient
Securing a job will take longer, unfortunately.
Data from recruiting software company iCIMS, a recruiting software company, said that the average time it takes to fill a role is seven weeks.
A friend of mine in Australia applied to 74 jobs over a 4-month period, but they only heard back from 27 – just 36% of companies responded.
Some job sites state they will not get back to you (such as the recruitment site called Seek in Australia). But, there were some jobs where after making a presentation it took two months to be told they were not successful.
Candidates are not happy about waiting so long.
Hays recruitment firm in the UK carried out a survey of 11,900 employers and employees in March 2024.
It found that only 18% of candidates believe three rounds of interviews are acceptable, and 6% are willing to wait more than a week to hear back from the company after the final interview. This means candidates want to hear back from potential employers quickly.
2. Build On What You Know. Don’t Try To Get Into A New Sector Without Experience
The market is already tough. Do not try to “pivot” as people may have done during the pandemic.
Focus on your skills. Do the job you want to get.
For example, if you want to do a podcast in your next job, create your own YouTube show.
I started Tea Time SEO during the pandemic, and I really enjoyed it. Then, in November 2023, Mike asked me to co-host SEO Office Hours.
The show did not give me a new job, but it did help me market myself and allowed me to learn a new skill, which I feel more confident in applying in my new job.
3. Make Yourself Stand Out: Building Your Brand Is Key
According to iCiMS, in March 2024, there were 43 job applications per opening in the UK and EMEA, which is 44% higher than in February 2023.
Competition is fierce, so focus this year on building your brand.
If you do not know how to start your personal brand or what is your brand, have a friend or former colleague help you.
Brainstorm first what you want to be known for and have a neutral person (not your family) write down what they think your brand is all about.
4. Network
Make the most of your contacts. Go to networking events in your sector.
According to Money.co.uk, among the 2,000 people surveyed, 40% secured a job through networking. This is particularly true for Millennials. 50% of those who took part in the survey landed their job through networking.
5. LinkedIn
Do not be afraid to ask others for help. There is no shame in posting on LinkedIn if you are looking for work.
Globally, more than 220 million people used the “open to work” banner on Linkedin in January 2025, which is 35% higher than it was in January 2024.
I posted on LinkedIn that I was looking for work, and I have seen far more people do this in 2025 and 2024 than in previous years.
Posting that I was looking for work led me to others sharing the type of job I was after and also meant my current employer reached out to me.
6. Refresh Your CV
A friend of mine in Australia applied for 74 jobs between November 2023 and March 2024. They managed to secure a job after having their CV reviewed and amended.
Ideally, a CV should be no more than two pages and highlight the key achievements in the role you are applying for.
Many CVs describe what you did at the job, for example, managed the content on the website, created a PR campaign.
Instead, try to show the results. For example “I doubled the content on the news section and increased downloads by 40% over the space of 12 months.”
“I created and launched a PR campaign that drove 3,000 unique visits in one day, which was 75% more than what was seen in previous campaigns.”
7. Try Not To Do Too Much Free Work
We have seen an increase in the amount of unpaid work during the interview process.
I know many who have done presentations, only to be then told they are not successful.
According to a LinkedIn poll, 85% of respondents said they had been asked to do unpaid work during the interview process, with 44% of them spending three to five hours and over 19% over six hours.
If a company is asking you to do free work, ask them to specify the time for the tasks and when they expect to come back to you with an answer.
8. Make A Realistic Plan
Research the types of companies you want to work for, whether they are a big brand, whether they share the same values as you, or if they are 100% remote-only companies. Make a list and plan when you will apply to them.
Try not to overload yourself by applying for 10 jobs one day and one the next. Instead, plan it out evenly over the month.
I kept a Google Sheet so I could see where and what roles I applied to and was able to follow up if I had not heard back. It helped me with my job application process.
Out of the jobs I applied to, I heard from just 40% of them.
Out of those initial replies, I then followed up but had no further contact, meaning that 30% of those who initially messaged me ghosted me. Having this Google Sheet helped me to track my progress.
If you have a plan for the number of jobs you apply to and when, it is easier to control your hours.
9. Try Not To Take Things Personally
You cannot control whether or not someone will return to you, but you can manage how you react.
Some companies will not be transparent, and some companies will not respect your time. They will not get back to you to tell you no, the position has changed, or it has been canceled.
It can help to talk to a neutral party about your experience or even colleagues or friends in the same recruitment drive position as you.
10. Join Communities
Applying for jobs can be soul-destroying. Join communities where people can also share job opportunities.
People within these communities want to help one another and support one another, and they are more than happy to pass on referrals.
However, be careful, as there are still people within the communities who are looking for help but then do not reply.
Out of the jobs I applied to within a community, where people were asking for candidates to fill a role, 56% ghosted me.
11. Get A Mentor
I started speaking with a mentor after being in my “career” for 10 years. It is probably best to do this sooner rather than later.
According to Forbes, 76% of people think having a mentor is important, but only 37% have one.
A mentee may not know where to look for a mentor, but 61% of mentor relationships have developed naturally. Therefore, there may be someone at work or an older friend who could help you.
Many mentors are happy to pass on their knowledge to others, and they found it enhanced the meaningfulness of their work.
Keep Applying, Keep Improving
My last piece of advice is not to give up. Applying for jobs is soul-destroying, and you can really feel you are not making any progress, yet you spend hours researching and applying.
However, if you give up, as we are moving so fast in digital marketing, you will be moving backward.
You are not alone and will get work, just don’t give up.
Methodology:
Please note that my research covers the U.S. and UK markets. I applied for 160 jobs from when I started making a record, which was from April 2024 until December 2024. I applied for remote jobs in the UK, the U.S., and hybrid jobs in Barcelona. I used LinkedIn to find jobs, and also through the communities I am part of.
I posted on Linkedin in October 2024 that I was looking for a full-time job and I was contacted by a few people and I now have my job because of that. It took me 8 months of looking for work to secure a full-time contract. I had started looking before April 2024 as I could see the market was slowing down, but as I was going to become a parent and take a couple of months out, I was not apply to secure a full-time role. Therefore I started the research again after my child was born.
More Resources:
- Competition In The SEO Job Market And How To Succeed
- LinkedIn Report Reveals Most In-Demand Marketing Skills
- State Of SEO 2025
Featured Image: ImageFlow/Shutterstock
