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Hey There!

Welcome to Issue #170 of Jobseeking is Hard!

Today's issue is brought to you by Deel! If you're a free subscriber and value our content, it costs $0 to support us by clicking the ad and checking out the service. Show our sponsor some love for supporting Jobseeking is Hard! Thanks!

Happy Wednesday!

Last week, I wrote about why your resume matters more than ever in a bad economy. But if your resume matters so much right now, are you screwed if you have to take bridge roles or gig work just to pay the bills?

Most people don’t have the option to wait around for the “right” job. Rent doesn’t care about your career plan. The grocery bill keeps showing up. Health insurance doesn’t get cheaper because the market is bad.

A lot of people are taking whatever work they can get just to stay afloat. That doesn’t mean your career is doomed. But it does mean this part of the job search gets more complicated.

That’s what I want to talk about this week. Not whether you should take the work you need (food and shelter are good!), but how to frame it on a resume so a short-term need doesn’t cause long-term repercussions.

I’ll also share how a Comprehensive Resume Review client, now on the hiring side, learned to think differently about resume relevance and focus…and why that shift matters in this market.

This week we’re talking about:

• Resumes and the work you take just to get by

• How hiring managers actually evaluate resumes

• The best (worst?) job posting of the week

And for Premium subscribers I’m:

• Debunking a claim about what your resume file name says about you

• Answering a Premium subscriber’s question about why they’re getting recruiter interest for the wrong roles. I’ll explain how hiring managers use the job posting as a rubric and how your resume signals what you should be hired to do next.

Let’s get to it!

SURVIVAL JOBS & YOUR CAREER

When people talk about bridge roles or gig work, the conversation usually turns simplistic and loses all nuance. It gets reduced to social media-style advice about whether you should list the work or leave it off, whether it helps or hurts, whether recruiters will "get it." That framing skips over how resumes actually get read in the real world.

A lot of people overthink this because there's a real sense of shame around it. Taking this kind of work can feel like proof you weren't good enough to land a career role. Like you failed, and now you have to explain yourself. That feeling is what pushes people to hide the work, downplay it badly, or make resume choices that end up hurting their chances of landing the roles they actually want.

Most people aren't taking bridge roles or gig work because they want to. They're doing it because they have to. And that's extremely common right now. Trying to pretend the work didn't happen, or treating it like a liability, usually creates more confusion than clarity.

The reality is that this work belongs on your resume. Hiring teams generally don't look down on it. They understand the market. They know people are doing what they need to do to stay afloat. What matters is how the work fits into the larger story your resume is telling.

That doesn't mean you need to lead with it. Your resume should still be focused on where you're trying to go next. Your summary, key achievements, and relevant experience should point clearly toward your long-term goals. Bridge work and gigs can be included without taking over the narrative.

One way people handle that is by separating the work. Instead of forcing everything into a single experience section, short-term or survival work can live in its own section, "Additional Experience," below your "Professional Experience," which focuses on your career. The work is acknowledged and visible, but the core of the resume stays focused on the experience you want hiring teams to evaluate most closely. You want your relevance and value proposition for your "career roles" to be immediately obvious, even if it's not what you're currently up to.

The other piece that often gets missed is how that work is described. Too many people list a gig role with a title and a vague sentence or two, which doesn't help anyone. What matters isn't the label on the role. It's the skills you're using while you're there.

Stakeholder management. Communication. Problem solving. Managing expectations. Working through ambiguity. Owning outcomes with limited support. Those skills don't disappear just because the role is temporary or outside your long-term plan. In many cases, they're being used more intensely in survival work than they ever were in a more comfortable role. If you include bridge work or gig work on your resume, it should reinforce the capabilities you want to be hired for next. Focus on how you operate and the value you bring, not just the job title. That's how short-term work stays aligned with a longer-term trajectory.

There's no shame in doing what you need to do to keep a roof over your head. The goal isn't to justify it or explain it away. The goal is to make sure your resume still tells a clear, intentional story about who you are as a professional and where you're headed next.

Have a topic you want me to cover in an upcoming issue? Reply or email [email protected] and tell me what you want to know!

SHAMELESS PLUG

If your job search needs a little more help, Karpiak Consulting offers resume and LinkedIn services, as well as job search strategy coaching.

Who knows…maybe you’ll learn how to frame your experience for the roles you’re targeting like this client 🤷‍♂️

So what did I do to make this Comprehensive Resume Review client feel like they made a good investment?

Perspective.

One thing this client called out that really matters is that the biggest takeaway wasn’t just on the jobseeker side. It was what they learned after becoming a hiring manager.

Specifically, how to identify which candidates actually make sense for a role instead of taking shots in the dark based on a long list of experience.

That shift is important.

When you’re on the hiring side, you’re not evaluating someone’s background in general. You’re not grading how impressive their overall career looks. You’re comparing resumes against a very specific need…the job posting. You’re scanning for clear signals that someone matches this role, at this level, right now.

That’s why resumes that read like a general history tend to struggle. They force the reader to interpret what the candidate is good at, what’s relevant, and how their experience maps to the role. As a hiring manager, you don’t have time for that. You move on to the resumes that make the match obvious.

The resumes that work better apply the same principles hiring managers use when they’re screening. They’re focused. They’re intentional. They make it clear what role the candidate is targeting and why their experience supports that decision, without asking the reader to connect the dots.

That’s the mindset I try to teach in resume reviews. Not just what to change on the page, but how hiring managers actually evaluate resumes so your experience gets read the way you intend it to be read.

If you’re feeling like your resume isn’t telling your story the way it should and don’t know how to frame your experience, our services can help. 

BEST (WORST?) JOB POST

OF THE WEEK

Here’s the job post that got the most people talking on my Instagram this week!

well played

If you come across an irritating job posting, email it to the newsletter or DM me on Instagram and I’ll add it to the list to post!

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PREMIUM SUBSCRIBER QUESTION

“I’m getting some recruiter interest, but it’s not for the kinds of roles I actually want. I can’t tell if that’s just the market or if something about my resume is steering people in the wrong direction. How do you usually diagnose that?”

Check out the Premium Section below for my answer! Not a Premium Subscriber? Upgrade here: www.JobseekingIsHard.com/upgrade

Why upgrade? For less than $0.63/day, you get:

• Subscriber-Only Discounts: Get exclusive promo codes for Karpiak Consulting services, available only to Premium subscribers. Whether you're updating your resume, need a LinkedIn profile review, or want expert help tailoring your applications, these occasional discounts make expert support more accessible.

• Extra Tips & Advice: Gain exclusive insights, strategies, and advice from a recruiter with over 20 years of experience in the field. Discover what hiring managers truly value and how to stand out at every step of your job search.

• Access to Previous Issues: Explore a library of knowledge with all 100+ past issues of the newsletter. Each edition is packed with proven strategies, practical advice, and real-world jobseeking stories to give you an edge in today’s competitive job market. From resume tips to handling tough interview questions, you’ll find answers to every challenge.

• Exclusive Q&A: Have questions about your job search? Premium subscribers can ask Adam directly! Questions will be featured in upcoming issues, with detailed answers tailored to real-world scenarios, ensuring you get the guidance you need.

• Bonus Content: As part of your Premium subscription, you’ll receive 20 additional job search tips delivered to your inbox over the next 20 days. This includes advice on avoiding common mistakes and maximizing your job search strategy to land interviews faster.

Jobseekers, have a great rest of your week, and good luck with those applications!

-Adam

PS!! If you're enjoying the newsletter, let people know! Forward it, post it on social, tag me, whatever...the bigger the discussion, the better! The idea is to help as many people as possible!

About Adam- Recognized as a leading voice on hiring and workplace trends, Adam has been recruiting and providing career advice since 2003, developing high-trust relationships based on honesty with companies and jobseekers. A highly sought-after speaker, he has appeared in numerous outlets, including Bloomberg News, Business Insider, LinkedIn, and CNNMoney. You can find out more about Adam's resume and coaching services here.

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