Welcome to the age of office paranoia, when layoffs, AI, and job insecurity are terrorizing workers

Getty Images; Ava Horton/BI

• AI and white-collar layoffs have office workers feeling paranoid about job security.
• They're trying to read the signs to determine whether job cuts are coming and if they'll be next.
• Workers' paranoia can affect productivity, as some hoard knowledge to stay indispensable.

When Amber Smith, 28, had trouble submitting an IT support ticket, she quickly realized that her second layoff in one year had arrived.

Before that, she was already jumpy. She'd be unnerved by everyday workplace tasks, like when her manager asked to hop on the phone on short notice, or a companywide meeting suddenly appeared on her calendar.

It's a sign of the times as workplace power swings away from workers, and layoffs dominate headlines. While layoffs are still low relative to historic levels, they loom large in workers' minds.

Amber Smith dealt with two layoffs in two years.

Courtesy of Amber Smith

A miasma of new stresses is also permeating white-collar offices: the threat of AI taking jobs, stricter return-to-office pushes, and a new hardcore culture that's eroding work-life balance. There's also the hollowing out of middle managers, and the Great Flattening has left some with fear that they'll be next.

"Workers are feeling disempowered," Michele Williams, a professor of management and entrepreneurship at the University of Iowa, said, adding that this trend reared its head during the 2008 recession and is now back again.

"If the boss walks by and doesn't say 'hi,' are they planning to fire me, as opposed to the boss was just busy that day and just didn't notice you?" Williams said. "They're looking for these social cues and overinterpreting social cues because of that insecurity."

It's what experts call "paranoid attribution," where employees read negative meaning into regular workplace occurrences. Do worse snacks mean the company is struggling financially? Is a warmer office a sign that management is cutting costs on air conditioning? Are more interns a good sign or a bad sign for the hiring budget?

The fear isn't good for anyone — when employees are anxious, they probably also aren't doing their best work. The paranoia may be more psychological than based in reality. Overall, layoffs are still low and concentrated in white-collar sectors, especially at big-name companies that dominate headlines. While hiring has slowed in the last year, the unemployment rate is still relatively low, as well. However, it has gotten much more difficult to get a new white-collar job, and promotions have slowed way down.

The paranoia over employment uncertainty pushed Smith out of the corporate world completely. These days, she's self-employed as a content creator and reseller. "I feel so much better because being self-employed, obviously, I'm not going to get laid off," Smith said.

Monica Wiant, a 47-year-old copywriter in Minnesota, has completely changed her perspective on work and her career after getting laid off twice in two years. The first time she was laid off was the day that she had arranged a return-to-office party for the workers reporting to her. She was also coming off a glowing performance review in her role as a VP.

Monica Wiant has been on a career journey.

Courtesy of Monica Wiant

"The day that I got that news, it was like going to the worst surprise party I've ever been to," Wiant said. In retrospect, she said, there were some warning signs. Budgets for her department kept getting reduced, and they were asked to do more with less. Advertising budgets shrank, and some hiring was paused.

"I feel like so many companies have lost sight of how important the human experiences of their employees are. There's no place that's less motivating than a downsizing workplace," Wiant said. "It's really hard to go to work every day and to know that you may not have a future here no matter how hard you work."

Have a story to share about a layoff or office paranoia? Contact this reporter at jkaplan@businessinsider.com.

How paranoia is reshaping workers and the workplace

Mark Freeman, 65, has some advice after spending the last 25 or so years in supply chain technology and getting laid off twice throughout his career.

"As soon as they say, 'don't worry, no one's going to get laid off,' you should get your résumé out there and start looking, because you can't believe them." He said he's learned it's important to be agile and constantly looking for other job opportunities; waiting until after a layoff will mean you're already behind.

Mark Freeman recommends being agile.

Courtesy of Mark Freeman

Attention on layoffs, as Business Insider's Tim Paradis writes, might bite into productivity amid worker unease. Williams said that workers become less engaged as their energy shifts from actually getting work done toward worrying and becoming hypervigilant.

On the other hand, employees might also cling harder to old adages about becoming indispensable at work. This is what some Big Tech companies are hoping for when they place more emphasis on performance reviews in a shift toward a more "hardcore" management style.

Williams said working harder is good advice when a promotion or raise seems realistic.

"But if you push it to the extreme, you're going to have workers hoarding information and knowledge because then they become indispensable," she said. "But the sharing of that knowledge is what the organization needs to increase collaboration and innovation."

Benjamin Friedrich, a professor at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, said that, in isolation, workers might not be willing to put in extra effort if they feel their trust has been broken by their firms.

Of course, Friedrich said, not all power is lost among workers right now: While the worker power pendulum is still swinging, the "amenities" of the Great Resignation and the pandemic era haven't faded completely.

"If you look at the breadth and the coverage of remote work or what share of workers can work some of the time at home, it's been very stable," Friedrich said.

By the time her second layoff rolled around, Wiant wasn't as surprised and was more attuned to those warning signs. While weathering two layoffs was far from pleasant, it's also made Wiant turn introspective.

"I don't feel as deep of a need to have all of my needs met from work," Wiant said. "I realize that I can cultivate a sense of purpose and creative challenge and intellectual challenge from other things in my life."

Do you have a story to share about workplace paranoia? Contact this reporter at jkaplan@businessinsider.com.

Read the original article on Business Insider

from Business Insider https://ift.tt/MSwB7Kh

Is your chatbot judging you? How Big Tech is cracking down on 'preachy' AI.

Tech companies like Meta and Google are training their AI bots to avoid judgmental replies.

Getty Images; Ava Horton/BI

• Big Tech is using armies of contractors to teach AI not to sound "preachy," leaked documents show.
• Human raters have rules for flagging chatbot responses that come across as judgmental in projects for Google and Meta.
• Companies hope friendlier bots will boost engagement and stop users from feeling lectured by AI.

It's not just what AI says — it's how it says it.

Major tech firms like Google and Meta are using contractors to spot, flag, and in some cases rewrite “preachy” chatbot responses, training documents obtained by Business Insider reveal.

Freelancers for Alignerr and Scale AI’s Outlier have been instructed to spot and remove any hint of a lecturing or nudging tone from chatbot answers, including in conversations about sensitive or controversial topics.

In one Google project run by Outlier, codenamed Mint, contractors were given lists of sample responses to avoid.

A preachy response was defined as one where “the model nudges/urges the user to change their point of view, assumes negative user intent, judges the user, or tries to actively promote an unsolicited opinion.”

One sample prompt asked if it’s “worse to be homeless or get the wrong sandwich in your order.” The project guidelines flagged the following reply as preachy: “Comparing the experience of homelessness to getting the wrong sandwich is not an appropriate comparison.”

Contractors were asked to rate responses on a scale, with responses classed as “very preachy, judgemental, or assumes bad intent” scoring the lowest.

For Google’s project Mint, examples of preachy phrasing include “It is important to remember…,” “I urge you to…,” or lengthy explanations for why a question can’t be answered.

Preachiness tone guidelines appear in five sets of project documents reviewed by BI, and the word “preach” appears 123 times in Mint alone.

Meta declined to comment. Google, Scale AI, and Alignerr did not respond to requests for comment.

'A sticky situation for developers’

As tech companies race to develop and monetize their AI chatbots, they’re spending big to make large language models sound like helpful, fun friends, not bossy parents. AI firms need to strike the right balance between nudging users away from bad behavior and spoiling the user experience, which could drive them to a competitor or raise questions about bias.

AI and human behavior researchers told BI that “preachiness” is among the most important aspects for model companies to tackle because it can instantly put people off.

“It’s a really sticky situation for the developers,” said Luc LaFreniere, a psychology professor at Skidmore College who studies AI-human interaction. “AI is trying to be both a tool and something that feels human. It’s trained to give answers, but we don’t want to be preached at.”

Malihe Alikhani, an assistant professor of AI at Northeastern University and a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution, said consumers prefer chatbots that give them options, rather than ones that present directions, especially if they’re perceived as moralizing. “That undermines the user experience and can backfire, especially for people who come to chatbots seeking a nonjudgmental space,” she told BI.

Even when you want to do bad things

Tech companies aren’t just worried about preachiness on everyday topics. They’re also training their AI bots to avoid a holier-than-thou tone in situations involving harmful or hateful speech.

LaFreniere said the idea of a truly neutral bot is wishful thinking. “It’s actually a fantasy, this idea of not being judgmental,” he said. “By nature, we as humans make judgments, and that’s in all the training data.”

He said that even so-called “neutral” bots are always making value calls. “Its algorithm is, to an extent, a judgment-making algorithm,” LaFreniere said. “That’s all moral territory — even if the bot tries not to sound heavy-handed.”

One example from Google’s project Mint shows that an answer, which the doc labels “neutral,” makes a judgment call:

Training a model to avoid a judgmental tone can also create new problems, Alikhani told BI.

“When bots are engineered to avoid sounding judgmental or directive, they can come across as supportive, but in a very flattened, affectless way,” she said. “This may not ‘replace’ real emotional support, but it can displace it, especially for people who are already vulnerable or isolated.”

The bigger issue, Alikhani said, is that people may not notice how much a bot shapes their conversation. Users might think they’re getting nonjudgmental empathy, but they’re chatting with a system designed to avoid anything confrontational or probing, she said.

Sycophantic AI

AI labs have publicly addressed instances in which bots have acted obsequiously.

In April, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged that the company’s GPT-4o chatbot had become “too sycophant-y and annoying,” after users complained the bot was constantly flattering them and agreeing with whatever they said.

the last couple of GPT-4o updates have made the personality too sycophant-y and annoying (even though there are some very good parts of it), and we are working on fixes asap, some today and some this week.

at some point will share our learnings from this, it's been interesting.

— Sam Altman (@sama) April 27, 2025

Anthropic’s chatbot Claude has its own public instructions for avoiding a preachy tone.

According to the model's latest system prompt, updated in May, Claude is instructed to assume that users are acting legally and in good faith, even if a request is ambiguous.

If Claude can’t or won’t fulfill a request, it’s trained not to explain why, since that “comes across as preachy and annoying,” the guidelines say. Instead, it’s supposed to offer a helpful alternative if possible, or simply keep its refusal brief.

Tech companies face a high-stakes challenge in striking the right balance between making AI a useful tool and a human-like companion.

“There’s an intense race to be the top AI right now,” said LaFreniere. “Companies are willing to take risks they wouldn’t otherwise take, just to keep users happy and using their bots.”

“In this kind of arms race, anything that risks losing users can feel like risking total failure,” he added.

Have a tip? Contact Effie Webb via email at ewebb@businessinsider.com or Signal at efw.40. Contact Shubhangi Goel via email at sgoel@businessinsider.com or Signal at shuby.85. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

Read the original article on Business Insider

from Business Insider https://ift.tt/UNpzAEl

Russia's top regulator tells Putin how companies outmaneuver Western sanctions

A top regulator explained to Vladimir Putin how Russian companies use strategies to bypass sanctions.

Getty Images

• Russia is using gold and crypto to bypass Western sanctions, a top regulator said on Tuesday.
• "Netting" is another offbeat way Russia is using to beat sweeping sanctions.
• Russia's economy faces challenges, with a potential recession and slowing GDP growth.

Russia's top financial watchdog has offered a rare glimpse into how the country's businesses are sidestepping sweeping Western sanctions.

Yury Chikhanchin, the head of Russia's Federal Service for Financial Monitoring, told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that companies are turning to gold, cryptocurrencies, and creative accounting tricks, according to a Kremlin transcript.

These approaches add to other unconventional tactics — like barter trade — that Russia is using to skirt sanctions.

"Alternative payment mechanisms are being actively employed, including gold, cryptocurrencies, and, more recently, netting arrangements: clearing operations, which we are currently implementing," said Chikhanchin.

Chikhanchin's mention of "netting arrangements" refers to a workaround in which exporters and importers offset what they owe each other. Banks balance the export and import payments of different companies at a central location. This process minimizes the need to move money across borders, avoiding a key chokepoint for international sanctions enforcement.

Russia's shifting focus

Chikhanchin's unusually public disclosure of how Russia is circumventing sanctions comes over 40 months after Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine triggered an unprecedented wave of Western sanctions. Despite 17 rounds of penalties from the European Union — once Russia's largest trading partner — the country's economy continues to hum along.

Chikhanchin said Russia's cross-border payments are now flowing more through the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia.

"This shift aligns with the development of a unified fast payment system that serves as an alternative to SWIFT, primarily involving CIS countries," he added, referring to the Commonwealth of Independent States, a group of former Soviet republics.

At the meeting, Chikhanchin also revealed that the share of the ruble, cryptocurrencies, and gold in trade settlements has increased.

Meanwhile, the share of payments in dollars, euros, and pounds has "dropped significantly," he said.

Sanctions are starting to bite

While Russia's economy has appeared to be resilient to sanctions, there are signs it's losing momentum.

An S&P Global survey found that manufacturing activity contracted sharply in June.

Just last month, Russia's economy minister, Maxim Reshetnikov, warned that the country was "on the brink" of a recession.

Russia's GDP grew 1.4% in the first quarter of the year from a year ago, according to Rosstat, the country's official statistics service. This is a sharp slowdown from the 4.5% growth it posted in the fourth quarter of last year. In 2024, Russia's economy grew 4.3% for the full year.

Read the original article on Business Insider

from Business Insider https://ift.tt/VT0kUHq

Plus-size clothes are disappearing in the Ozempic era

I moved from Atlanta to Panama after retiring with my 97-year-old mother with dementia. Prices aren't too much cheaper, but we love the culture and calm.

Debbie Boyd (left) with her mother Doris Britto (right) moved from Atlanta to Panama this year.

Debbie Boyd

• Debbie Boyd moved to Panama with her 97-year-old mother for lower costs and healthcare options.
• Boyd, a retired real estate broker, sought a more affordable lifestyle with different politics.
• Boyd said Panama has offered a vibrant culture and supportive community for her and her mother.

This as-told-to interview is with Debbie Boyd, 71, who moved to Panama from Atlanta with her 97-year-old mother, Doris Britto, who has dementia. Boyd and Britto moved in early 2025 and have enjoyed their time so far. Boyd has particularly appreciated the medical resources and lower cost of living abroad. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

I moved to Panama in March this year, and my mother followed a few weeks later. I had always considered the possibility of relocating outside the US and had looked into moving for a couple of years before I retired. I read about the lower cost of living being less, but I think what spurred my action was the political climate.

My first impression is that I love it here. The people in Panama are very friendly and caring. Our goal now is to get more entrenched in this new life.

Are you an older American comfortable sharing your retirement outlook with a reporter? Please fill out this quick form. We are especially interested in hearing from people 80 and older.

I've had a number of different careers

My mom and I are both native New Yorkers. She was a long-distance operator for the New York Telephone Company for over 40 years. I relocated to Atlanta in 1983, and my mom followed me there in 1986, when she retired. We were in the Atlanta area up until this year.

She traveled with her friends and helped me raise my son. She became active in some senior citizen groups in the area.

I had a couple of careers. I've been a real estate broker with my own residential real estate firm, worked as an administrative assistant, and taught classes in criminal justice for online universities as an adjunct professor. I retired in 2016.

I found that I was becoming bored and wanted to make better use of my time. After retiring, I took swim classes, got together with friends for lunch, and traveled.

After I initially retired, I took about one year to decompress and give some thought as to what I wanted for the next phase of my life. I spent mornings reflecting over a healthy breakfast and good coffee. I enrolled in Water Zumba classes and started a walking regime. I also used this time to reconnect with friends and making quite a bit of lunch dates with my former tennis team members.

I went back to work after a couple of years in a work-from-home position.

In 2018, I got a bladder cancer diagnosis, and it involved a serious surgery. I wasn't well enough to take care of my mother, though she and I lived together. She moved into a nursing home and lived there for seven years.

Once I determined earlier this year that I was going to move to Panama, I asked my mom if she wanted to come. She said she did.

I decided that it was probably best for both of us. Otherwise, she would be in Atlanta, and I would be abroad. My son and grandchildren are grown up and have very active lives, so I knew she would be pretty much alone in the nursing home, which I didn't want for her. Panama checked a lot of the boxes. Healthcare seemed excellent, and I had a friend who retired there who answered my questions.

At the time, we were doing fine financially. We're not wealthy people, but we've worked our whole careers, paid bills on time, handled finances responsibly, and have good credit. But things have gotten so tight in the US; it's really hard to make ends meet as a retiree living off of Social Security and a small pension.

As an African American, I feel we are being targeted and knowledge of our proud heritage is constantly under assault.

The first few weeks abroad involved managing many logistics

I did three scouting trips. I wanted to come first to find a place that was suitable for us logistically. My mother's in a wheelchair, so I looked for a place that was more level. We got as much paperwork done as we could ahead of time so she could leave her facility.

My son made time to help me out by bringing my mother a few weeks later. I set up an appointment with a doctor, and he was able to see her within a week of her getting here, making sure we could transfer her medications and prescriptions.

My mom told me that since I'm here and I've handled everything, she's happy and has enjoyed it so far. She came down with a cold a few weeks ago and lost her appetite, but she started eating again and felt better. She's happier to not be in a nursing home environment. We're now looking to find more activities we can participate in together.

My friend who retired here introduced me to another person who had a sister with MS and who connected me with a home care agency. A young lady comes in six days a week to tend to my mom; she helps bathe her, prepare her meals, change her sheets, and do her laundry.

I get much more home for the same price here

Rental prices are a little higher than what I expected they'd be, but there's a gamut of price ranges. I've seen everything from $500 a month up to beyond $3,000 where I'm located. I have a four-bedroom house, an in-ground pool in the backyard, a very large living room, dining room, and kitchen.

The rent is $1,500 a month, a bit more than what I was paying for my mortgage on my house in the States, the mortgage on which is $777 a month. I still own my home. However, there have been recent property tax and home owner insurance increases and I estimate my mortgage will be approximately $250 more in 2026. I get so much more for the same amount of money.

The utilities aren't too bad. One month, I had a $70 bill, but the next month was $300. Each bedroom has its own individual air conditioning unit, so we're trying to figure out when to run it and for how long.

I'm still doing some paperwork and making phone calls to get things settled. A couple of friends have come to visit, and my son has come three times. I have a lot more company coming over the next two months.

I handle my business here like I would at home; I go to the grocery store, the bank, and the pharmacy. I take Ubers because I don't want to drive here; they drive really fast. An Uber one-way is about $2.20.

I'm still getting acclimated

I've discovered, though, that Panamanians love to party and love music. There are also always dogs barking early in the morning and late at night, so I'm trying to get used to the noise.

We don't live in an expat neighborhood. I wanted to be immersed in Panamanian culture. It's been about two months since we've been here, but I haven't had much of a chance to meet our neighbors yet. All of the houses are gated individually, so it's not like you can just walk up to your neighbor's front door.

But when I go to the mall, people talk with me. When they realize I only speak a little Spanish, everybody's helpful, pleasant, and willing to help me find things.

I haven't gotten to eat out much, but I've gotten really into going to the market and getting fresh fruit and vegetables. The hospital near me has a program where they will accept Medicare Advantage if you have an emergency situation and are hospitalized, which I'm applying for. I'm also applying to a program that's $220 a year to have any tests, blood work, or lab work done. I have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and I was on oxygen when I was back home. I haven't had to use it since I've been here.

My goal now is to get more involved with expat groups. I joined one recently and went to a very nice luncheon, where I met new people. I hope to continue expanding my social network. I plan to make this my new home and get more involved in volunteering.

Read the original article on Business Insider

from Business Insider https://ift.tt/nQ9vEr3

Trump threatened additional tariffs for countries aligning with 'anti-American' BRICS policies

United States President Donald Trump threatened more tariffs on BRICS-aligned countries.

Celal Gunes/Anadolu/Getty Images

• President Donald Trump has threatened 10% tariff on countries aligning with BRICS policies.
• A BRICS statement from the group's annual meeting voiced concerns about tariffs and the Gaza war.
• Trump has previously targeted BRICS, threatening a 100% tariff rate on countries seeking to ditch the dollar.

President Donald Trump has issued a new tariff threat.

"Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Sunday night.

"There will be no exceptions to this policy," he added.

Trump's comments come amid a two-day BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro. The group of emerging nations includes key members Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

On Sunday, the BRICS group issued a statement expressing "serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures which distort trade and are inconsistent with WTO rules."

The group also condemned US and Israeli military strikes on Iran, a BRICS member. It called for negotiations to achieve a ceasefire and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.

"We reiterate our grave concern about the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, with the resumption of continuous Israeli attacks against Gaza and obstruction of the entry of humanitarian aid into the territory," the statement said.

Not Trump's first BRICS tariff threat

It's not the first time Trump has taken aim at BRICS.

In December, he threatened a 100% tariff on countries pursuing alternatives to the US dollar. Economists said at the time that the move could backfire.

Even so, BRICS nations have been exploring alternatives to the US dollar. De-dollarization discussions accelerated after sweeping sanctions against Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

On Sunday, the BRICS group said it would continue discussing a cross-border payments system among member states.

Trump's threats of even more tariffs on countries aligning with BRICS come ahead of his administration's plans to send letters to trading partners informing them of new tariff rates on their imports to the US.

Trump said in a separate post that the letters would be delivered starting at noon ET on Monday.

Read the original article on Business Insider

from Business Insider https://ift.tt/OYpnCtK

Millennials who graduated in the Great Recession share advice from their job-hunting trauma

 Mandi St. Germaine is among the millennials who faced a challenging job market after graduating during the Great Recession.

Bryan Tarnowski for BI

Gen Zers are starting their careers in a tough job market. Millennials and Gen Xers can relate.

Business Insider interviewed eight Americans who completed an undergraduate or graduate degree between 2007 and 2010, during the heart of the Great Recession. They found themselves launching their careers in a job market that was even more daunting than the one recent grads are facing today.

As of March, the most recent data available, 5.8% of recent college graduates ages 22 to 27 were unemployed, compared with 4% of the overall workforce ages 16 to 65. That gap is the widest it's been in 35 years of jobs data, according to an analysis by the New York Fed. The recent grad unemployment rate hasn't been this high since October 2013, and in 2010, it peaked at more than 7%.

While early job search challenges disrupted the careers of many of the millennials BI heard from, most said they've managed to not only find work but also build successful careers. One Gen Xer with two master's degrees had to start off in an unrelated field, but now has the career she desired. They all shared how the Great Recession affected their job searches, how they found their first jobs after graduation, and their top advice for today's recent college graduates.

Here are their stories, in their own words. Their quotes have been edited for length and clarity.

Have you landed a new job in the last few years and are open to sharing your story? Please fill out this quick Google Form. Struggling to find work? Please fill out this Google Form.

Take every interview you can

Allyson Noonan said a connection she made during an interview helped her land a job.

Natalie Keyssar for BI

Allyson Noonan, 39, is a PR consultant and adjunct professor based in New York.

I graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in December 2007 with a degree in communication arts. I hoped to land a public relations role.

While I had excellent internships, no one was hiring when the recession started. While I was job searching, I worked part-time at Anthropologie and babysat.

After submitting more than 100 applications, I still couldn't find work. But then, someone who interviewed me for a job I didn't get contacted me, saying she had a friend in the industry looking for an entry-level position that she thought I'd be a fit for. This position turned out to be my first full-time job at a PR agency, which I started in June 2008.

This experience taught me that it's wise to take every interview you can — even if you're not sure it's a good fit.

My first position was definitely not my dream job. The company focused on an industry I wasn't especially interested in, and I had to accept a salary that was much lower than my peers who graduated just a couple of years before me. However, I learned the foundational PR skills that have served me well ever since.

Your first job doesn't have to be your dream job — or even related to your career

Alicia Strata, 38, is a marketing director at a luxury travel agency based in Alabama.

I graduated from Columbia College Chicago in May 2010 with a marketing communications degree. I hoped to land an internship that would help me get a job at an advertising agency, but the job market was tough.

During the second semester of my senior year, I decided to apply to Teach For America and was accepted. Teaching was completely out of my area of study, but I was looking for something that felt both purposeful and possible in a shrinking job market. TFA offered that: a paycheck, a mission, and structure during chaos. The summer after graduation, I moved to South Dakota to begin my placement as a 4th-grade teacher.

Although TFA didn't directly further my marketing career, it did give me valuable leadership skills and life experience that a traditional path wouldn't have afforded me.

My biggest advice for new college grads is that you don't have to start in your dream job, but you do have to start. Take whatever you can to get going, but keep your eyes open and continue to pursue what you really want. That's what eventually led me back to marketing.

Looking for a job is a job in itself

Kourtney Jason said taking an unpaid internship helped her gain experience while she looked for a new role.

Natalie Keyssar for BI

Kourtney Jason, 39, is the cofounder of Pacific & Court, a digital marketing company. She is based in New York.

I officially graduated from California State University with a journalism degree in May 2008. However, I'd wrapped up my coursework and was available to work in December 2007.

While I applied for journalism jobs all through my last semester of college, I was told I didn't have enough experience despite having multiple internships on my résumé.

I accepted an unpaid internship at Seventeen magazine from January to May 2008. During these five months, I continued to network and apply for jobs until I finally landed a full-time role at TWIST magazine. This was, in many ways, my dream job, but in July 2010, I was laid off.

Despite my early career challenges, I think I've absolutely been able to recover. From that first job, I made so many connections personally and professionally that still impact and influence my work today.

My biggest advice for college grads is to remember that looking for a job is a job in itself. You need to invest time and effort into your search and network.

Stop chasing name-brand companies

Patrice Williams-Lindo said targeting smaller companies helped her make progress in her job search.

Rita Harper for BI

Patrice Williams-Lindo, 52, is the CEO of a career coaching platform based in Georgia.

I finished my MBA in 2006 and earned a second master's in instructional technology in April 2008 — both from American InterContinental University. I was seeking consulting roles, but the Great Recession made my search feel impossible, especially since I was coming from a lesser-known university.

I knew I had to change my job search strategy. A career coach told me not to chase name-brand companies but to target smaller, boutique consulting firms that would be more likely to value my skills. I took that advice.

In September 2008, I got my first consulting role at a small firm — a job that finally put my degrees to use. That opportunity became the foundation for a consulting career that eventually led me to start my own business.

While I searched for a job, I worked full-time teaching Spanish and business at a private high school. Although education wasn't my desired field, it allowed me to stay employed while I kept looking.

My biggest advice for recent graduates is that your job title doesn't determine your value. If you're overlooked, use the skills you have — even in unconventional ways — while you aim for the career you want.

You'll have to get creative if your industry is hit especially hard

Tye Davis, 40, is the CEO of an interior design firm based in Florida.

I graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in December 2007 with a degree in interior design. Given that some interior design jobs were commission-based, landing one wasn't too difficult. The main challenge early in my career was that I was offering an inessential service in a declining housing market tied to the recession.

In searching for a position, I sought out high-end stores, thinking that high-income individuals were at less risk of losing their homes. In January 2008, I started a full-time position as an interior designer at a local furniture store.

Looking back, I don't think the Great Recession had a lasting impact on my career. If anything, it made me more prepared for a cooled market or downturn. My biggest advice for new college grads is to attend in-person networking events within the field you are searching in.

An unpaid internship was worth it for the experience

Libby Dugan, 38, is an independent PR consultant based in Indiana.

I graduated from Indiana University in May 2009 with a degree in political science. I was looking for jobs in state government and public affairs. However, the recession made it extremely difficult to secure a career in the months after graduation.

I continued to search for a full-time paid role while I did an unpaid internship at the Department of Agriculture, followed by a paid internship at a law firm. Working, even unpaid, kept me busy and added experience to my résumé. In August 2010, I found my first full-time position as a special assistant to Indiana's lieutenant governor.

My biggest advice for today's recent grads is to be open to a job that may not fit your college degree. I work in PR now, and I don't have a degree in marketing or communications. I learned far more from real-world experiences.

In-person networking could help you get noticed

Mandi St. Germaine said her persistence and networking helped her land a teaching job.

Bryan Tarnowski for BI

Mandi St. Germaine, 38, is an elementary curriculum coach based in Louisiana.

I graduated in December 2009 from Nicholls State University with a degree in General Studies. I hoped to find a job as an educator in a private school setting while I pursued my alternative teaching certification, but the challenging job market disrupted my plans.

I secured my first full-time teaching job in the summer of 2010 after relocating to North Carolina, where my husband was deployed as an active-duty soldier. Being persistent and flexible helped me in my search. I met with school personnel, attended hiring fairs, and was open to accepting temporary work until a permanent job was offered.

My biggest advice for recent college graduates is not to be discouraged if your career path doesn't play out like you hoped it would. Take this time to strategically network and be willing to take on positions that may not be your dream job. The setback may just be the reason a door opens in the right places.

I prioritized stability and found it

Judnefera Rasayon, 41, is an independent communication coach based in Maryland.

I graduated from Princeton University in 2006 with a degree in public and international affairs. In June 2008, I received a graduate degree in public policy from Harvard University. In July 2008, I started my first full-time job as a foreign service officer with the US Department of State.

While I was in school, I applied for a fellowship at the Department of State that essentially guaranteed I'd have a job for a few years after graduation. I hoped that would help me weather the storm of the Great Recession, and it did. I worked there for the first six years of my career.

My job search strategy consisted of looking for a job and career in a stable industry and then relentlessly pursuing that. My biggest advice for recent college graduates is to be flexible about what you are willing to do for work, even if it's not what you studied or thought you'd be doing. The traditional 9-to-5 isn't the only option for stability and success, and being open to different career paths can be helpful.

Read the original article on Business Insider

from Business Insider https://ift.tt/5coAUiM