How to Start a Smarter Job Search

[00:00:01] The world of work is changing. AI, automation, and technology are reshaping how we find jobs, build careers, and connect. But behind every resume and career transition is a human story, and the mental and emotional impact is real. This is Ghosted by the Machine. Today at Ghosted by the Machine, I'm talking with David Lingholm, who is really just at the beginning of his job search.

[00:00:30] And I think that's an interesting place to catch someone, because so much of what we talk about on this show comes from people who have been searching for months after applications, the silence, the ghosting, and all of the frustration that can come with it. David is just getting started, so I want to hear what he's thinking about right now, what he's looking for, and what he's already noticing about today's job market. David, thanks for joining me today. And before we get into talking about the search, tell me a little bit about your background and what's brought you here and what you're looking for today.

[00:00:58] Well, first, I'll say thanks for the invite. You know, it's interesting the power that the networks we've both created bring to the table. Where I'm at in my career is I've been a social media manager in some form or fashion for the last 15 years, which has given me just an incredible opportunity to learn a lot about different industries, like the chemical industry, the utility industry. I had a stint with the city of Detroit as they were coming out of bankruptcy.

[00:01:28] So to just have a front row seat for really interesting changes in the city, really interesting changes, dynamic changes in two different industries. You know, social has given me that perspective. And what I've learned along the way is we'll always be evolving. And that's one thing maybe that's the hardest for people to get their head around is social is not static. There's always something new to learn.

[00:01:54] And I think that's where I continue to be at in my career is somebody who's mid-career, who's got a lot of experience, also knows that there's never enough learning. I will never know enough about social to be perfect at it. It seems like social is changing daily. There's a joke within the social media manager community that, you know, the Sunday scaries aren't caused by anyone's job.

[00:02:21] It's really caused by not knowing when Meta is going to change Meta Business Manager again and move everything so we can't find it anymore. Well, you know, I do a lot of posting these days, not just for the show, but for other things. And I see how LinkedIn has changed their algorithms. Meta has. Instagram has. You got Reels. You got Twitch. You know, I'm only just scratching the surface. There's an amazing array of places to go.

[00:02:51] So even things that you wouldn't expect, like Pinterest is huge with Gen Z because their parents aren't letting them have Instagram accounts. Right. Interesting developments like that. So as you start looking, what is the ideal opportunity look like for you? Not just the title, but what kind of place do you want to be at? There are a few things there for me.

[00:03:13] One is I've done the and continue to do the standard posting, the things that you would expect, you know, cutting the videos, writing scripts, writing copy, shooting photos, things of that nature. I can certainly do that. What's really got me interested in this job or in the next, you know, in the next phase of my career is really honing in on strategy and governance.

[00:03:37] So companies that are large enough to have several different channels and not always know how to manage it. That's one thing with social being a relatively new discipline is most companies just let somebody start it and things kind of got rolling and they never put guardrails around who can have channels, who can be the who manages the channels. How do we know when to take people off the channels? Are we even on the right channels?

[00:04:02] So companies that are in the middle of those discussions and want to learn how to use them better, want to use data to use social better. That's really the ideal fit for me. So title, title isn't as important to me anymore as it, as it once was, you know, company size isn't quite as important as it once was, but definitely someplace that's interested in learning social along with me, interested in making sure that there's a data driven strategy.

[00:04:32] And then a place that's okay with things not going perfectly on social. Sometimes the best social posts are the ones that bombed and we learned a lot from. So places with a tolerance for that learning. Yeah. And I totally understand what you say about the guardrails. I've been numerous places where you don't even know what voice are you trying to use in social media? Yeah. Who's, who's got the car keys to the car?

[00:05:00] You know, when you get five or six other people that are posting at one time and nobody understands how to use, use hashtags or when to use the hashtag. So I've, I've walked into situations where looking at who was still able to publish on a LinkedIn channel. You had people that were gone from the organization three and four years ago.

[00:05:23] And that's so common, but it's a risk that most people don't recognize or they're so busy just in the grind doing the day-to-day work that they forget this is a big risk that could come bite us in the, in the rear end at some. So over your career, you've gained a lot of background, a lot of information. What would you consider your superpower is? What's something you bring to the table that somebody probably won't see by reading your resume?

[00:05:50] This, this might come out of left field for you. Maybe, although you've been doing enough of these interviews, I'm sure you've heard some great answers. What I think my superpower is, is understanding where people are in their careers and this passion to help them get to that next place. So if it's in social, how do I help you learn the channels better? How do I help you learn to make data-driven decisions?

[00:06:14] If it's in communications, how can I help you grow your network with reporters or with, you know, with better writers so that you're sharpening yourself? So I really feel like my superpower is in helping people make those connections and social, you know, the, the tried and true answers to a question like this. Things like, I love to learn. Of course I love to learn. I mean, you wouldn't do social, you wouldn't be in communications if you didn't like this flood of information coming at you all the time.

[00:06:44] So, you know, to me, it's helping people really define what that next part is in their career and then helping them go after it. I really, in fact, that's probably what I enjoy doing most now at this stage of my career as well. So you've been unemployed for the last few months? Six, seven, seven weeks. Yeah. Seven weeks. All right. So you've been through job searches before. Does this one already feel different? What are you seeing this time around that you haven't seen before? This one does feel different.

[00:07:13] And some of that is my last job search. I had some health challenges and it felt stagnant, you know, that my career was stagnating. So there was a little bit of a desperation. So on a personal level, this search is different because I don't feel that same pressure. I feel relaxed. I feel relaxed. My wife and I are aligned on what good looks like for us. So that's, you know, that's one thing that's different.

[00:07:37] But on a broader level, maybe on a level that's more applicable to everybody listening, it's not just the pace of AI and the prevalence of AI and all of the decision making, whether it's the ATS systems or I'm surprised at things like a job scan where it will purport to. The latter says that they will submit applications on your behalf. That horrifies me.

[00:08:06] I would never turn that decision making power over to any AI model, especially not at this point. But the number of people that do is pretty incredible. So I think that's one thing that was really shocking to me. I'll say the other, though, with having a different mindset coming in is I've been a lot more open to just taking random conversations with people that maybe I don't know already and just seeing where the conversation goes. That's been really that's been really interesting.

[00:08:35] Have you seen how LinkedIn or the social channels have changed in regards to job searching? Have you seen that at all? Yeah, I'll say that for the most part, any of the meta products, the Facebooks, the Instagrams, that there's zero. There's just no reason for them in a job search, at least not in my view. On LinkedIn, it's been really interesting.

[00:08:58] The some of the advice that I've been given to scrub dates from my resume so it doesn't look like I'm too far in my career and things like that. But what's what's concerning more than anything on LinkedIn is the number of jobs that I mean, they're they're truly ghost jobs. And I know you've talked about this before, but it's the jobs that never seem to be filled or they always, you know, companies that always seem to be hiring. And LinkedIn's alerts are just terrible on these things.

[00:09:28] So I've found that I just do a lot of manual searches and a lot of I enjoy this company's work. I want to see more about them. Do they have something open? So really taking a lot of that onus on it myself because the LinkedIn recommendations have have been terrible. And frankly, there are so many people. One thing about the way the algorithms were and LinkedIn is getting sucked into this trap, too, where it's not about being social anymore. It's about entertainment.

[00:09:55] Their entertainment platforms, LinkedIn is becoming an entertainment platform, and they'll serve you what their AI algorithm thinks there that that you want to watch that you want to see. So what I'm seeing right now is things from other people who are looking for jobs, which is fine. I want to help, especially people in my network, people that I know. I want to help, but that can't be my sole focus.

[00:10:21] And that's I've been finding myself just getting on LinkedIn once a day, doing my business, taking a look for things, answering questions, maybe making a post once a week and then getting off for my own mental health. Yeah. So with everything we hear about how difficult it is, the job market, what gives you hope? If anything, does anything give you hope as you start your journey? You know, it's conversations like this.

[00:10:47] And what I mean by that is you just happen to reach out. We've crossed paths in the past. You said you've got an interesting story. Let's let's talk. It's having those conversations. You know, I've been seven weeks into this and those conversations keep happening. There's always a couple of coffee appointments and lunch appointments on my calendar every week.

[00:11:09] And so far, that's given me a lot of hope, you know, in knowing that I've got friends that are out there either looking with me or offering me suggestions, helping me sharpen my skills. And sometimes, you know, it's just good to catch up with people. But that's really been giving me a lot of hope is just the support of the people around me. David, I appreciate you coming on and sharing your story, especially at the beginning of the process. I know you're going to be successful. I know you're going to find a job.

[00:11:37] And I tell everybody that, but I do believe that there's a job for everyone out there. And I think sometimes we spend too much time talking about what happens after somebody has been searching for six months or a year. And then we forget about there's also that moment beginning when you're trying to figure out what this journey is going to look like. Yes. Yes. So hopefully the next time we talk, we'll be having a very different conversation and talking about where you landed. So thanks for joining me today.

[00:12:03] And for everyone out there listening, remember behind every application is a real person trying to figure out what comes next. So no bots, just real people, real stories. This is Ghosted by the Machine. Let's make hiring human again. David, thanks again. I appreciate your time. And I look forward to hearing your journey down the road. Thanks, Mark. I appreciate the chance to catch up and to share a little bit of where I've been.