• The job market appears to be cooling, yet there are still ways you can elevate your career.
• Workers can consider developing their AI skills to stay competitive, an exec told BI.
• Volunteering and side hustles could add to your skills and expand your career opportunities.

The job market might be weakening, but that doesn't mean your career has has to.

There are steps you can take to level up your work — and that might be more important than ever.

It's not just that some companies are being slower to hire. Workers tend to hold greater responsibility for the shape of their careers than they did five to 10 years ago, when employers often played a bigger role, Lisa Walker, a managing partner at the executive search firm DHR Global, told Business Insider.

"You have to be vigilant about managing your own career," she said.

Here are three ways you can level up your career, according to workplace experts.

Get better with AI

Sean Barry, the vice president of talent acquisition at Allstate, told Business Insider that workers should try to become more proficient in artificial intelligence.

He said the technology will place a premium on new skills for many people. Creating appropriate prompts for generative AI wasn't something many people talked about just a few years ago, Barry said.

"It's critically important now," he said, adding that workers who are better at this will likely get ahead in their careers.

One way to improve your AI skills is simply to use it. Start by trying out chatbots and seeing what works.

It's become a cliché to say that AI won't replace you, but someone who knows how to use it will. Yet, there are areas where AI might replace humans, which is why a better understanding of how AI works can be beneficial.

That's advice Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has given: If you're worried that AI will take your job, get better with the technology.

Kiki Leutner is cofounder of SeeTalent.ai, which is developing tests run by AI that would simulate tasks associated with a job to help the hiring process. She told Business Insider that, traditionally, employers tended to use such tests for more senior roles only where it was worth the money and effort. Or, Leutner said, a company might give a software developer a coding task to measure proficiency.

Leutner said GenAI can let employers test far more job seekers and across a broader range of roles than would otherwise be practical. Plus, she said, AI-run assessments can collect insights that previously were difficult to capture, such as how someone might interact with others.

Success in such areas often involves the soft skills employers say they're seeking, and that some bosses sometimes say too many workers lack.

Share your skills by volunteering

You might feel too busy at work, yet carving out some time to help others can help you, too. A study from the University of Oxford found that volunteering proved more effective in boosting worker well-being than other interventions.

It's especially beneficial if it involves using your skills to assist others, according to Leila Saad. She is the founder of Catalyst Lane, a consulting and operations strategy firm. Previously, she was CEO of Common Impact, a nonprofit that connects companies and their workers with other nonprofits.

While head of Common Impact, Saad told Business Insider that many nonprofits lack the resources to meet all of their operational needs. So, when workers with that expertise can help, it benefits both the organization and the worker, she said.

"It feels good to give back skills you've honed over your entire career," she said.

That often trumps something like showing up for a one-off event like painting a school or planting trees, Saad said.

Beyond that, she said, workers — and their employers — can benefit if the employee might develop additional skills through volunteering.

Jennifer Schielke, the CEO of the staffing firm Summit Group Solutions and the author of the book "Leading for Impact," previously told Business Insider that volunteering — even after something traumatic like a job loss — can help those newly out of work gain perspective.

"If you have time to volunteer, go do it," she said. "Go get some encouragement by sitting alongside someone who has it worse than you do."

Consider starting a side hustle

Side hustles get a lot of attention when they're lucrative, yet there can be other benefits. They can be limited to weekend jobs, so workers' weekdays aren't too full. In other cases, side hustles might relieve burnout.

They can also make workers feel empowered.

Daniel Zhao, the lead economist at Glassdoor, told Business Insider that workers in some industries might feel stuck in their 9-to-5 roles because of lackluster hiring. That might be one reason more workers are picking up side hustles.

"Workers are much more willing to experiment nowadays," Zhao said. He pointed to rates of entrepreneurship, which he said "skyrocketed" during the pandemic.

Zhao said it's good news that entrepreneurship rates remain elevated following a "fairly weak" 2010s and said it indicates America's entrepreneurial spirit has recovered.

"Not only is that an opportunity for people to supplement their income on the side, but it also opens up new opportunities, new ideas, new technologies that can potentially boost the economy in the long run," he said.

An earlier version of this story appeared on November 30, 2024.

Do you have a story to share about your career or your job search? Contact this reporter at [email protected].

• Applying right away can boost the chances you'll hear back about a role, LinkedIn data shows.
• Responding quickly to employers can up your chances of getting an interview and a job, Indeed found.
• Career coaches told BI that your speed can signal your interest in a role.

If you're looking for a job, speed is your friend.

That's because, like in business itself, there is often a first-mover advantage for job seekers who respond quickly to open roles and overtures from employers, according to data from job sites.

Applying to a role within the first 10 minutes of getting a relevant job alert can boost your chance of hearing back by as much as four times, LinkedIn found.

Haste can also pay off throughout the process, especially when it comes to responding to those doing the hiring.

In the US, job seekers who reply to a prospective employer's message within 24 hours are 4.1 times as likely to get hired and 6.7 times as likely to get an interview, according to data Indeed shared with Business Insider.

"Speed is not just an edge, it's a signal," said Patrice Lindo, CEO of Career Nomad, a platform that helps professionals navigate career changes. "It says, 'I'm ready. I'm visible. I'm serious. I'm a decision-maker.'"

She recommends that clients apply for jobs within the first four to eight hours of seeing a posting.

"They're far more likely to be seen and even considered," Lindo told BI.

A sign of intent

The difference that speed can make matters because, for many desk workers, the pace of hiring has gone from blazing fast a few years ago to sluggish.

The overall job market remains strong, yet some companies are taking their time to hire as they try to gain insights into factors such as how tariff vacillations could affect the economy and how quickly artificial intelligence could take on certain tasks.

That's why, in this market, moving quickly isn't a sign of desperation, but rather of intent, Lindo said.

Another reason to be speedy is that once an employer has a sufficient number of résumés, they're likely to stop looking at whatever else trickles in, Susan Peppercorn, an executive and career coach, told BI.

She advises clients that, most of the time, it's not worth it to apply for a role when the number of applicants reaches 100.

Peppercorn, like Lindo, said that moving fast can send a positive signal when communicating with a would-be employer.

"Responding within 24 hours anybody can do, but responding within the first hour shows that you're really, really interested," Peppercorn said.

Doing your homework quickly

Moving fast doesn't give you a license to be sloppy, of course. It's still better to tailor your applications to each job and to include a cover letter that, at the very least, mentions the employer's name and the role you're going after.

Customizing an application while also moving fast can be challenging, but it's doable if you're prepared. Lindo likened it to how a pregnant woman might prepare a bag packed with essentials for the hospital. Translation: Have a strong résumé ready to go.

That way, it only needs small adjustments, depending on the opportunity, she said.

Peppercorn recommends limiting what you tweak to create a solid but speedy application. She said job applicants should focus on the top summary section of their résumé and, where possible, leave the other sections alone.

The edits you make to the top should incorporate some of the key words contained in the job posting, Peppercorn said.

While it's a good idea to include a cover letter, she said, the software that many employers use to collate applications often strips off that layer to focus on the résumé itself. So, Peppercorn said, a perfunctory cover letter with some modest customization might often suffice.

In any case, don't take too long. Otherwise, you risk missing out because some employers close openings within five to 10 days, Lindo said.

Even if an employer doesn't take down a listing, if you're still perfecting your résumé on day eight, "you've already missed the window," she said.

Lindo added that some employers are likely to think that applicants who move quickly would also apply that approach to the job.

"It's an indicator of how you will operate if you were to be chosen," she said.

Do you have a story to share about your job search? Contact this reporter at [email protected].

• A Coldplay concert "kiss cam" appeared to show Astonomer CEO Andy Byron and head of people Kristin Cabot embracing.
• The footage has gone viral on social media.
• The company turned off comments on its LinkedIn and X profiles amid the chatter.

A video appearing to show a tech CEO and his head of HR embracing at a Coldplay concert is spreading around social media at the speed of sound.

Meanwhile, the startup at the center of the drama has stayed silent as people online flood the company's social media posts with comments.

The viral clip appears to show Astronomer CEO Andy Byron with his arms wrapped around the company's head of people, Kristin Cabot. It was captured on the concert's "kiss cam" and broadcast to the crowd at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts.

Given the pair's reaction — mortified looks, a quick untangling, and a camera dodge — Coldplay's front man, Chris Martin, speculated from the stage that either they are "having an affair or they're just very shy."

Neither Byron nor Cabot has commented on the viral clip.

The executives, the company, its board members, and its founders have not responded to requests for comment from Business Insider. Astronomer turned off the ability to comment on its LinkedIn and X posts after they were bombarded with commentary.

The internet has been anything but quiet.

On X and TikTok, there's been a deluge of commentary about the footage, which has been viewed tens of millions of times. Most have joked about the incident: One user called it "Scandoval for people who can't attach a PDF to an email," while another chimed in, "god forbid you want to viva la vida loca."

Ry Walker, who served as Astronomer CEO from 2015 to 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile, publicly distanced himself from the incident in a cheeky post on X, writing that "for those asking," he is "no longer involved" with the company.

"Yes I was co-founder and early CEO - not on the team or board since 2022, and have no information on ColdplayGate," Walker wrote on X.

Walker did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Flexport's founder, Ryan Petersen, said the board should give Byron a raise for the publicity it generated for the company.

Others have gone further, digging up the pair's LinkedIn pages and YouTube videos featuring Byron to leave comments referencing the viral clip.

Byron's name was the top trending Google search term over the past 24 hours; he was Googled over 2 million times.

There's even money on the line: On Polymarket, more than $35,000 has been committed to predict Byron's chances of remaining CEO, while a separate market about his marital status has a pool of $30,000.

It's unclear whether Astronomer has any policies around office relationships, as some companies do.

Still, "a hard launch of a workplace romantic relationship at a Coldplay concert is not the best way to go about it," Kate Walker, a human resources consultant and executive coach, told BI.

Astronomer, which builds various data management and optimization products, completed a Series D funding round in May that valued the company at $775 million, according to PitchBook.

Byron has been its CEO since July 2023. He previously held C-suite roles at several other software and tech firms.

Last year, he hired Cabot as the company's head of people.

"Kristin's exceptional leadership and deep expertise in talent management, employee engagement, and scaling people strategies will be critical as we continue our rapid trajectory," Byron said in a press release about her hiring last year.

The LinkedIn version of the announcement? It's been taken down.

• Keeping an open mind and being flexible is key to finding a job right now.
• Work is changing fast as artificial intelligence spreads into more aspects of jobs.
• Exploring a range of industries and skill-building opportunities can help you stay competitive.

If you're trying to find a job, it's time to get scrappy.

While the job market hasn't fallen off a cliff and layoffs remain low, stiffer competition for roles, surging use of artificial intelligence, and some employers' hesitation to hire are scrambling some job searches.

That means some job seekers might have to pivot — potentially to an entirely new industry — or find other ways to stand out if they're set on a certain field.

In some cases, you might have to adjust your goals.

"Maybe put aside for the moment that dream to work for Amazon and Google, and maybe think about a different company that's more mid-cap," Angie Kamath, dean of the School of Professional Studies at New York University, told Business Insider.

Kamath said the need to stay open to various options if you're looking for a role reflects the rapid change in many industries, especially as employers and employees alike try to understand what AI will mean for many aspects of work.

"That's here to stay," she said, referring to the need for job seekers to understand how technology might remake jobs.

To keep up, Kamath said, you should find ways to build your skills. That doesn't only mean getting a degree in a field, she said. Kamath said you might look to freebie or low-cost classes, for example, on AI from Amazon, Google, or online learning platforms like Udemy.

"That's my No. 1 advice. Try something out. See if you like it. See if you hate it. See if you're energized by it," she said.

Finding ways to stand out

If you don't want to shift to a different field or job type, you might simply have to work harder to stand out.

Ryan McManus, a vice president at the tech-focused recruitment firm Selby Jennings, told BI that some employers have become more selective in who they hire.

"It might just be a bit more competitive in the sense that we're looking to check more boxes," he said, referring to finding candidates for the company's employer clients.

For those who don't necessarily have every part of a job description nailed down, intangibles like being personable and a strong communicator can make a difference, McManus said.

While finding ways to be flexible and try to stand out in a job search can help, it doesn't necessarily mean it will be easy to land a role. Some employers are slow-walking hiring, and some workers' confidence about business prospects is slipping.

In the Glassdoor Employee Confidence Index released Tuesday, the share of employees who expect a positive six-month business outlook fell to 44.1% in May from 45.8% in April. The May reading was the lowest since 2016, when Glassdoor began collecting predictions from tens of thousands of US workers.

Test your ideas

To navigate an uncertain landscape, NYU's Kamath said job seekers might think of themselves as entrepreneurs who generate more than one idea for a business.

"That's what we should do as we're looking for jobs. We should come up with a couple of versions of success, or what's interesting," she said.

To know which option might be best, Kamath said it can help to ask friends what they think. She said that might mean having a conversation with a connection on LinkedIn who's in the line of work you're considering. Or it could involve visiting an employer that has public events or conferences.

That manner of thinking, Kamath said, helps you avoid putting much pressure on yourself to land a certain role, and the thinking that "anything other than being successful in that one path equals failure."

"It widens out what you might do and where you might do it," she said.

Ultimately, Kamath said, job seekers often benefit when they step back and consider alternatives.

"That's been very eye-opening for our students and our alumni to say there's more out there than the singular path to success," she said.

Do you have a story to share about your job hunt? Contact this reporter at [email protected].