An Ignoble Experiment: Insider Today: How to find your next job

September 2, 2023

Happy Saturday, Insiders! If you're thinking of traveling to Austria, maybe consider getting a tattoo for a year of free public transportation.

Before adding new body art, check out our big story on how to find your new job.

What's on deck:

Travel: Airbnbs in small European towns are a beautiful, money-saving travel hack.
Careers: Your company probably tracks you if you work remotely.
Life: The best cheap eats in every state.

But first: 'tis the season (for job changes).

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THE BIG STORY

Job hunting resources

person with their head in their hands while on a video call

Tesson/Andia/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Welcome to the first Saturday of September — and possibly the start of your journey to finding a new job.

Now that summer is starting to fade, the search for jobs is heating up. The fourth quarter is typically a pretty busy time of year, according to Mike Steinitz, an executive at talent and consulting firm Robert Half.

"People are looking for a new job as they get through the year. It's sort of like a psychological thing, like: 'Oh, I should start looking,'" Steinitz told Insider. "Just by the fact that the calendar is going to be changing tends to give a little bit of momentum to things."

And on the company side, they begin thinking of budgets, projects, and the right talent on their teams.

So as the job market heats up for the last push of the year, here's a step-by-step rundown on the best approach for finding your next role.

Résumé. During this uncertain time, having a standout résumé is even more important. Updating your skills and tailoring your résumé to each posting is one way to stand out, according to career experts. You should also avoid "text bricks" and delete your graduation year.
Cover letter. Sure, you could just outsource writing your cover letter to ChatGPT (here's a step-by-step guide). But be careful. An employer caught one applicant doing this, and it cost them the job. Plus, it could impede you during the interview process. A former Google recruiter also recommended sending a personalized message after applying for a role and before the interview. (Here's how to write an email subject line that catches a hiring manager's attention.)
Interview. Think of some questions to ask during the chat. That can include what the interviewer thinks of you, how the company is doing, and what the company culture is like. But be careful discussing pay. It could make you less likely to get hired. And don't forget a thank-you note after the interview. Experts say they aren't an equitable way to judge candidates, but they're still viewed by some as important in today's market.

Applying for jobs can feel like a job itself, but be patient throughout this process. One career consultant tells clients to expect to apply to 100 jobs before receiving an offer.

"People are not commodities, and jobs are not commodities," Brett House, a Columbia Business School professor, said. "If people are contemplating changes in their work situation, they should look at that as a long ongoing process to find that mutual fit."

And if you aren't on the job hunt, beware of joining the growing contingent of "grumpy stayers" — people who are reluctantly stuck at their jobs amid a cooling labor market.

READ THE FULL STORY

WEEKEND LISTS

3 things in travel

Joey Hadden/Insider

Travel hack: booking Airbnbs in small European towns. The reporter stayed in the suburbs of Berlin and Zurich to save money. And the small towns surprised her — they felt like hidden gems and relaxing counterparts to her travels in bigger cities.
Cruise passengers recounted the sheer chaos after their ship collided with an oil tanker. The 3,647-passenger ship was blown away from the port during a vicious storm. This caused it to drift into a nearby tanker, which led to "screaming and shouting and panic" aboard.
Photos show optical illusions found in nature. Cloud formations can mimic ocean waves. Mountains sometimes look like they're on fire. Some butterflies have wings that look like the head of a snake. And more than a dozen other natural optical illusions.

3 things in careers

Alexander Spatari/Getty Images

The 10 best cities to visit while working remotely. Flexible working policies have led to "hush trips" and "workcations," where employees work while traveling leisurely. Some of the top cities for this hybrid setup include Barcelona, Milan, and Rio de Janeiro.
If you work remotely, your company likely tracks you. Keystroke activity, progress reports, web usage, screen tracking — many businesses are using employee-tracking software to monitor their workers.
Employers need to stop treating workers like students. Amy Leschke-Kahle of ADP said return-to-office policies are a great example of this. Employers should experiment to figure out what's best for their workers and business.

3 things in life

hili Man in Charlotte, North Carolina, is famous for its ''life-changing'' hot dogs

John K./Yelp

The best cheap place to eat in every state. From tacos in Alabama and barbecue in Delaware, to crepes in Florida and empanadas in Minnesota. Yelp chose the top affordable restaurants based on customer reviews.
Longevity doctor's favorite items from Costco. Nuts. Almond Butter. Frozen fruits and vegetables. Flour and grains. Snacks. Oils, fats, and syrup. Tinned seafood. The shopping list is pretty long, and it includes a lot of Kirkland-brand items.
Doctors are prescribing food for better heart health. Fruit and vegetable prescriptions are now helping people manage different aspects of their health. Food as medicine may even help people reduce the risk of heart problems.

IN OTHER NEWS

Rent, chicken, & more

Poland is spending big on tanks and helicopters.
The rise of chicken anxiety — when people are worried about undercooked chicken.
Around 5 million bees accidentally fell off a truck.
What you should pack in a go-bag in case of a natural disaster.
Rent growth is rapidly decelerating across the US.

LAST LOOK

London house

Brent Council/SWNS

Photos show grim conditions inside a London house with 40 tenants in four bedrooms. The kitchen was unusable. And some tenants shared beds, sleeping in shifts.

The Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, senior editor and anchor, in New York City. Diamond Naga Siu, senior reporter, in San Diego. Hallam Bullock, editor, in London. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York City.

Get in touch: insidertoday@insider.com.