Down and Out in the New Economy

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Finding a job used to be straightforward: you’d visit an office, ask for an application, or learn about openings through friends or ads. Once hired, many stayed for decades. Now, the landscape is complex. To secure a good job, a strong LinkedIn profile and a personal brand are essential. Contemporary advice often contradicts itself, but one consensus remains: job seekers must market themselves as businesses that can help other businesses achieve their goals. Ilana Gershon explores this transformation in employment dynamics, examining its implications for job seekers, businesses, and culture. She interviews hiring managers about candidate assessments, attends personal branding seminars, and investigates regional differences in hiring practices, such as the contrasting views of Silicon Valley firms on employment tenure compared to those in the Midwest. Despite technological advancements, Gershon finds that networking still often outweighs qualifications. Her focus extends beyond job-seeking strategies to the broader implications of viewing oneself as a business. She questions how this blurring of personal and professional identities affects our self-perception, communities, and the economy. While framed as liberating, this approach may disempower workers in favor of corporate interests. Rich in diverse perspectives from the employment process, the work provides a compelling analysis of the modern job market and its significan