Looking for a job in 2023? Here are some ways to prepare for that

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The start of a new year often brings new challenges and opportunities, whether it be a new job or career change. Landing that new gig might take some support and one metro organization hopes to do just that with new research.

The DeBruce Foundation, a national nonprofit headquartered in Kansas City, recently released new findings of research it started conducting a couple of years ago. The mission at the Debruce Foundation is to expand economic growth and opportunities for job seekers, many of whom are underemployed. The team surveyed 16,000 applicants to figure out what it takes, both in skills and connections, to land your next job.

The findings of the research have already helped job seekers across the metro become employment empowered.

At the start of the pandemic, Justine Patterson was working as an academic advisor at universities. Patterson wanted to keep working from home and decided to start exploring her options for a job in the tech industry.

“I had been applying to jobs, reaching out to my network and letting them know that I’m job searching,” explained Patterson. “And from that, I had gotten interviews, which was great, but I would get stuck in the first or second round. And that was a little bit frustrating.”

Patterson worked with the DeBruce Foundation to improve two key areas highlighted in the research: career literacy and network strength.

Career literacy is your vision for your career and self-awareness of skills and interest. It’s also the ability to communicate professionally and navigate multiple career paths. Your network strength is your tribe, the diversity and supportiveness of your professional and personal network. Having high career literacy and network strength helps you become more employment empowered.

Dr. Leigh Anne Taylor Knight, Executive Director and COO of The DeBruce Foundation, highlighted the importance of improving your career literacy and network strength. Workers who are employment-empowered earn 55 percent more in annual average salary, 26 percent more are currently employed and have increased job security and 17 percent more consider jobs outside their current career path.

“The bad news is there are seven in 10 who are missing one or both of those,” Knight said. “I think a lot of people could set goals for the new year about how might I increase my career literacy? How might I increase my network strength and get myself on that pathway to being employment empowered?”

Dr. Taylor Knight said if you lack career literacy or network strength, you can practice on ways to improve both.

Career literacy can be developed by:

• Gaining awareness of your skills and interests
• Building a vision for your career
• Searching for jobs and exploring options outside current career path

Network strength can be built with opportunities for social engagement.

Challenger yourself this year to meet:

• One person who has a different education level than you
• One person who has a different social experience than you
• One person who works in a different industry than you

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