How much is a dollar worth? Why the weakening US currency matters for your wallet
By
Chris Taylor for Current
4 min read • Originally published March 16, 2026 / Updated March 19, 2026
By
Chris Taylor for Current
4 min read • Originally published March 16, 2026 / Updated March 19, 2026
Bits And Splits // Shutterstock
How much is a dollar worth? Why the weakening US currency matters for your wallet
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but for every dollar you earn, there are a number of different factors eating away at it.
There are taxes, for one, not far away with April 15 on the horizon. Then there is inflation: Even though it has moderated from the years of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is still eroding the value of our money to the tune of almost 3% a year.
And now there is a new worry: The U.S. dollar, which has sunk to a multiyear low against other currencies, is down around 10% compared to the beginning of last year.
Put all those factors together, and your cash isn’t packing a whole lot of punch when you go to the grocery store. Instead, it seems a little weak and dazed, like a boxer at the end of a 12-round fight. In this article, Current, a consumer fintech banking platform, explains how a weaker dollar affects everyday finances and what consumers can do about it.
“It manifests in imported goods and foreign travel, while subtly chipping away at general affordability as costs for goods and services rise and asset prices are pushed higher,” says Mike Casey, a planner with AE Advisors in Alexandria, Virginia. “For the average consumer, imported essentials like electronics, clothing, and oil become pricier.”
In other words, the purchasing power of that buck in your wallet is under extreme pressure. Not exactly what we needed, in an era when affordability for households has become so challenging.
Seen from one angle, there’s not a lot average consumers can do about a weaker dollar. Its strength is determined by larger factors outside of our control, such as the level of interest rates set by the Federal Reserve.
But in another sense, there are targeted action steps we can take to maximize the value of our money. A few specific areas that a weaker dollar should make you consider:
Foreign travel. On a daily basis, we may not realize how much the dollar has slumped. But when we go abroad, we most definitely will.
“Personally, the dollar hitting multiyear lows is affecting my travel budget,” says Theresa Pablos, a planner with Equalis Financial in Los Angeles. “I’m planning a trip to Europe this fall, and I’ve intentionally padded my travel budget because I know the dollar won’t go quite as far on hotels, meals, and activities as in past trips. To make up for the difference in cost, I’m looking for other ways to save, such as flying budget airlines and getting a new travel card with cash-back perks.”
Practically speaking, it means international travelers should be choosier about destinations. It could also mean deliberately saving more in advance of such a trip, as Pablos did — or even delaying those big expenses altogether, until such a time when exchange rates look more attractive.
Imported goods. This area is a double whammy for consumers: Not only has a weak dollar pushed the price of imports up, but some have been slapped with tariffs as well, due to the current administration’s trade policies.
One way around that is to be more intentional about buying American-made products when possible, as you will avoid the exchange rates and tariffs that have pushed some prices higher.
Cash holdings. Everyone knows that investing involves risk, but there is also risk involved in standing pat with your money. If your cash isn’t earning anything, inflation marches on, and the dollar is declining, then you are essentially losing a little bit of ground every day. That’s a long-term risk, too.
That’s why, at a minimum, you should ensure that your cash is earning something significant. “For savings, shift to high-yield accounts,” suggests Casey.
That way, you can outpace some of these larger macroeconomic issues dragging down the currency. That’s easily done by checking your current rates and opting for accounts generating superior interest.
Card rewards. In an era when every penny counts, probably the easiest layup is maximizing the rewards programs attached to whatever cards you use on a daily basis. And yet, according to one Bankrate survey, almost a quarter of rewards card users haven’t even cashed in any benefits in the past year. That’s puzzling, because it’s basically leaving money on the table.
International investments. If you have a percentage of foreign stocks in your portfolio, congratulations: All else being equal, the value of those holdings has likely risen, simply by virtue of being denominated in foreign currencies.
For those investors, a weak dollar is actually a good thing. “We have loved the dollar weakening,” says David Demming, a financial planner in Aurora, Ohio. “It has enhanced our overweight in international funds, with emerging markets both the cheapest and best performing last year.”
If you don’t have many international stocks yet, this weak-dollar era brings home the importance of diversifying and having some global exposure in your portfolio. That way, you won’t have all your eggs in one basket.
The Mediabistro editorial team draws on 25 years of media industry expertise to cover jobs, careers, and trends shaping the industry.
5 min read • Originally published March 17, 2026 / Updated March 19, 2026
The map of where media work happens is being redrawn. Malaysia committed RM300 million ($76.5 million) over five years to its production rebate program, enough capital to shift the gravitational center of global production work further into Southeast Asia.
Meanwhile, journalism institutions in the UK and US are fighting on two fronts: protecting the legal foundations that let newsrooms operate, and addressing a burnout crisis pushing experienced reporters to impose hard boundaries on their own availability.
Production follows capital and tax incentives with straightforward clarity. Journalism’s challenges are messier: legacy legal liabilities from phone hacking, a live defamation appeal testing how newsrooms can describe political movements, and a workforce running hotter than it can sustain.
Southeast Asia Wants Your Production Budget
Malaysia’s National Film Development Corporation (FINAS) used its showcase session at Hong Kong FilMart to announce the government’s renewed commitment to production cash rebates. The $76.5 million allocation extends the program for another five years, positioning Malaysia as a direct competitor to established hubs across the region. Read the full announcement at Variety.
Tax incentives and rebates have reshaped production geography before: Ireland became a European production center through aggressive programs, and Georgia captured a massive share of US film and TV work the same way. Malaysia is making the same play for Asia-Pacific projects, and the money is real enough to change where studios scout and where talent relocates.
Geographic Shift: When governments commit this kind of capital to production infrastructure, they physically relocate where career opportunities exist. Your next production role might require different geography than your last one.
International production work is already flowing into the region. The Ink Factory announced the full supporting cast for its Chinese-language remake of “The Night Manager,” timed to FilMart. The adaptation, set for a late 2026 premiere on Youku, adds six cast members and two special appearances to a production that shows IP following the same eastward trajectory as production capital. See the full casting details at Variety.
For anyone working in production, the math is simple. These commitments create crew positions, post-production roles, location management jobs, and the full constellation of support work that surrounds major shoots.
Journalism’s Institutional Immune System
While production markets expand through financial incentives, journalism is defending the scaffolding that lets newsrooms function.
The Guardian is appealing a UK court ruling that found its description of someone as “alt right” was defamatory. The appeal centers on whether the newspaper can invoke the honest opinion defense in libel law. Press Gazette has the legal details.
If descriptive political language carries defamation risk, newsrooms face a choice between precision and legal exposure. Neither option helps journalism explain the political landscape clearly.
Legal precedent matters, but so does the private capital that sustains journalism when market economics won’t. Philanthropist Marcy Hennecke, who has a track record of supporting journalism initiatives, has joined the Poynter Foundation Board. Poynter announced the appointment.
Board composition determines how resources flow to journalism education and professional development while traditional revenue models keep contracting.
That pipeline is also visible in Poynter’s latest cohort for its Leadership Academy for Women: 35 journalists selected for the competitive program. See the full cohort announcement.
Leadership programs shape who makes editorial decisions and which business models newsroom leaders pursue when legacy approaches fail. This cohort represents a bet that the people running newsrooms five years from now need different tools than the generation that managed the transition from print to digital.
The Bill Comes Due, Two Ways
Institutional pressures are abstract until they hit individual careers. Two stories show how journalism extracts costs from its workforce: one through legal liabilities that refuse to resolve, another through the structural demands of a news cycle that never stops.
A UK High Court ruled on five test cases related to Mirror Group Newspapers’ phone hacking scandal. Four claims were deemed out of time. Model Paul Sculfor is the only claimant who can proceed. Press Gazette covers the ruling.
The hacking scandal dates back years, but litigation keeps draining publisher resources. Every proceeding requires staff time, outside counsel, senior editorial attention. The scandal’s long tail reduces available workforce capacity through resource diversion, and the effect compounds.
Workforce Reality: When experienced journalists impose strict boundaries to stay functional, the profession is asking more than many can sustainably give. Both breaking news demands and legacy litigation shrink the available workforce on different timescales.
The more immediate workforce challenge is burnout. Poynter published a piece examining how journalists cope with news fatigue in an environment where the cycle has compressed from 24 hours to what one reporter called “24 seconds.” Read the full report on journalist coping mechanisms.
Working journalists are setting physical boundaries: limiting news consumption outside work hours, establishing device-free zones, actively managing their information diet to remain functional. These are survival tactics. Breaking news does not respect professional boundaries.
Legacy litigation and real-time burnout share something: both are debts the profession carries. Phone hacking is institutional debt, conduct from years past that still demands payment in legal fees and reputational damage. Burnout is human debt, the accumulated cost of a profession accelerating faster than people can adapt.
What This Means
Production is following capital into Southeast Asia, creating real geography questions for anyone whose career depends on where projects shoot. Journalism institutions are fighting to maintain the conditions that let newsrooms operate while the workforce absorbs pressure from legacy misconduct and relentless operational demands.
Career mobility increasingly requires navigating multiple constraints at once. Geographic flexibility if production shifts east. Legal literacy if newsrooms face expanded defamation risk. Burnout management if the news cycle demands constant availability.
The professionals who thrive will be the ones reading these signals early enough to adjust.
This media news roundup is automatically curated to keep our community up to date on interesting happenings in the creative, media, and publishing professions. It may contain factual errors and should be read for general and informational purposes only. Please refer to the original source of each news item for specific inquiries.
AI Editing and Mission-Driven Media Jobs Hiring Now
Fiction editors working alongside AI, nonprofit paid media strategists, and a streaming platform building out its entire media team highlight today's most compelling roles.
The Mediabistro editorial team draws on 25 years of media industry expertise to cover jobs, careers, and trends shaping the industry.
4 min read • Originally published March 17, 2026 / Updated March 19, 2026
AI Has Arrived in the Editorial Pipeline, and It Needs Human Editors
The conversation around AI in media has shifted from “will it replace us?” to “who’s going to quality-check what it produces?” Today’s job listings reflect that transition in concrete terms. A freelance fiction editing role explicitly built around AI-assisted drafting sits alongside mission-driven media positions at organizations that need human judgment, cultural fluency, and editorial instinct more than ever.
The other clear signal today: subscription-based streaming companies are investing heavily in media strategy infrastructure. Gaia Inc. posted three distinct roles across its media team, from a senior director position down through specialist and coordinator levels. That kind of simultaneous hiring usually means a company is building (or rebuilding) a function from scratch, which creates real opportunity for candidates who want to shape processes rather than inherit them.
Nonprofit fundraising media is also quietly having a strong month. Organizations with cause-driven missions are competing for the same paid media talent that e-commerce brands chase, and they’re sweetening the deal with full remote flexibility. Here are four roles worth your attention.
Today’s Hot Jobs
AI Content Editor (Fiction) at Research on Point
Why this role matters right now: This is one of the clearest examples of how AI is reshaping editorial workflows without eliminating the editor. The company has integrated AI-assisted drafting into its fiction pipeline and needs experienced editors who can evaluate, reshape, and elevate machine-generated prose. The $25–35/hour rate for freelance work is solid, and the fully remote structure makes it accessible nationwide. If you’ve been curious about how AI tools are being deployed in creative content production, this is a front-row seat.
Core qualifications:
Strong fiction editing background with a sharp eye for narrative voice and consistency
Comfort working within AI-assisted editorial pipelines
U.S.-based candidates only
Ability to maintain quality standards across high-volume content workflows
The appeal here:Avalon is a full-service fundraising agency working with nonprofits in environmental conservation, social justice, and cultural arts. The Paid Media Manager role spans Google Ads, paid social, CTV, and programmatic channels, so you’ll build genuine cross-platform expertise. Fully remote with occasional travel for client meetings, this position lets you apply commercial-grade paid media skills to organizations whose missions you can actually feel good about.
What they need from you:
Hands-on experience executing campaigns across Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, paid social, and programmatic platforms
Data analysis chops for uncovering insights and optimizing campaign performance
Comfort collaborating across creative, analytics, and client service teams
Interest in the nonprofit fundraising space and cause-driven marketing
What makes this compelling: Gaia is a streaming platform focused on yoga, wellness, and conscious media, and this role sits at the strategic center of its growth engine. You’ll architect full-funnel media strategies designed to drive subscriber acquisition and retention, translating business objectives into privacy-safe, data-informed media plans. The $145,000–$165,000 base salary plus an incentive plan reflects the seniority Gaia is seeking. Louisville, Colorado, is the home base, and the role partners with creative, analytics, publishing, and external agency teams.
Key requirements:
Deep experience designing cross-channel consumer journey strategies
Track record translating business objectives into integrated, full-funnel media plans
Fluency with audience segmentation frameworks and privacy-first data approaches
Ability to lead and coordinate across internal teams and external agency partners
A distinctive angle: The multilingual requirement sets this apart from most paid media roles. Gaia needs someone who can support campaign localization and ad copy validation across French, German, and Spanish markets while managing multi-country activation strategy across Google and Meta platforms. The $70,000–$90,000 range for a specialist-level role with genuine international scope is competitive, and this position offers the kind of cross-market experience that’s difficult to find outside major agency networks.
What they’re seeking:
Strong technical expertise in Google Ads (Search, Display, Performance Max, YouTube) and Meta Ads
Multilingual capabilities in French, German, and Spanish for campaign localization
Experience managing paid media budgets across multiple international markets
Analytical mindset with focus on ROAS and qualified lead volume
Two skills keep surfacing across today’s listings that would have been niche qualifications just two years ago: comfort working alongside AI tools and fluency across multiple international markets. The AI Content Editor role proves that editorial judgment remains essential even as production processes evolve. The Gaia roles demonstrate that mid-size companies expanding globally need people who can think across borders and languages, not just platforms.
If you’re building your skill set right now, investing time in understanding AI-assisted workflows or brushing up on language skills for campaign localization will open doors that pure platform expertise alone won’t. The market is rewarding versatility with real specificity behind it.
The Mediabistro editorial team draws on 25 years of media industry expertise to cover jobs, careers, and trends shaping the industry.
7 min read • Originally published March 17, 2026 / Updated March 19, 2026
A mid-size DTC brand needs someone to overhaul its visual identity, direct a campaign shoot, and mentor two junior designers. The entire marketing budget can’t support a full-time creative director salary.
But you don’t have to pick between a full-time, salaried person and the kind of totally software-driven, non-human, AI-based “role” that you’ve been hearing a lot about on social media.
Five years ago, the options were to hire a full-time or outsource to an agency. A third path is reshaping how companies access senior creative talent.
Fractional creative directors have gained real traction among DTC brands, B2B SaaS companies, and media startups, organizations with sophisticated creative needs and lean teams. But most companies evaluating this model, and most creative professionals considering the fractional path, have no mental model for how it works.
How many hours? What’s the scope? What gets delivered? When does it fail?
What a Fractional Creative Director Actually Does
Fractional creative directors are not freelancers. That distinction matters more than anything else.
Freelancers take discrete projects. Fractional CDs attend leadership meetings, set creative strategy, manage brand systems, and mentor junior creatives. They function as embedded leadership, not outside vendors.
Think of the fractional CD the way you’d think of retained outside counsel: they’re yours, they know your business, but they’re not in your office five days a week.
What do they produce?
Brand guideline development
Campaign creative direction
Creative team hiring and management
Vendor oversight for photographers and production houses
Creative quality control across channels
They might lead a rebrand, establish a design system, or build a content production workflow from scratch.
Critical Distinction: Fractional CDs typically don’t typically do daily production work, pixel-level design execution, or serve as a one-person creative department. If you need someone in Figma 30 hours a week, you need a designer.
The value of a creative director increasingly lies in strategic thinking rather than aesthetic output. That’s exactly what makes fractional arrangements viable: the strategic layer doesn’t require 40 hours a week.
How Fractional Engagements Are Structured
Time Commitments and Client Load
Most fractional creative directors work with two to four clients simultaneously. A typical commitment runs 10 to 20 hours per week, spread across two or three days, with engagements lasting six to twelve months before a renewal decision.
The limited hours are a feature. Companies get focused creative leadership at decision points (campaign kickoffs, brand reviews, quarterly planning) without paying for time spent on tasks that don’t require CD-level judgment.
Pricing Models
Monthly retainers dominate over hourly or project-based billing, commonly landing between $5,000 and $15,000 per month depending on scope, seniority, and hours committed.
The honest cost comparison: fractional is cheaper per month but more expensive per hour. The value is in right-sizing the commitment. If you only need 15 hours a week of creative leadership, paying for 40 makes no financial sense.
Economic conditions are accelerating this shift. As Digiday reported in March 2026, geopolitical instability and economic uncertainty have destabilized ad spend forecasts. When nobody can predict next quarter’s budget with confidence, variable creative costs look smarter than fixed headcount.
Prerequisites: What Your Company Needs in Place
A fractional CD isn’t a rescue operation.
You need at least a basic creative team or production capability for the CD to direct. No designers, no brand assets, no production infrastructure? You need a founding creative hire who can build the foundation first.
Clear decision-making authority is non-negotiable. The fractional CD must have a seat at the leadership table or the engagement fails. If they report to a marketing manager who filters everything, strategic value evaporates.
Onboarding matters more here than in full-time hires because the CD doesn’t have months to absorb institutional knowledge. Brand immersion documents, access to historical creative work, introductions to key stakeholders: table stakes.
Skills That Separate Successful Fractional CDs
Business development capability. You are always partly selling, partly delivering. Even with four active clients, you’re building relationships with the next two. Creative talent alone doesn’t sustain a fractional practice.
Fast brand immersion. You can’t spend six months absorbing company culture. You need structured onboarding conversations, brand audit frameworks, and competitive positioning exercises you can run in the first two weeks.
Rigorous documentation. Context-switching across multiple brands is the hardest part of this work. Maintaining deep brand knowledge for three or four clients simultaneously requires documented systems for guidelines, creative briefs, and stakeholder communication.
Strategic confidence. Clients are paying for decisive creative leadership in compressed time. The model rewards people who can assess a situation quickly, make a call, and articulate the rationale. Indecision kills these engagements faster than anything.
Marketing yourself effectively through case studies, a sharp portfolio site, and strategic visibility directly impacts your ability to maintain a full client roster. In fractional work, your reputation is your pipeline.
Where Fractional Engagements Break Down
These failure patterns show up repeatedly:
Unclear scope from day one. The company says “just help us with creative” and the CD doesn’t push for specifics. Three months in, expectations are wildly misaligned. The company expected hands-on execution. The CD thought they were hired for strategic direction. The engagement limps to an unsatisfying end.
No leadership access. The fractional CD reports to a marketing manager who lacks authority to make creative decisions. Every recommendation gets filtered, delayed, or diluted. The CD becomes an expensive consultant generating decks no one implements.
Treating it like freelance. The company sends one-off projects instead of integrating the CD into ongoing creative operations. The CD never builds enough context to add real value. Everyone ends up frustrated.
Overloading the client roster. A fractional CD takes on five clients to maximize revenue and can’t maintain brand depth on any of them. Quality drops. Clients notice. Engagements don’t renew.
No exit or conversion plan. Neither side discusses what happens at month six. The company scales up and suddenly needs full-time creative leadership but has no transition framework. Institutional knowledge walks out the door.
The Bridge Dynamic: Fractional arrangements can serve as a bridge. Some companies begin with a fractional creative director and later convert the role to full-time. Some fractional CDs go full-time with a client they find especially compelling. Smart practitioners and companies plan for this possibility from the start.
When Fractional Makes Sense (and When It Doesn’t)
The Fractional Sweet Spot
Fractional creative leadership works best when a company has crossed a threshold of creative maturity but hasn’t reached the scale that justifies full-time leadership.
You have designers who need direction. You have campaigns that need strategic oversight. You have a brand that needs consistency. But you’re not running 10 campaigns simultaneously or managing a team of 15.
The model has gained particular traction as brands build in-house content production capabilities. Brands are building internal entertainment studios, echoing the social media team buildout of the early 2010s. That buildout phase creates natural openings for fractional creative directors who can set standards and direction while the company figures out its long-term structure.
When You Need Full-Time Instead
Fractional doesn’t work when you need daily presence to manage a large team, when your creative process requires constant real-time collaboration, or when you’re rebuilding a broken creative function from scratch. Those situations call for full-time hires with deep institutional embedding.
Making the Move: For Creative Leaders
This model requires comfort with business development, speed at building context, and discipline about documentation. But for experienced creative directors who want autonomy, variety, and the chance to shape multiple brands simultaneously, it’s one of the most compelling models to emerge in years.
Remote and hybrid work norms have lowered the barriers significantly. Creative direction used to demand constant physical presence. That perception has largely dissolved, and geography matters far less than it did even three years ago.
Making the Move: For Companies
Fractional creative leadership can be exactly right-sized for organizations that need strategic creative direction but aren’t ready for full-time headcount. Only if you treat it as embedded leadership, though. Clear scope, leadership access, proper onboarding. Done right, you get senior creative talent at a commitment level that matches your actual needs.
Whichever side of the table you’re on, start by defining what success looks like. What specific deliverables are needed? What level of access and authority? What does the offboarding or conversion path look like?
Next Steps
If you’re a creative professional ready to explore opportunities, fractional or full-time, browse creative director jobs on Mediabistro. If you’re an employer building a creative team and evaluating how to structure leadership, post your open creative jobs on Mediabistro to reach experienced creative professionals actively looking for their next opportunity.
Known for the emergence of MTV, the rise of neon, and the invention of the mixtape, the 1980s were certainly a rockin’ era in American history. New economic policies were introduced, the news network CNN launched, and, much less enjoyable, Wall Street crashed on the infamous Black Monday—the worst one-day decline in American stock market history. Sandra Day O’Connor was nominated by President Ronald Reagan as the first female Supreme Court justice, the Cold War saw the beginning of the end as the Berlin Wall began to fall, and millions watched in horror as the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on live television.
Among all the big hair, Rubix cubes, and shoulder pads, however, there were still plenty of babies being born during this defining time. And with celebrities like Michael J. Fox and Robert Palmer reaching their peak fame during the ’80s, it’s no surprise that many parents chose to name their kids after them.
To see just how popular these names were, Stacker compiled a list of the most popular baby names for boys in the 80s in New York using data from the Social Security Administration. Names are ranked by number of babies born.
Just like scrunchies and PAC MAN, Americans can still hold onto some of the best aspects of the ’80s, including baby names (some things never get old). So whether you’re welcoming a new little one into the world this year or just curious, these are the 100 most popular baby names of the 1980s in New York.
Iren_Geo // Shutterstock
#30. Paul
Paul is a name of Latin origin meaning “humble”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 8,873 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 965 (#218 (tie) most common name, -89.1% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 104,397 (#40 most common name)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
#29. Mark
Mark is a name of Latin origin meaning “God of war”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 9,303 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,294 (#155 most common name, -86.1% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 129,460 (#34 most common name)
Anna Grigorjeva // Shutterstock
#28. Sean
Sean is a name of Irish origin meaning “God is gracious”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 9,546 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,018 (#210 most common name, -89.3% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 103,875 (#41 most common name)
Lopolo // Shutterstock
#27. Jeffrey
Jeffrey is a name of English origin meaning “pledge of peace”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 10,563 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 680 (#287 (tie) most common name, -93.6% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 144,798 (#29 most common name)
Fotonium // Shutterstock
#26. Timothy
Timothy is a name of Greek origin meaning “honouring God”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 10,969 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,200 (#175 (tie) most common name, -89.1% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 172,834 (#26 most common name)
FamVeld // Shutterstock
#25. Adam
Adam is a name of Hebrew origin meaning “earth”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 12,502 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 3,661 (#46 most common name, -70.7% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 195,084 (#22 most common name)
Vasilyev Alexandr // Shutterstock
#24. Richard
Richard is a name of German origin meaning “dominant ruler”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 13,065 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,217 (#169 most common name, -90.7% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 154,750 (#27 most common name)
Tomsickova Tatyana // Shutterstock
#23. Eric
Eric is a name of Norse origin meaning “sole ruler”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 13,887 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,314 (#154 most common name, -90.5% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 204,246 (#21 most common name)
Samuel Borges Photography // Shutterstock
#22. Steven
Steven is a name of Greek origin meaning “crown”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 14,101 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,431 (#139 (tie) most common name, -89.9% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 177,470 (#25 most common name)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
#21. Ryan
Ryan is a name of Irish origin meaning “little king” or “illustrious”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 14,693 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 5,939 (#22 (tie) most common name, -59.6% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 278,954 (#14 most common name)
Ramona Heim // Shutterstock
#20. Justin
Justin is a name of Latin origin meaning “righteous”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 14,719 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,550 (#76 most common name, -82.7% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 289,826 (#12 most common name)
yifanjrb // Shutterstock
#19. Kevin
Kevin is a name of Irish origin meaning “noble”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 15,211 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,094 (#98 most common name, -86.2% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 188,685 (#23 most common name)
Oksana Kuzmina // Shutterstock
#18. Thomas
Thomas is a name of Greek origin meaning “twin”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 15,658 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 4,275 (#39 most common name, -72.7% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 177,817 (#24 most common name)
Shutterstock
#17. Nicholas
Nicholas is a name of Greek origin meaning “victory of the people”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 15,953 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 4,807 (#32 most common name, -69.9% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 223,320 (#19 most common name)
Andy Dean Photography // Shutterstock
#16. William
William is a name of Germanic origin meaning “vehement protector”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 16,229 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 5,939 (#22 (tie) most common name, -63.4% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 248,286 (#15 most common name)
morrowlight // Shutterstock
#15. Joshua
Joshua is a name of Hebrew origin meaning “God Is my salvation”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 16,869 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 4,570 (#37 most common name, -72.9% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 396,530 (#4 most common name)
Tomsickova Tatyana // Shutterstock
#14. Brian
Brian is a name of Irish origin meaning “noble”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 18,487 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,048 (#204 most common name, -94.3% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 233,997 (#16 most common name)
DONOT6_STUDIO // Shutterstock
#13. Jonathan
Jonathan is a name of Hebrew origin meaning “God has given”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 18,966 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 3,192 (#57 most common name, -83.2% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 229,959 (#18 most common name)
Olesia Bilkei // Shutterstock
#12. Andrew
Andrew is a name of Greek origin meaning “brave”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 19,790 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 4,016 (#43 most common name, -79.7% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 285,094 (#13 most common name)
FamVeld // Shutterstock
#11. Anthony
Anthony is a name of Latin origin meaning “praiseworthy”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 21,454 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 6,009 (#21 most common name, -72.0% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 211,870 (#20 most common name)
Alena Vostrikova // Shutterstock
#10. James
James is a name of Hebrew origin meaning “supplanter”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 22,149 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 7,673 (#8 most common name, -65.4% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 356,498 (#6 most common name)
Iren_Geo // Shutterstock
#9. Jason
Jason is a name of Greek origin meaning “healer”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 22,234 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,509 (#80 most common name, -88.7% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 292,130 (#11 most common name)
burlakova_anna // Shutterstock
#8. Robert
Robert is a name of Germanic origin meaning “fame” or “bright”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 23,342 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,782 (#67 most common name, -88.1% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 321,672 (#8 most common name)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
#7. John
John is a name of Hebrew origin meaning “Yahweh has been gracious”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 24,234 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 5,351 (#26 most common name, -77.9% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 321,161 (#9 most common name)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
#6. David
David is a name of Hebrew origin meaning “beloved”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 27,489 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 7,344 (#10 most common name, -73.3% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 383,702 (#5 most common name)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
#5. Daniel
Daniel is a name of Hebrew origin meaning “God is my judge”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 28,018 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 7,283 (#12 most common name, -74.0% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 345,559 (#7 most common name)
Tatiana Chekryzhova // Shutterstock
#4. Joseph
Joseph is a name of Hebrew origin meaning “he will add”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 28,756 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 8,554 (#7 most common name, -70.3% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 299,416 (#10 most common name)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
#3. Matthew
Matthew is a name of Hebrew origin meaning “Gift of Yahweh”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 31,285 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 7,614 (#9 most common name, -75.7% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 458,953 (#3 most common name)
pratan ounpitipong // Shutterstock
#2. Christopher
Christopher is a name of English origin meaning “Christ-bearer”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 38,244 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 4,583 (#36 most common name, -88.0% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 554,886 (#2 most common name)
Mallmo // Shutterstock
#1. Michael
Michael is a name of Hebrew origin meaning “who is like God?”.
New York – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 58,998 – Babies from 2015 to 2024: 8,557 (#6 most common name, -85.5% compared to the 80s)
National: – Babies from 1980 to 1989: 663,824 (#1 most common name)
Known for the emergence of MTV, the rise of neon, and the invention of the mixtape, the 1980s were certainly a rockin’ era in American history. New economic policies were introduced, the news network CNN launched, and, much less enjoyable, Wall Street crashed on the infamous Black Monday—the worst one-day decline in American stock market history. Sandra Day O’Connor was nominated by President Ronald Reagan as the first female Supreme Court justice, the Cold War saw the beginning of the end as the Berlin Wall began to fall, and millions watched in horror as the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on live television.
Among all the big hair, Rubix cubes, and shoulder pads, however, there were still plenty of babies being born during this defining time. And with celebrities like Michael J. Fox and Robert Palmer reaching their peak fame during the ’80s, it’s no surprise that many parents chose to name their kids after them.
To see just how popular these names were, Stacker compiled a list of the most popular baby names for boys in the 80s in California using data from the Social Security Administration. Names are ranked by number of babies born.
Just like scrunchies and PAC MAN, Americans can still hold onto some of the best aspects of the ’80s, including baby names (some things never get old). So whether you’re welcoming a new little one into the world this year or just curious, these are the most popular baby names of the 1980s in California.
Vasilyev Alexandr // Shutterstock
#30. Aaron
Aaron is a name of Hebrew origin meaning “high mountain”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 15,224
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 11,332 (#28 most common name, -25.6% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 138,366 (#32 most common name)
Irisska // Shutterstock
#29. Thomas
Thomas is a name of Greek origin meaning “twin”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 15,292
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 5,771 (#77 most common name, -62.3% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 177,817 (#24 most common name)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
#28. Jeffrey
Jeffrey is a name of English origin meaning “pledge of peace”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 16,318
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,061 (#354 most common name, -93.5% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 144,798 (#29 most common name)
Capable97 // Shutterstock
#27. Adam
Adam is a name of Hebrew origin meaning “earth”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 16,979
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 6,900 (#64 most common name, -59.4% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 195,084 (#22 most common name)
Pshenina_m // Shutterstock
#26. Juan
Juan is a name of Spanish origin meaning “God is gracious”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 17,831
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 5,729 (#80 most common name, -67.9% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 51,257 (#65 most common name)
Samuel Borges Photography // Shutterstock
#25. William
William is a name of Germanic origin meaning “vehement protector”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 19,915
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 11,156 (#30 most common name, -44.0% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 248,286 (#15 most common name)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
#24. Richard
Richard is a name of German origin meaning “dominant ruler”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 21,732
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,788 (#163 most common name, -87.2% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 154,750 (#27 most common name)
Tatiana Chekryzhova // Shutterstock
#23. Brandon
Brandon is a name of English origin meaning “beacon hill” or “crow”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 21,796
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 4,477 (#104 most common name, -79.5% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 232,206 (#17 most common name)
Shutterstock
#22. Kevin
Kevin is a name of Irish origin meaning “noble”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 22,434
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 5,050 (#93 most common name, -77.5% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 188,685 (#23 most common name)
Roman Sorkin // Shutterstock
#21. Steven
Steven is a name of Greek origin meaning “crown”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 22,720
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,705 (#168 most common name, -88.1% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 177,470 (#25 most common name)
Serenko Natalia // Shutterstock
#20. Eric
Eric is a name of Norse origin meaning “sole ruler”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 24,174
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 3,949 (#120 most common name, -83.7% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 204,246 (#21 most common name)
Tatiana Chekryzhova // Shutterstock
#19. Nicholas
Nicholas is a name of Greek origin meaning “victory of the people”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 25,415
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 6,393 (#71 most common name, -74.8% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 223,320 (#19 most common name)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
#18. Brian
Brian is a name of Irish origin meaning “noble”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 25,562
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,150 (#207 most common name, -91.6% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 233,997 (#16 most common name)
noBorders – Brayden Howie // Shutterstock
#17. Justin
Justin is a name of Latin origin meaning “righteous”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 26,042
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 3,012 (#145 most common name, -88.4% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 289,826 (#12 most common name)
marina shin // Shutterstock
#16. Jonathan
Jonathan is a name of Hebrew origin meaning “God has given”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 27,741
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 8,434 (#48 most common name, -69.6% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 229,959 (#18 most common name)
Anna Grigorjeva // Shutterstock
#15. Jason
Jason is a name of Greek origin meaning “healer”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 29,200
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 5,549 (#81 most common name, -81.0% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 292,130 (#11 most common name)
pratan ounpitipong // Shutterstock
#14. Anthony
Anthony is a name of Latin origin meaning “praiseworthy”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 29,361
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 12,345 (#22 most common name, -58.0% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 211,870 (#20 most common name)
Adrie Molco // Shutterstock
#13. John
John is a name of Hebrew origin meaning “Yahweh has been gracious”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 30,280
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 6,234 (#73 most common name, -79.4% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 321,161 (#9 most common name)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
#12. James
James is a name of Hebrew origin meaning “supplanter”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 30,871
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 12,971 (#19 most common name, -58.0% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 356,498 (#6 most common name)
Oksana Kuzmina // Shutterstock
#11. Joseph
Joseph is a name of Hebrew origin meaning “he will add”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 30,927
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 10,692 (#31 most common name, -65.4% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 299,416 (#10 most common name)
Elvira Koneva // Shutterstock
#10. Andrew
Andrew is a name of Greek origin meaning “brave”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 32,001
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 10,265 (#32 (tie) most common name, -67.9% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 285,094 (#13 most common name)
Anna Grigorjeva // Shutterstock
#9. Jose
Jose is a name of Spanish origin meaning “God will increase”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 32,247
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 9,004 (#44 most common name, -72.1% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 86,420 (#48 most common name)
Alena Vostrikova // Shutterstock
#8. Ryan
Ryan is a name of Irish origin meaning “little king” or “illustrious”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 33,479
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 8,333 (#49 most common name, -75.1% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 278,954 (#14 most common name)
FamVeld // Shutterstock
#7. Joshua
Joshua is a name of Hebrew origin meaning “God Is my salvation”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 35,512
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 8,682 (#47 most common name, -75.6% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 396,530 (#4 most common name)
DONOT6_STUDIO // Shutterstock
#6. Robert
Robert is a name of Germanic origin meaning “fame” or “bright”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 36,335
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 5,243 (#89 most common name, -85.6% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 321,672 (#8 most common name)
rSnapshotPhotos // Shutterstock
#5. Matthew
Matthew is a name of Hebrew origin meaning “Gift of Yahweh”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 44,273
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 16,007 (#10 most common name, -63.8% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 458,953 (#3 most common name)
Olesia Bilkei // Shutterstock
#4. Daniel
Daniel is a name of Hebrew origin meaning “God is my judge”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 50,169
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 17,356 (#7 most common name, -65.4% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 345,559 (#7 most common name)
Anna Grigorjeva // Shutterstock
#3. David
David is a name of Hebrew origin meaning “beloved”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 51,636
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 13,006 (#18 most common name, -74.8% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 383,702 (#5 most common name)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
#2. Christopher
Christopher is a name of English origin meaning “Christ-bearer”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 61,506
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 8,836 (#45 most common name, -85.6% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 554,886 (#2 most common name)
Ramona Heim // Shutterstock
#1. Michael
Michael is a name of Hebrew origin meaning “who is like God?”.
California
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 73,644
– Babies from 2015 to 2024: 12,856 (#20 most common name, -82.5% compared to the 80s)
National:
– Babies from 1980 to 1989: 663,824 (#1 most common name)
Debra Wheatman is a certified professional resume writer and career strategist who has helped over 11,000 executives with personal branding and career positioning. She brings more than 20 years of corporate HR experience at companies including Condé Nast and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.
3 min read • Originally published July 5, 2016 / Updated March 19, 2026
Debra Wheatman is a certified professional resume writer and career strategist who has helped over 11,000 executives with personal branding and career positioning. She brings more than 20 years of corporate HR experience at companies including Condé Nast and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.
3 min read • Originally published July 5, 2016 / Updated March 19, 2026
The first step in drawing up your new resume is to pick the type of job you are aiming for.
You earned your degree and have a world of opportunities. It can be overwhelming to define a career goal. The good news is that you don’t have to choose one industry or one job.
Most people launching a career have two or three interests that match their skillset. A good starting place to research careers is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Online Occupational Handbook. After you research your options, narrow your goal to three or fewer potential career paths.
This will make your search more manageable. You can always alter your goals as new opportunities arise.
2. Document Your Non-Work Experience
Most recent graduates have limited work experience. However, not all experience is work-related.
There are several other types of experience that increase your credibility and demonstrate your skills. These include: education, academic honors, coursework relevant to your goal, highlights of top academic projects, research papers, presentations, posters, academic organizations, service organizations, languages and computer skills.
3. Brainstorm for Accomplishments
Review all of your work and non-work experience to uncover major accomplishments. Holding an office in a student organization shows your leadership skills.
If you led a major charity fundraiser, that would be a great accomplishment to demonstrate your organizational and project management skills. Be sure to include numbers, such as how much money was raised.
Tutoring students reinforces your training ability and you can take it one step further by talking about the student’s success or how you grew your tutoring business by word of mouth. If you think about it, you have many accomplishments, even if you have never held a “real” job.
Want even more help on your resume? Get started with a FREE resume evaluation from Mediabistro’s Career Services. Our counselors and writers can help you update and upgrade your resume so you can confidently apply for the job you want.
4. Customize
There are many options when you launch a new career. Based on your research, you will uncover multiple ways that you can apply your talents and education.
The mistake that many candidates make is creating and using only one resume for multiple different job opportunities. Avoid that mistake by customizing your resume for each opportunity or each type of job.
A focused resume aligns you with the potential employer’s requirements and you will come across as an ideal candidate.
5. Work Your Resume
It takes time and energy to land your ideal job. Academic preparation is your minimum requirement. Getting the job requires company research, networking, resume preparation and modification, and online social media activities.
The job search is a numbers game. You must follow dozens of leads, post your resume and follow up, send many resumes each week, and network routinely to be successful in your search. In other words, now that you have a new resume, work it! Debra Wheatman is president of Careers Done Write.
The American Marketing Association is the pre-eminent force in marketing for best and next practices, thought leadership and valued relationships, across the entire discipline of marketing. Its online publications include posts on industry trends, career advice and more.
John Lombard is a content strategist and writer with over a decade of experience creating interactive and video content for brands like Apple, IBM, and Samsung. He previously worked at Mediabistro and now serves as a Client Strategist at Ceros.
3 min read • Originally published May 20, 2016 / Updated March 19, 2026
John Lombard is a content strategist and writer with over a decade of experience creating interactive and video content for brands like Apple, IBM, and Samsung. He previously worked at Mediabistro and now serves as a Client Strategist at Ceros.
3 min read • Originally published May 20, 2016 / Updated March 19, 2026
Welcome to week 9 of The Weekend Job Search, our ongoing series that breaks the whole job-search process into 13 totally doable to-do items.
This week, we’re helping you prep for the interview itself by doing a little role-playing and conducting a mock interview. Think of it as practice making perfect: If you go through the motions and rehearse the kinds of questions you may be asked, you’re more likely to be relaxed and perform better when it’s time for the real thing.
The Weekend Job Search Assignment #9
Hold a Mock Interview With a Friend
There’s no better way to prep for an interview than by conducting a mock interview with a friend or family member. While you can never totally prepare for curveball questions interviewers are going to ask, practicing your responses to popular interview questions will help up your confidence and lower your umms, you knows and other filler words that make you sound less smart.
Here’s how to do it:
1. Find a Friend or Family Member.
Today, reach out to somebody you think would be helpful in a mock interview, whether it’s a friend, a family member or even a professional mock interview coach. You’re looking for someone who won’t be afraid to give you honest feedback; maybe sweeten the deal by offering to meet in a coffee shop and footing the bill.
2. Prepare for the Mock Interview.
Make a list of questions for your friend to ask during your mock interview. You can pull these from lists of popular or tricky interview questions; if you’re targeting companies, you can also check out Glassdoor to find company-specific interview questions.
It’s also a good idea to make a list of things for your friend to watch out for, like which questions gave you trouble, or if things like your body language is sending the wrong impression.
Get even more help on your interview preparation: The counselors with Mediabistro’s Career Services can help you refine your interview skills in a one-on-one session.
3. Conduct the Mock Interview.
Even though your friend will probably do a “boss” voice for the first question, it’s important to treat this like a real interview. Once you’ve completed one round of the interview, ask for feedback from your interviewer. Then, consider a second round to take in notes and give those trouble questions another go.
Hopefully this process will shed some light on your strong and not-so-strong interview skills. Taking the feedback from your friend, and thinking on the questions that gave you trouble, work to improve upon what you learned from the experience.
And because video interviews are quickly becoming the norm, consider setting up a FaceTime interview with a friend as well.
Bonus tip: Consider swapping roles with your friend. Because experienced hiring managers have conducted so many interviews themselves, many reportthat when they’re up for a job, they rarely get nervous. Going a round in the interviewer’s seat may help you avoid the jitters when the real thing comes around.
And that’s week 9!
Next week, we’ll be giving you quick, easy ways to research a company, as well as the people looking to hire you.
John Lombard is a content strategist and writer with over a decade of experience creating interactive and video content for brands like Apple, IBM, and Samsung. He previously worked at Mediabistro and now serves as a Client Strategist at Ceros.
3 min read • Originally published November 7, 2016 / Updated March 19, 2026
John Lombard is a content strategist and writer with over a decade of experience creating interactive and video content for brands like Apple, IBM, and Samsung. He previously worked at Mediabistro and now serves as a Client Strategist at Ceros.
3 min read • Originally published November 7, 2016 / Updated March 19, 2026
If you’re a recent grad, recently changed careers or have been known to job-hop, then a skills-based cover letter—one that highlights your transferable skills—can give you an edge in the hiring process. And we’ve got a template to get started.
If you’re just entering the workforce and lack specific relevant experience, use a skills-based cover to highlight your transferable skills from internships, part-time jobs and student clubs, says Mitchell Langbert, associate professor of business management at Brooklyn College.
Changing careers? Langbert says this type of cover letter can help you “accentuate the competencies rather than the job titles” as a means of showing the relevance of skills from your previous career to your new one.
And if you’re a chronic job-hopper, use a skills-based cover letter to “consolidate the experience to lessen the emphasis on the frequent movement,” says Langbert.
Let our career & resume experts help perfect your cover letter with a professional edit.
The basic idea of this type of cover letter is simple: Rather than solely highlighting your past experiences, focus on the skills that you can take from one job to the next. This shows the hiring manager you have what’s needed to get the job done.
“List your best skills that are also most relatable to the specific job in which you have interest,” says Claire Leyton, senior recruiter for communications company Cision.
The goal of the cover letter is to “make a recruiter or hiring manager take a deeper look at your resume,” says Leyton, who recommends highlighting no more than three skills.
Below is a template for a skills-based cover letter:
Introduction: Use this opening paragraph to explain why you’re interested in the role. You can also add a sentence explaining how your skill set and passion for the role or company make you an ideal candidate.
Intro to your skills list: Quickly state that you’re using a skills-based cover letter. Consider something like, “I’ve taken a good look at the job description, and put together a short list of my top transferable skills.”
Skills List: Using the job description, identify what you believe are the top three required skills for the role and create three points here listing your transferrable skills. Then, talk about each briefly.
Here are a few examples:
Skilled in Adobe InDesign: With five years’ experience developing products using InDesign, I have created award-winning ebooks, one sheets, layouts and other design materials. In my previous role, I trained the design staff on InDesign best-practices when creating visual content.
Experienced in Project Management—For the past three years, I have been managing a team of designers and writers. Through this, I’ve honed my approach to management and, as of late, have been using the waterfall methodology, which is proving to be a great success for the team.
Passionate About Data—Data has always driven my creative decisions, but to provide better actionable insights through our data, I recently gained my certification in Google Analytics. I’ve used this knowledge to discover new opportunities and have helped to raise conversions by 23%.
Call to Action: Finish by stating something like, “I would love to come in for an interview to meet with the team and learn more about how I can contribute to this role.”
Contact Information: Don’t forget to list your contact information so the hiring manager can easily reach out. This can include your email, phone number, portfolio site, LinkedIn profile and anything else you want to be front of mind for the hiring manager.
Katie Hottinger is a content strategist and UX designer with over 15 years of editorial experience across brands including JPMorgan Chase, Google, Condé Nast Traveler, and Mediabistro. She specializes in digital content strategy and multi-platform editorial execution.
3 min read • Originally published March 23, 2016 / Updated March 19, 2026
Katie Hottinger is a content strategist and UX designer with over 15 years of editorial experience across brands including JPMorgan Chase, Google, Condé Nast Traveler, and Mediabistro. She specializes in digital content strategy and multi-platform editorial execution.
3 min read • Originally published March 23, 2016 / Updated March 19, 2026
Spring hiring is picking up, and, with it, a new crop of career advice coverage. Here are some of our favorites.
1. In case you wanted an excuse to stop writing cover letters, here are 10 good ones. You think you hate regurgitating selling points about your experience and what you can bring to a role? Imagine how the hiring manager who has to read it in your cover letter feels—and those of countless other applicants to the position. Forbes columnist Liz Ryan comes up with an even 10 reasons to stop writing the dreaded cover letter, and tells what to do instead.
2. Companies love video interviews, but candidates hate ’em. Here’s how to get camera ready and make a great impression. The good news: Video interviews can lead to faster hires than old-fashioned in-person interviews. The bad news: Most candidates don’t know how to do them. This video interview how-to from Business Insider demystifies the process, and may just help you land the offer.
3. Almost every resume has short-term gigs and gaps. With these tips, you can explain them, or even gloss over them. The reasons for having short-term stints on your resume can vary, says this tip-sheet from recruiter.com. Here’s how to explain them, and when you can leave them off your resume entirely.
4. If you feel like you’re sending your resume and applications into a cyber abyss, there are alternate steps you can take to getting an interview—and a job offer. With some smart research and a carefully crafted cold email, you can set yourself apart from the rest of the job-applicant crowd. A how-to on Inc.com gives you the ins-and-outs of this confident, resourceful approach.
6. When you’re young, it’s smart to discover what you’re good at, find a mentor—and, unless you are very certain about what you want to do, do not enter a Ph.D. program. The crowdsource geniuses at Quora are offering up their takes on career advice that people often learn too late. Glean their collective wisdom (“Network. Network. Network,” “Say ‘no’ more often,”), or offer some of your own.
7. Something else employees worry about: Office messaging service Slack may soon start keeping tabs on your productivity. Slack’s founder and CEO told a crowd at SXSW that the company is developing bots to “converse with employees, get status updates, and send that information to others in the company,” according to this story on Quartz.
And for employers:
8. Promising candidates are getting a second chance over questionable posts. There are still valid reasons suspicious social media activity should disqualify even the strongest applicants. This article from Entrepreneur outlines some of the best, including when posts point to dishonesty on a resume, or shows inappropriate behavior.
9. There’s a major disconnect between what management thinks about company culture, and what employees do. Surprise! Employers and employees don’t see eye to eye about workplace culture, as reported in this Fast Company article. Why does it matter? The gap between employer and employee perceptions is often cited as a top reason why people quit their jobs.
