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If youre job searching right now, it can feel like your efforts and outcomes arent lining up. The job search is changing, and competition isnt easing. The result: nearly 80% of job seekers say they feel unprepared to find a new job this year. At the same time, two-thirds of recruiters say its become harder to find qualified talent over the last year. This tension has become a defining feature of the job hunt. Theres no denying that AI is reshaping how work gets done, and in the new year, both recruiters and job seekers are planning to use the technology to gain a competitive edge. The good news is that the fundamentals of what makes for a good hire havent changed drastically. But as AI tools continue to evolve, the way job seekers show up and hirers evaluate talent is shifting. As LinkedIns Career Expert, I have front-row access to how the job market is changing, based on our unique data and member insights, and have spent over a decade helping professionals navigate their careers with confidence as work continues to evolve. Heres what job seekers need to know about how to stand out and make AI work for them, not against them, in 2026. Do focus on your skills, dont try to game the system When job seekers update their résumé or LinkedIn Profile, many fall into the same trap: trying to say everything at once. In the age of AI, that can look like keyword stuffing in hopes an LLM picks it up. But this often backfires, making applications feel inauthentic or mismatched to the role. Instead, what works best is to lead with the actual skills you haveand specific explanations as to what you actually did, how you did it, and what came of it. Saying you led a cross-functional launch that improved customer retention by 2x, for example, gives far more insight than a dense list of generic responsibilities. This level of detail will help you stand out to recruiters, many of whom are already tapping AI to find candidates with skills theyd never have found before. So, take the time to revisit how you present your qualifications. You may even rediscover skills youve been applying for years without realizing theyre in-demand now, like problem-solving and adaptability, so you can stand out more and have an easier time spotting roles that are actually a good fit for you. Dont be intimidated by the AI interview, do practice ahead of time For many job seekers, the first interaction with a potential employer now happens through an AI-led prescreen or interview. That alone can be enough to throw people off. The format feels unfamiliar, but my biggest advice to job seekers is to treat it like a normal interview. Today, AI-led prescreenings help hiring teams manage application overload so they can spend their time evaluating and interviewing candidates who are truly a good fit. In fact, two-thirds of recruiters say AI prescreening interviews can help them get better insights about candidates, even across a large applicant pool. For job seekers, I recommend practicing an AI interview beforehand so youre not caught off guard the first time you encounter one. Use AI tools to practice a run-through, testing out your responses to common interview questions, how youd introduce yourself, and how youd describe your strengths and yes, your weaknesses (aka opportunities for growth!). If youre able to clearly communicate your experience and what youll bring to the role, youll move more smoothly through the hiring process, from pre-screening to live interviews. Do invest in relationships, dont wait until you need them Even as AI becomes more ingrained in the job search process, its still humans who make the biggest impact in your job search and career more broadly. But a mistake people make is waiting until theyve started looking for a new job to tap into their network. Even well-intentioned messages can come across as transactional if you’re only reaching out when you need something. Strong connections often start with shared context, not a specific ask, so reaching out early and often to your network is the best approach. This can be as simple as sending a quick check-in to a former coworker, a past manager, or a recruiter you meant to follow up with. A simple saw your promotion, congrats or this made me think of you goes further than you think. If youre not sure what to say, there are a ton of tools you can tap to help you find some common ground or the right words. The biggest takeaway: when relationships are warm, people are more likely to vouch for you or share opportunities you might not otherwise see. This can make all the difference, especially in a tough job market where many hiring managers give extra consideration to applicants who have a referral. Bottom Line: Use AI to get clearer, not slicker Hiring may look different than it did a few years ago, but the basics havent changed as much as it may feel. Skills, curiosity, and judgment still matter. What has changed is how job seekers can use AI to take charge of their job search. On LinkedIn, you can now describe what type of role you want, using plain language, and jobs you might not have thought to search for will come up. You can take a similar approach when looking for a new connection too, making it easier to build your network. When used strategically, AI can help you job search more intentionally so you can spend your energy where it matters most, and put your best foot forward in 2026.
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E-Commerce
If you signed up for an Amazon Prime membership between June 23, 2019, and June 23, 2025, Amazon might owe you as much as $51. This comes after the online retail giant entered into a settlement agreement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over allegations that the company used deceptive practices to enroll customers in its Prime membership. Heres what you need to know. Whats happened? Amazon and the FTC have agreed to a settlement over allegations that the online retailer used deceptive practices to enroll people in its Amazon Prime membership, while also making it difficult for those same individuals to cancel the membership. The settlement was reached in September 2025, with Amazon agreeing to pay $2.5 billion to eligible U.S. customers. Of that, $1 billion goes toward paying a civil penalty. The remaining $1.5 billion will be used to refund eligible customers up to $51 each. As part of the settlement, Amazon did not admit to any wrongdoing. Who is eligible for the refund? There are two groups of people eligible for a refund. Both groups must have signed up between June 23, 2019, and June 23, 2025. Automatic payment group: In this first group, you must have enrolled in Prime through a so-called “challenged enrollment flow.” And you may not have used more than three Prime benefits in a 12-month period from June 23, 2019, to June 23, 2025. If you’re part of this group, you should have received your payment automatically by December 24, 2025, with no action required on your part. Claims process payment group: In this second group, you must have either unintentionally enrolled in Prime through a challenged enrollment flow or unsuccessfully tried to cancel Prime. Further, you must have used more than three Prime benefits but less than 10 during the covered 12-month period. The window for submitting a claim for the second group opened on Monday, January 5. According to the settlement website, eligible customers should receive a notice via mail or email with instructions for filing a claim by January 23. What is a challenged enrollment flow? According to the FTC and the settlement administrator, that term refers to various pathways to sign up for Prime: The Universal Prime Decision Page (UPDP), Shipping Option Select Page (SOSP), Prime Video enrollment flow, and Single Page Checkout (SPC). The good news is that you don’t personally need to determine if you signed up through a challenged enrollment flow to submit a claim. According to the FTC, Amazon will determine that for you. How much money does Amazon owe me? If you fall into either group, Amazon will refund your Prime membership fee up to $51. What do I have to do to get my refund? If you are part of the first group, you should have automatically received your refund payment from Amazon with no action required on your part. If you are in the second group, you should receive a notice via email or regular mail from Amazon that tells you how you can submit a claim. You have until July 21, 2026, to submit a claim. What else should I know? Those who think they may be eligible for a refund should check out the official settlement website, which has a list of frequently asked questions.
Category:
E-Commerce
Denmark and Greenland are seeking a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the Trump administration doubled down on its intention to take over the strategic Arctic island, a Danish territory.Tensions escalated after the White House said Tuesday that the “U.S. military is always an option.” President Donald Trump has argued that the U.S. needs to control the world’s largest island to ensure its own security in the face of rising threats from China and Russia in the Arctic.Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned earlier this week that a U.S. takeover would amount to the end of the NATO military alliance.“The Nordics do not lightly make statements like this,” Maria Martisiute, a defense analyst at the European Policy Centre think tank, told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “But it is Trump, whose very bombastic language bordering on direct threats and intimidation, is threatening the fact to another ally by saying ‘I will control or annex the territory.'”The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom joined Frederiksen in a statement Tuesday reaffirming that the mineral-rich island “belongs to its people.”Their statement defended the sovereignty of Greenland, which is a self-governing territory of Denmark and thus part of NATO.This weekend’s U.S. military action in Venezuela has heightened fears across Europe, and Trump and his advisers in recent days have reiterated the U.S. leader’s desire to take over the island, which guards the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America.“It’s so strategic right now,” Trump told reporters Sunday.Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lkke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, have requested the meeting with Rubio in the near future, according to a statement posted Tuesday to Greenland’s government website.Previous requests for a sit-down were not successful, the statement said.French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said he spoke by phone Tuesday with Rubio, who dismissed the idea of a Venezuela-style operation in Greenland.“In the United States, there is massive support for the country belonging to NATO a membership that, from one day to the next, would be compromised by any form of aggressiveness toward another member of NATO,” Barrot told France Inter radio Wednesday.Asked if he has a plan in case Trump does claim Greenland, Barrot said he won’t engage in “fiction diplomacy.”While most U.S. Republicans have supported Trump’s statement, Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Thom Tillis, the Democratic and Republican co-chairs of the bipartisan Senate NATO Observer Group, blasted Trump’s rhetoric in a statement Tuesday.“When Denmark and Greenland make it clear that Greenland is not for sale, the United States must honor its treaty obligations and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” the statement said. “Any suggestion that our nation would subject a fellow NATO ally to coercion or external pressure undermines the very principles of self-determination that our Alliance exists to defend.” Associated Press journalists Geir Moulson in Berlin and Mark Carlson in Brussels contributed to this report. Stefanie Dazio, Associated Press
Category:
E-Commerce
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