Thoughts for a Tough Job Market

Apply. Customize. Network. Follow up. Repeat.

Ooooh, Friend. The job market is doing the absolute most right now. 🫣 Amirite?!

Apply. Customize. Network. Follow up. Interview. Repeat.

One client is coming to me with, “I’m exhausted. I just went through five interview rounds, and they went with another candidate.”

Dang it.

Another, “I’m doing all the things (👆🏽). Why is nothing working?”

And another, “I’ve applied everywhere, and now I’m wondering if I need to completely change my target.”

While I don’t want to fall into this exceptionally prevalent trope of career coaches decrying the end of the world as we know it (I see you, Michael Stipe), it would be naive for me to say it’s not tough out there.

The market is crowded. Hiring cycles are longer. Recruiters are overwhelmed. Somewhere along the way, job searching became a full-time job of its own:

Apply. Customize. Network. Follow up. Interview. Repeat.

It’s a lot.

So! How about six things I’m encouraging people to focus on right now instead?

And if the applications, follow-ups, networking conversations, and moving pieces are making your head spin, I just gave my FREE Job Application Tracker a whole overhaul so you can stay organized and a little more in control while you're in the thick of it. 🫶🏽

PS—For the young ones among us: Michael Stipe is not a LinkedIn creator nor internet-famous career coach. He was one of the best frontmen of the '90s. You're welcome for today's cultural enrichment lesson.