The Big Four Job Search Problems
Solving a problem is like completing a puzzle. You just need the right pieces.
By Soozy G. Miller, CPRW, CDCC, CDP
Your current job search challenges really boil down to 4 problems:
Tough job market
Resume looks like everyone else’s
Need to reach recruiters
No idea how to begin the job search
Let’s address each of them.
The job market is tough. Due to a highly competitive job market, job seekers everywhere are panicking. I’m seeing outrageous application numbers like 500 or 1,000 or 5,000 resumes sent out within days or weeks. Goldman Sachs reportedly received 300K applications for internship positions in 2025. However, 98% of applicants are unqualified for any given job. With numbers like this, waiting for a response takes a while. Or maybe you’ve been rejected right away after spending hours on an application. Even if you feel that you’re perfect for a position, there are probably about 200 other people who also feel they are perfect for the position. This is stressful. So what’s the antidote?
Your resume looks like everyone else’s resume. This is a big problem. If you’re relying on skills and experience to get you in the door, you’re going to be disappointed. When I recruit, every resume looks alike, because everyone who does what you do has the same skills and experience that you do (or similar enough). Often, the hiring team cannot tell you apart from anyone else, and that’s bad for you. Now that job seekers are using AI to write their resumes, all resumes say the same thing in the same way. How do you differentiate yourself?
Need to reach recruiters. Remember the expression “It’s not what you know but who you know”? That has morphed to “It’s not who you know but what you say to who you know.” Finding recruiters is important, but once you find a recruiter how do you stay on their radar? Recruiters don’t work for you, they work for the hiring company, so you need to prove your hire better than your competition. As an aside: Claiming poverty and emotional distress does not get you a job faster; millions are people are in your same predicament.
No idea how to begin the job search. People come to me confused and feeling overwhelmed, which is expected and understandable if you feel lost in the job search, and you’ve received so many rejections that you don’t know what to do next. People often look like a deer in headlights when I meet them. Also, you might be feeling a little bit of residual stress from how your previous job ended. The job search can be daunting and scary, especially when you expected to find a job within a few weeks and three months later you’ve made little progress.
As an expert in hiring and career advising, I know that the four problems are real ... and they are all solvable. I know this because, even in this difficult market, my clients are landing great jobs within an average 2 months.
You just need a better strategy. And the right advisor.
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Better job. More pay. More control.
For a resume review, please contact us at Control Your Career!