‘The job market is cooked’
This has esssentially been the theme of 2025 for the job market.
And the honest truth? It’s probably a fair assessment.
It is undoubtedly harder to find a job, especially an entry level one. However we’ve been able to land 74 job offers, ranging from internships to managerial levels for clients and 114 interviews.
And this has been across all industries. From Consulting to Investment Banking to Tech Sales to Project Management
This isn’t to brag, but to show you that it is still possible to land a role in this job market. But the harsh truth is that certain things work and don’t work in the job market, so let’s go through them
1. Applying early doesn’t mean you’re competitive
Hitting “apply” in the first 24 hours doesn’t guarantee anything anymore.Most roles in 2025 are flooded with hundreds - sometimes thousands - of qualified applicants, many using AI to optimise CVs at scale.Speed helps, but signal beats speed. If your CV looks generic, early or late doesn’t matter.
Your CV needs to read like a safe bet to hiring managers. This means making a CV which ticks off 80-90% of what they’re looking for on the job description
Truth: Recruiters aren’t choosing who applied first - they’re choosing who looks closest to doing the job tomorrow.
2. Your CV isn’t rejected because you’re unqualified - it’s rejected because it’s replaceable
You might be good. But in this job market so are 200 other people.
If your CV:
Uses vague bullet points
Lists responsibilities instead of outcomes
Doesn’t show commercial or role-specific impact
…it blends into the pile.
Truth: Recruiters aren’t asking “Is this candidate capable?”They’re asking “Is this candidate distinct?”
3. Interviews are performance tests, not fairness tests
Interviews don’t reward the “best” candidate - they reward the clearest communicator under pressure.
In 2025:
Interviewers assess clarity, structure, confidence, and decision-making
Nervous, unstructured answers = perceived lack of readiness
Potential matters less than how you package it
All this means you need to learn how to get better at demonstrating your value and not just relying on your CV to do the heavy lifting
Truth: Interviews don’t measure intelligence - they measure signal clarity.
4. Networking beats applications - but only if you add value
Cold “Can I get a referral?” messages rarely work now. Recruiters and hiring managers are overwhelmed as everyone uses that tactic
What does work:
Thoughtful questions about team priorities
Positioning yourself by clearly aligning their needs to your skills
Demonstrating curiosity about their problem - not your job hunt
Tap into your network - old colleagues, old classmates, friends, family, etc. They can build that bridge to landing interviews
5. Hard work alone won’t save you - strategy will
Sending 200+ applications without feedback loops is not a job search strategy -It’s inefficient. You need to have an approach to applying for jobs that maximises your chance of landing an interview.
In 2025, job search is closer to sales + marketing:
Clear positioning (what problem do you solve?)
Strategic Networking - find the key decision makers and network with them
Iteration after rejections
Interview prep like it’s a deliverable
Truth: The Job market doesn’t reward effort - it rewards leverage.
Hopefully, these insights can add value to your job search in 2026, whatever your goals are.
And if you want to join the 74 job offers secured this year in 2026, Schedule a call with us - land a role in 2026
