Is It a Bird… Is It a Plane… No, It’s Another Job Hunter on the Edge!

Hi everyone,

As many of you who have kindly followed and shared my content know, I’ve been on the job hunt for the past three months. For those who are new here, let me fill you in: I was previously a director at a healthcare recruitment company, specialising in operations, project management, people, and analytics. After 19 years with the company, I found myself facing redundancy and am now actively seeking my next opportunity, ideally in or around London.

I’m writing to share how these first three months of job hunting have gone as it seems I've entered the job market during a particularly challenging period, to say it’s been tough is an understatement! I’m not sure if this level of honesty will somehow work against me in my job hunt, but I know I’m not the only one in this situation, and I hope some good can come from sharing my reality of how tough job hunting is at the moment.

The Daily Grind of Job Hunting

For the past three months, I’ve treated job hunting like a full-time job. Every weekday from 9 to 5, I’ve dedicated the majority of my time to applying for jobs, networking, and refining my approach. I’ve submitted over 500 applications—spending countless hours searching for roles, meticulously reviewing job descriptions, tweaking my CV, entering details into numerous systems, defining myself in 147 characters or less and crafting the perfect responses to the question "why do you want to work here". It’s been an exercise in humility and persistence, and the results so far have been disheartening to say the least. I’ve been rejected by many, ghosted by most, and to date, have only managed to secure one interview!

One Interview: One and Done…?

Three months of relentless effort, hundreds of applications where I matched at least 80% of the required skills, multiple iterations of my CV, and extensive networking—all for just one interview. I’m sure many of you can relate to this frustration.

So, how did that one interview go? Well, I’d love to say that I’m one of those lucky people who can say the first interview led to a job offer, but unfortunately, it did not. The role was a project lead position in a medical recruitment company, focusing primarily on delivering a company restructure. Given my background, I was optimistic, having successfully managed a similar project in my previous role within the same industry. I felt the interview went really well despite being a bit on the tired side, having spent a large part of the previous day (and night) preparing the presentation I was asked to deliver.

Here’s a brief overview of the task I was given for anyone interested, as I know interview presentations are becoming more common in the current market:

Scenario: XYZ Corporation is embarking on a strategic transformation to implement a new target operating model (TOM) and restructure the organisation to enhance efficiency and drive growth.

Question: "Please prepare a 20-30 minute presentation on your approach to implementing the new target operating model and the associated restructure at XYZ Corporation. Your presentation should cover the following areas:

• Assessment and Analysis: How would you evaluate the current model and identify areas for improvement? What metrics and data would you consider?

• Design and Planning: What steps would you take to design the new model? How would you ensure alignment with the company’s goals and handle the restructure?

• Implementation Strategy: What’s your strategy for implementation? How would you manage change and gain stakeholder buy-in? What risks might you face, and how would you mitigate them?

• Communication and Stakeholder Management: How would you communicate the changes? What methods would you use to keep everyone informed and engaged?

• Monitoring and Evaluation: How would you measure success? What KPIs would you track? How would you address issues post-implementation?

I received positive feedback on my presentation, noting that it offered valuable insights into transformation and restructuring. However, the role was eventually offered to an internal candidate. It’s tough to be rejected for a role you know you could knock out of the park, but that’s the reality of today’s job market.

The Hardest Part—The Demise of Superdad!

So, what does the Superman image have to do with all this?

Here’s the most challenging part of my experience so far. I’m fortunate to have a wonderful and supportive wife and two amazing kids. My wife and I have been a team for 23 years, and together we tackle whatever life throws at us. My daughter is too young to fully understand what’s going on but is enjoying the extra time we have to play Minecraft together. My 11-year-old son, however, is more aware of the situation.

My son and I have a beautiful relationship that has been nurtured over the years. I love, support, cheer, challenge, and push him in all aspects of his life, and as most 11-year-old boys do, he looks up to his dad as if I’m a superhero! One of the small building blocks of this bond was that he was very proud that I was a “boss” in my old job. We used to chat about my work, using these conversations to help him form his views on why things are done and how they could be approached.

Now, my days are spent job hunting at the kitchen table. We talk often about the job hunt, and I always try to put a positive slant on things, but I can tell that the fact I haven’t found anything yet is chipping away at my invincibility shield! As all dads know, we are far from superheroes, and I accept that one day he will know this too—but seeing the little look in his eye when I talk about how things are going breaks me more than anything! I like to keep it real and use humour in these situations, but seeing him jump into conversations to defend me or retell my story to make me sound better gets me every time...

We’re not a family that leans into or looks for drama, and I’m trying my best to use this as a chance to show my son what it looks like to have character, work hard to get something you want without fear of failure, and most importantly, that your job does not define who you are. Still, there is a huge part of me that wishes the job hunt was easier, as I can think of eaiser ways to help him learn these lessons.

Where I Stand Now—Battle-Scarred but Ready

So here I am, three months in—battle-scarred, more experienced, and ready to continue with the latest version of my CV. Am I overly hopeful? Not entirely, but I believe that if I keep putting myself out there, something will eventually come up. I’ve put a lot of good energy out there, and I’m confident this will pay off eventually. To everyone else in a similar situation, keep pushing and try to stay sane. As the saying goes, “Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.”

How Can You Help?

• Please reach out if you believe you have a role that might be suitable for me or if you can assist me in my job search.

• If we’re not already connected, I’d be delighted if you could connect with me.

• Please share this post on your feed to help me reach a wider audience on LinkedIn.

Thanks for taking the time to read and for your continued support.

Cheers, Michael