If you’re serious about landing a job quickly – like, within a month – you need more than just luck. You need a plan. A solid, tactical calendar that breaks down every task into manageable, focused steps.

Sounds intense? Yeah, but it can work. Here’s a day-by-day blueprint to help you get focused by cutting through the noise, stay motivated, and finish the job search with an offer in hand.

Why a 30-Day Plan?

The typical job search can drag on for months. That’s frustrating and exhausting. By compressing your efforts into a dedicated 30-day period, you create momentum and focus recruiters notice. Plus, you avoid burnout and distraction.

Think of it like sprint training instead of a marathon. The goal is to be smart and strategic, not frantic. But it’s also important to highly, you don’t necessarily have to wait. If you want to do something which falls into a later timeframe now, and it’s right to do so, go ahead. Get ahead of the plan. It’s there to help guide and break down the steps, not handcuff you.

Week 1: Foundation and Preparation

Day 1–3:

• Update your CV and LinkedIn. Make sure they tell a clear, consistent story that matches the roles you want (not that last word, it’s important).
• Get feedback from someone in your network or a recruiter – those second pair of eyes could be valuable, and even a quick tweak can make a big difference.

Day 4–5:

• Identify your target roles and companies. Research their culture, pain points, and hiring timelines. Have a clear direction, ambition and interest. It will help give you clarity on what you’re really wanting in a next role, and not blindly applying for anything just because it matches a keyword.
• Set up job alerts on key platforms (LinkedIn, Indeed, niche boards). Do this both for job titles, and company alerts. If you’ve done the first point correctly, you should also have a dictionary of the types of job titles those companies will be using too. Not everyone uses the same.

Day 6–7:

• Prepare tailored cover letter templates for different role types. AI can be your friend here to create something quick, well written with elements of personalisation. But be sure to check it over.
• Start reaching out to contacts in your network with a polite, purposeful message. Generic won’t cut mustard. Show you’re interested in their job or a job specifically with them, not just ‘a job’.

Week 2: Active Application and Outreach

Day 8–10:

• Apply to 3-5 targeted roles each day, carefully tailoring each application to the job description.
• Use keywords that match the job ads, which ATS systems will likely be coded to score against, but keep it natural.

Day 11–14:

• Reach out to recruiters who specialise in your field (many see immediate value in starting at this point first. It depends on how well networked you are, and how busy the market is for the types of roles you’re looking for).
• Follow up on previous applications with brief, polite emails.

Week 3: Interview Preparation and Networking

Day 15–17:

• Practice common interview questions and scenarios. Consider a mock interview with a friend or coach. If you’re unsure what types of questions might arise, run the job spec through an AI tool and ask if to come up with competency question from it.
• Research behavioural interview techniques, focusing on the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
• If you’re working with an agency recruiter, ask them for hints and tips about upcoming interviews. See what they might know and can help steer you. Sometimes their insights can be invaluable.

Day 18–21:

• Attend industry events, webinars, or online meetups to meet people and get insights.
• Continue networking via LinkedIn: comment on posts, share relevant articles, and engage with recruiters.

Week 4: Closing and Follow-Up

Day 22–25:

• Prepare thoughtful questions to ask employers during interviews. This shows genuine interest. (tip – thoughtful questions are ones which show you’re keen on the role, business, environment, where it’s going and your potential future with them. Not surface reward, or questions which don’t require any pre-thought).
• Send thank-you emails promptly after each interview.

Day 26–28:

• Evaluate any offers with your priorities in mind – salary, growth, culture, flexibility.
• Don’t be afraid to negotiate or ask for clarification.

Day 29–30:

• Ideally, decision time…
• Follow up on any outstanding applications or interviews. Get the last over the line so you can evaluate all options before closing
• Reflect on what worked and where you can improve for future searches. Which hopefully won’t be for years to come in the future.

Bonus Tips to Speed Up the Process

• Stay organised: Use a spreadsheet or app to track applications, contacts, interview dates, and follow-ups.
• Take care of yourself: High-intensity searches can be draining. Remember to rest and reset.
• Be flexible: Sometimes offers come from unexpected places. Stay open.

Final Thoughts

A job search doesn’t have to be a months-long slog. With a clear 30-day plan, you build momentum, maintain focus, and increase your chances of landing the right role fast.

Remember, it’s not just about applying – it’s about targeting, networking, and showing up consistently. And in 30 days, you can make a real difference to your career.

For years, the conversation in tech circles was about moving everything to the public cloud. Faster, cheaper, more scalable – it sounded like the obvious path. But in 2025, the reality for many CTOs is more nuanced.

Rather than going all in on public cloud, organisations are increasingly adopting hybrid infrastructure models – blending on-premises, private cloud, and public cloud resources. And in parallel, they’re turning a sharper eye toward optimising SaaS investments like Microsoft 365 with AI-driven governance.

It’s not about going backwards. It’s about going smarter.

Why Hybrid Is Back in Favour

The hybrid Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) approach is gaining traction for some compelling reasons:

• Compliance: Certain industries face strict regulations on where and how data is stored. Hybrid setups give flexibility without compromising compliance.
• Cost control: Public cloud bills can spiral quickly without tight oversight. Retaining some workloads on-premises can stabilise costs.
• Performance: Keeping latency-sensitive applications closer to the end-user can improve speed and reliability.

A recent Irish Tech News article highlighted that hybrid models also reduce vendor lock-in – something many CIOs and CTOs are keen to avoid after seeing cloud pricing shifts in recent years.

The Untapped Potential of SaaS Optimisation

SaaS tools like Microsoft 365 are already core to most workplaces. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: a lot of licences go unused, and many features are under-leveraged.

This is where AI-led governance frameworks come in:

• Usage analytics: Identify which apps and licences are actually being used, and by whom.
• Automated provisioning: Use AI to adjust access rights in real-time, based on role changes or inactivity.
• Security compliance: Apply dynamic policies to protect sensitive data without over-restricting users.
• Feature adoption tracking: Pinpoint features that can boost productivity and guide targeted training.

According to CloudOffix, this approach isn’t just about cutting costs. It’s about maximising return on investment by ensuring teams are getting full value from every tool they touch.

What CTOs Should Be Doing Now

1. Audit your cloud workloads – decide which should remain on-prem, which belong in private cloud, and which can thrive in public cloud.
2. Review SaaS utilisation data – you might be shocked by how much is paid for but unused.
3. Explore AI-driven governance solutions – look for platforms that integrate with your current Microsoft 365 or other SaaS tools.
4. Plan for scalability and flexibility – hybrid should make it easier to adapt to changing business needs, not harder.

The Bigger Picture

Hybrid IaaS and SaaS optimisation aren’t short-term cost-cutting measures. They’re strategic moves that give organisations more control, more resilience, and more value from the tech they already have.

In an era where the cloud is everywhere, the smartest move might be knowing when not to put everything there – and making the most of what you’ve already invested in.

References

• Irish Tech News – Adapting to an Evolving Technology Landscape
• CloudOffix – Future Trends Shaping Work and Technology

For years, SEO has been a predictable game. Keyword research, backlinks, page speed – rinse and repeat. Then AI search engines arrived, and suddenly the rules changed. If you’re in digital marketing, recruitment marketing, or even a role where web visibility matters, you might want to pause and look closely at what’s happening. Because we’re not just talking about another Google update; we’re talking about a new search battleground altogether.

What Is GEO and Why Should You Care?

Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is the art of making your content show up in AI-driven search results. Instead of a page of blue links, users now get direct answers from tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google’s generative search features. These engines scan the web, summarise it, and deliver answers in a neat paragraph.

The catch? If your content is not written in a way that these AI systems can understand, trust, and cite, you might simply vanish from visibility. According to a recent report by NYMag, this is already shifting traffic patterns for big publishers and smaller brands alike.

Real-World Shifts Already Happening

Rebekah May, an SEO strategist who runs a site called Marketing Aid, recently shared that AI search engines are now responsible for about 10 percent of her site’s traffic. And it’s not just niche marketers seeing the change. Forbes saw referral visits from AI platforms jump from around 11,000 to over 236,000 in a single year. That is a seismic shift in where audiences are coming from.

This is exactly what trend-spotting looks like in real time. The people paying attention now are the ones who will be ahead in two years.

The Career Implications: Recruiters and Job-Seekers Take Note

For recruiters:

• GEO expertise will soon be a rare skill. Candidates who can adapt SEO strategies for AI search will be gold in the digital marketing job market.
• Knowing which marketing professionals have GEO skills – and being able to talk intelligently about them with clients – will differentiate you from other recruiters.

For job-seekers:

• If your role touches content, marketing, or brand visibility, start experimenting now. Learn how AI search engines pull, interpret, and attribute content.
• This is an opportunity to position yourself as someone who can guide teams through the transition, not just react to it.

How to Spot and Act on Early Trends

1. Track tech announcements – When Google, OpenAI, or Microsoft push an update, look beyond the PR and think about the downstream effect on skills demand.
2. Follow the traffic – Use analytics to see where visits are coming from. If AI referrals are creeping up, that’s a signal to pivot your optimisation strategy.
3. Test and iterate – Create content designed for AI summarisation. Short, clear explanations and authoritative sources are key.
4. Build the narrative – In interviews or pitches, be ready to talk about how you’ve adapted to this shift. That story could set you apart.

Why This Matters More Than a Regular SEO Update

The difference here is speed and scale. GEO is not just about tweaking a headline or fixing a meta description. It’s about positioning yourself, your team, or your clients for visibility in a search world that is less about links and more about being the trusted source the AI quotes directly.

Those who learn this early will not just keep up; they’ll lead.

References

• NYMag: SEO Is Dead, Say Hello to GEO
• Hubcopy: The Future of SEO and AI Search
• Wikipedia: Generative Engine Optimisation

Search is changing fast. AI-driven tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s generative search features are reshaping how people find information online. If you’ve built your digital career around SEO, or your role touches content and brand visibility, you’re about to face a new kind of competition.

The good news? Very few professionals have adapted to Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) yet. Which means the early movers are going to stand out a lot.

First Things First: What GEO Actually Is

GEO is about making your content show up when AI search engines summarise information. Instead of ranking a web page in a list, the goal is to be the source an AI chooses to quote in its answer.

Think of it as optimising for the robot’s brain, not just its index.

Why This Is a Career Opportunity

• Early skill adoption: Companies will soon need people who understand AI search behaviour. Learning it now puts you ahead of most of the talent pool.
• Better career mobility: Mastering GEO can make you valuable across industries – from recruitment marketing to e-commerce to SaaS.
• Employer appeal: GEO expertise signals adaptability, curiosity, and tech fluency – all traits employers love.

How to Build GEO Skills in 5 Practical Steps

1. Study AI Search Behaviours

Experiment with tools like Perplexity or Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE). Search your target topics and note:

• What kind of language appears in AI summaries
• Which sites or sources get cited

2. Create AI-Friendly Content

Start publishing:

• Clear, well-structured answers to common questions in your niche
• Short sections with bold headings and supporting facts
• Content that cites credible, up-to-date sources (AI loves these)

3. Track AI Referral Traffic

Use analytics to see if AI platforms are already sending visitors to your site or content. Tools like Google Search Console can help you spot early signals.

4. Add GEO Projects to Your Portfolio

Even if it’s a side project, document:

• Your optimisation approach
• The results (screenshots, traffic changes, citations)
• Lessons learned

These case studies are gold in interviews.

5. Follow the Experts and the Data

Read from sources leading the conversation:

• NYMag’s SEO to GEO piece
• Hubcopy’s GEO trend analysis
• SEO and AI integration discussions on LinkedIn

How to Talk About GEO in a Job Search

In your CV and interviews:

• Frame GEO work as “future-proofing” digital visibility
• Highlight your ability to adapt to industry shifts
• Connect GEO skills to business outcomes: increased reach, better engagement, faster adaptation to market changes

Your Next Move

The easiest mistake now is to think “I’ll wait and see.”
By the time GEO is mainstream, it will be a baseline skill. Right now, it’s a differentiator.

If you start experimenting today, you can walk into your next interview or client meeting with something few others have – proof you understand where search is going, and how to get there first.

References

• NYMag: SEO Is Dead, Say Hello to GEO
• Hubcopy: The Future of SEO and AI Search
• Wikipedia: Generative Engine Optimisation

Technology has been quietly reshaping the legal world for some time, but the pace of change has sped up in recent years thanks to AI and automation. If you’re in legal recruitment or the profession itself, it’s worth taking a moment to think about what this means – not just for how work gets done, but for the nature of legal jobs and recruitment itself.

The Rise of AI in Legal Work

AI and automation tools are now capable of handling tasks like:

• Document review
• Contract analysis
• Legal research

These technologies can process vast amounts of data far quicker than any human could. According to a Deloitte report from 2022, over 60% of law firms have already integrated AI or automation into their workflows for routine tasks.

This means lawyers can focus on higher-value work, but it also means some roles — especially those centred on repetitive tasks — are changing or shrinking.

How Legal Jobs Are Evolving

Rather than disappearing entirely, legal jobs are shifting:

• Declining roles: Junior lawyers and paralegals may spend less time on document review, a task increasingly automated.
• Emerging roles: Positions like legal technologists, AI compliance experts, and data privacy officers are becoming more common.
• Changing skills: Tech fluency, strategic thinking, and emotional intelligence are in higher demand.

A 2021 article in the Harvard Law Review suggests that while AI can handle nearly a quarter of a lawyer’s tasks, uniquely human skills remain essential.

Shifts in Legal Recruitment

Recruitment is evolving alongside technology:

• AI tools help screen resumes and even assess cultural fit.
• Firms seek candidates with both legal expertise and digital skills.
• There’s a growing concern about bias in automated recruitment systems.

Despite AI’s role in recruitment, the human element remains crucial. Legal work ultimately revolves around people – understanding their needs and navigating ethical complexities is something AI can’t replicate.

Ethical and Practical Challenges

Automation in legal services raises important questions:

• Who is responsible if AI makes a legal error?
• How do firms protect sensitive data when using AI tools?
• Might automation reduce opportunities for junior staff to learn?

The Law Society of England and Wales stresses the importance of transparency and careful oversight when using AI.

What’s Next? A Balance Between Tech and Human Expertise

It’s tempting to imagine AI taking over legal work, but the future probably looks more like partnership between human lawyers and machines. AI handles routine tasks, while lawyers apply judgement, empathy, and negotiation skills.

For those in recruitment or law, this means:

• Staying adaptable and open to new skills
• Embracing technology as a tool, not a threat
• Recognising the value of lifelong learning

Technology is changing the game – but it’s not rewriting it completely.

References

• Deloitte, 2022 Global Legal Services Industry Outlook
• Harvard Law Review, The Future of Law and AI, 2021
• Law Society of England and Wales, Guidance on the Use of Artificial Intelligence, 2023

If you feel like job interviews have become a completely different game lately, you’re not wrong. The hiring process in 2025 looks and feels different for everyone – job seekers, hiring teams, even the recruiters in between.

Here’s what’s driving the change, why it matters, and how both sides can adapt.

1. Asynchronous Video Interviews Are the New Normal

The scheduling back-and-forth? That’s disappearing. Candidates are increasingly being asked to record video answers to preset questions, while hiring teams watch and score them at their convenience.

• This approach can cut time-to-hire by up to 50%, reduce recruiting costs by around 30%, and still score well on candidate satisfaction.
• Around 40% of organisations now use video-first screening as a standard step.

Efficient? Yes. A little strange to get used to? Also yes.

2. Skills-Based Challenges Are Replacing CVs

It’s becoming less about what’s written on a résumé and more about what you can actually do in practice.

• In the UK, 77% of employers say they prioritise skills tests over academic credentials.
• Skills-first hiring not only reduces hiring errors, it’s also more inclusive – helping to surface talent that traditional CV filters might overlook.
• 72% of hiring managers now say they value skills assessments more than reviewing a CV.

Think less “here’s my work history” and more “watch me solve your problem in real time”.

3. Personality, Aptitude and Soft Skills Testing

As AI-generated CVs flood the market, companies are doubling down on assessments that reveal how people think, adapt, and collaborate.

• 76% of companies now use personality, aptitude or culture-fit assessments – a big jump from just a few years ago.

Hard skills get you noticed. Soft skills get you hired.

4. AI’s Role in Fairer Interviews

Used well, AI can help reduce bias in early-stage interviews. Some systems claim to cut sentiment bias by 41%, making shortlisting more objective.

But candidates have mixed feelings about being interviewed by algorithms, as articles like When Your Interviewer Isn’t Even Human make clear. Transparency and empathy remain essential if the process is to stay human.

Tips for Job Seekers

• Prepare like you’re on camera
  Good lighting, quiet space, and clear, concise answers matter more than ever.
• Embrace skills tests
  Treat them as a stage to showcase your strengths – not just another hoop to jump through.
• Highlight soft skills
  Examples of problem-solving, adaptability, and teamwork will land well with human and AI reviewers.
• Don’t rely on automation alone
  If a process feels cold or unclear, lean on your network for insight.

Why Employers Should Care Too

The “new interview” isn’t just about efficiency. Done right, it:

• Respects candidates’ time
• Enhances employer brand
• Surfaces talent that might be overlooked in a traditional CV stack

But strip away too much human interaction and you risk alienating the very people you want to hire.

Final Thought:
The 2025 interview process blends video, testing, and AI in ways that can feel unfamiliar. For candidates, it’s about preparation and adaptability. For employers, it’s about using the tools without losing the humanity.

Let’s cut to the chase. Salary transparency isn’t a nice-to-have anymore. It’s fast becoming a talent magnet, a reputational boost, and a way to cut hiring friction. And yes, it works whether you’re searching for a job or trying to fill one.

Why it matters for everyone

The data is stacking up:

• Nearly three in four candidates in late 2024 were more likely to apply if the salary was shown in the job ad (Employee Benefits)
• Ads with salary ranges attract 44% more applicants (Recruitics)
• In the UK, 71% of job ads now list salaries, up from 48% in 2019 – the highest share in Europe (Reuters)
• 58% of Gen Z won’t even apply without an estimated salary listed (New York Post)
• AI tools are increasingly being used to benchmark pay more transparently – 22% of firms already use them, with more planning to follow (Business Insider)

What it means on both sides of the desk

For job seekers

You’re tired of vague “competitive salary” lines that rarely deliver. Transparency means you waste less time, you know where you stand sooner, and you feel respected from the outset.

For employers

This isn’t just about compliance. Transparent salaries make your brand stronger, bring in more qualified applicants, and cut the risk of awkward last-minute negotiations.

As one recruiter put it:

“Increasingly, it is a social issue. Advertising a salary range can build trust and demonstrate openness and a commitment to equality.” (Employee Benefits)

The bigger picture

1. Fairness and trust
   Pay transparency helps close wage gaps, particularly for women and underrepresented groups (NFP, arXiv, Wikipedia)
2. Better candidate experience
   Clear pay information reduces drop-outs and avoids late-stage surprises (TALiNT Partners, Recruitics)
3. Regulatory pressure
   New York, California, Colorado, and parts of Europe already require pay ranges in ads (Advanced RPO, Reuters, New York Post)
4. Cultural shifts
   Gen Z sees missing pay info as a red flag (New York Post)

What you can do about it

For employers

• Embed clear salary bands in your ads
• Audit internal equity before you publish ranges
• Train hiring managers to talk openly about pay from the first conversation
• Use AI tools for pay benchmarking, but keep human oversight (Business Insider, TALiNT Partners)

For job seekers

• Prioritise roles that publish pay ranges
• Use sites like Indeed and Glassdoor to check typical ranges
• Ask about pay early. If the answer is vague or evasive, consider what that says about the employer

The takeaway

Salary transparency is becoming a baseline expectation. It’s a sign of trust, a time-saver, and a competitive advantage. The sooner both sides of the hiring table embrace it, the better the experience will be for everyone.

If you’ve been watching the hiring world lately, you’ve probably noticed something. Recruitment is quietly morphing into marketing.
The companies winning the best talent aren’t always the ones offering the biggest salaries. They’re the ones telling a compelling internal story. The ones showing, not just saying, what it’s like to work there.

And the impact is real – on both hiring success and the bottom line.

Why Employer Branding Actually Matters

Here’s what the data says:

• 75 % of job seekers check out a company’s brand before they even apply
• 72 % of hiring leaders say employer branding significantly impacts their ability to hire
  (worldmetrics.org)
• A strong employer brand can mean 43 % lower cost per hire and 50 % more qualified applicants
  (gitnux.org, worldmetrics.org)
• Half of candidates say they’d refuse a job with a bad reputation, even with higher pay
  (gitnux.org)

So whether you’re hiring or job-hunting, the “brand” is part of the decision now.

What’s Shaping Employer Branding in 2025

1. Authenticity Over Polish

Candidates – especially Gen Z – can smell manufactured marketing a mile off.
They want real stories, real faces, even the occasional “oops” moment.

64 % trust employee voices over polished HR copy – that’s easy to spot and comes across unnatural.
(blog.talentech.com)

2. Employee Experience is Everything

It’s not just about perks anymore. No-one cares about the pool table or free fruit anymore.
Wellbeing, hybrid work, and meaningful development opportunities are what stand out now. Make them mean something and embed them into the culture to make yourself stand out.
(pitchdrive.com, careerbee.io)

3. Digital, But Human

Yes, TikTok clips, VR tours, and AI-driven career pages are everywhere.
But the goal hasn’t changed: help people feel what it’s like to work with you. There’s so much noise out there and samey language used by companies – and please avoid the ‘family’ cliche. No-one buys it, and there were too many instances of companies who claimed this throwing people to the wolves to chase profit a couple of years ago.
(cloudhire.ai, thetalentgames.com)

4. Purpose, Not Just Pay

Candidates look at your stance on sustainability, social issues, and ethics.
If they don’t like what they see, they’ll move on – no matter the salary. As they’re looking for a place to have their cake and eat it. Otherwise, what’s the point of having cake?
(pitchdrive.com, linkedin.com)

How to Build a Brand That Works

• Define your EVP – your Employer Value Proposition is your workplace’s story
  (linkedin.com)
• Feature your people – real employee testimonials, day-in-the-life videos, honest quotes
  (blog.talentech.com)
• Be consistent across channels – your external image should match your internal reality
  (cloudhire.ai)
• Show your values in action – actions speak louder than career-site promises
  (careerbee.io)
• Measure and adapt – track engagement, hires, reviews, sentiment, then refine
  (cloudhire.ai)

Why This Matters Now

A strong employer brand is no longer “nice to have”.
It can attract better applicants, shorten hiring timelines, lower costs and reduce turnover.

If you’re hiring, this is your competitive edge.
If you’re a job seeker, a well-built employer brand helps you choose companies where you can truly thrive.

The companies that get this right will be the ones still attracting top talent when everyone else is wondering why their roles aren’t getting filled.

Ghosting, AI, Adapting and Resilience

Let’s be honest. Looking for a job in 2025 feels… different. Not just harder, or more competitive – though it can be that too – but fundamentally more weird.

AI’s in the mix now. Remote roles are (saying they’re) everywhere and yet nowhere at the same time. Job ads disappear mid-application. And after firing off twenty tailored applications, you might still hear nothing but silence.

If you’re feeling frustrated, you’re not alone. I’ve spoken with a lot of others who are too – including people with 10, 20 years of experience behind them. It’s not just the grads or the career changers. This market is humbling everyone.

So I wanted to put together something real. A breakdown of what we’re up against right now – and what’s actually helping people get through it.

What’s Making Job Hunting So Rough Right Now

1. The AI screening wall
   Before your CV ever reaches a person, it’s likely being scanned by an algorithm. At the end of 2024 this wasn’t a thing. It was all human eyes.
   
   But companies are updating their recruitment platforms, injecting new AI tooling which does profess to accurately screen and filter ‘better and more intelligently than ever before’.
   
   These systems sort, score, and sometimes reject applications before a recruiter even sees them. You might be the perfect fit – but if your CV doesn’t speak “machine”, it might never land.
   
   Want to know what these systems actually look for? Here’s a solid explainer from JobScan on how applicant tracking systems (ATS) work.
   
   
2. Skills inflation
   It’s not just that roles are asking for more. It’s that they’re asking for different things. Prompt engineering. GenAI tools. Hybrid management. Suddenly, skills you didn’t even need last year are now marked as “essential”.
   
   The World Economic Forum predicts over 40% of core skills will shift by 2027. That’s… soon.
   
   
3. The Ghosting problem
   You can spend days crafting the perfect application. Still – nothing. No email. No call. No closure. Companies are overwhelmed with applicants, and many just don’t have the bandwidth to reply anymore.
   
   It’s not personal. But yet, it feels personal.
   
   AI tooling in this area will look to reduce the ghosting, but will also increase the auto-rejections. So your trade off with silence could be a rise in frustration from trying to get past the machines.

What’s Actually Helping (Even If You’ve Been Around the Block)

1. Write for the robots first, humans second
   Harsh? Maybe. But real. Tools like Rezi and JobScan help optimise your CV for ATS filters. Even if you’re a senior leader, this isn’t beneath you – it’s smart positioning.
   
   Pro tip: Use keywords straight from the job description. Not synonyms. Not fluff. Copy-paste the phrasing they used.
   
   
2. Build your AI muscle
   You don’t need to become an AI engineer. But knowing how to use tools like ChatGPT, Notion AI, or even Midjourney can give you an edge. Employers want to see you’re adaptable, not perfect.
   
   LinkedIn Learning has a free AI essentials course that’s actually worth the time.
   
   You’re going to find AI based questions creeping into interviews now for roles which aren’t even AI based. Companies are using the tooling on a daily basis for basic stuff too. So they’re going to want to see you’re conversant at some level. E.g. have you used Co-pilot to come up with a day plan? Or quick hack create a health and safety questionnaire for an event?
   
   
3. Treat networking like problem-solving, not schmoozing
   If “networking” makes you cringe, think of it as information-gathering. Reach out to people to learn, not just to get something. Ask for ten minutes to pick someone’s brain about what’s changing in their company or industry.
   
   A good question: “If you were in my shoes, knowing what you know now, how would you approach this market?”
   
   
4. Be findable, not just polished
   Update your LinkedIn headline. Make your bio clear, not clever. Add “Open to Work” – yes, even if you’re unsure. Use keywords you want to be found for.
   
   Also, try this: Google yourself. What did you find? Was it a drunken picture in Ibiza? Or an award for being a top performer in your field? Maybe it was a ton of thought leadership advice within your vertical market? If you were a hiring manager, would you want to talk to that person?
   
   
5. Mental health isn’t a ‘nice to have’
   This one doesn’t get said enough. Job searching messes with your sense of worth. And if you’re already tired, burnt out, or unsure, it can feel like rejection is confirming your worst fears.
   So be intentional about support. Talk to a friend, coach or therapist. Use something like Mind or BetterHelp. Take breaks without guilt. It doesn’t mean you’re slacking. It means you’re human.

If You’re Feeling Stuck, Try This

• Pick one role you’d genuinely want. Reverse-engineer your CV and cover letter just for that.
• Ask ChatGPT, Grok or whatever your preferred platform is to simulate an interview for it. Then do it again with follow-ups.
• Email or message someone who works in that company. Not to pitch yourself, but to ask what the hiring process actually looks like.
• Take a breather. Go outside. Move your body. Reset.
None of this guarantees success. But it stacks the odds back in your favour.

Final Thought: You’re Not Broken, The System Is Just… Shifting

If you’re job hunting right now, you’re not behind. You’re adapting in real time to a system that’s still learning how to work with humans. That’s not easy.

But you’re not alone in it. And with the right mix of smart tools, honest reflection, and a bit of support – you’ll find your way through.

If this helped, pass it on. Someone else out there probably needs to hear it too.