How to get hired in 2026?
It's January and the January vibes are strong. This month, I have been working with two profiles of people:
Job-seekers who have been on the job hunt for a while and are feeling jaded .... They are coming to me ready to go again and try a new approach.
Job-huggers who have been putting off looking for a new job & holding tight where they are, despite being unhappy in their current job .....They are coming to me because they can not face another year where they are, they are ready to explore their options and recognise the value of support and accountability to make change happen.
January is the month that both these groups said ENOUGH - It is time to try something new! I am in such admiration for everyone who I have worked with that has reached out for support. Their openness to learning and adjusting their approach will be what gets them to their goals faster... I have no doubt, and we are already seeing traction from changes made.
The job market is challenging. There is no denying that BUT it is not impossible to get a new job.
There are jobs and there is so much amazing talent open to work.... and the reality is, how the two meet has changed. This is where the friction is happening.
I have worked as a hiring manager for a wide range of global roles for more than 10 years, I have been a job seeker many times and in the past year, I have been actively coaching jobseekers from vision all the way to onboarding. With this 360° perspective, I can see a clear picture of job market dynamics and where the mismatch is.
This is my take, I would love to hear if this resonates or you have other perspectives!
Here is the job seekers world right now....
Feeling stressed about fewer jobs available
Applying for a broader range of jobs, often jobs well below their ability and experience
Spending hours building tailored CVs and cover letters for all job applications
Getting rejected (often immediately) and feeling rejected (often by a machine)
Losing energy, losing confidence, disappearing to recover and starting the cycle again
Here is the hiring managers world right now....
Feeling drained from the relentless pace of change
Fewer roles to open and hire for on their teams
Ever increasing pressure for their team to increase efficiency and hit higher KPIs
Less time to focus on recruitment and a noisy applicant pool to work through
Focused on making every hire count, they hire "safe" - Prioritising someone they have been recommended or have worked with, who can do the job and will stay with them
As you can see, there is a disconnect and no one is having a great time in this shift to a new era in recruitment. But fear not, people are getting hired.
If you ready to start your job hunt or actively hunting, I want to assure you that people are getting jobs! Great matches are happening every day. Your search may take more work and creativity than it has in the past, but I believe that if you are unhappy in your career, it is hard to be fully happy in your life.
If you spend 1/3 of your life at work, it is worth the extra push to make sure that you are in a job that you get some fulfilment from.
People are getting jobs through human connection.
This week, I ran a workshop called Stand Out in the Crowded Job Market, where a group of job-seekers invested a whole hour following my structure to create a powerful answer to the much feared and most frequently question "Tell me about yourself". Why?
Your story is what makes you human, taking ownership and telling it with clarity & structure will hook people in and make them curious. I believe everyone has a story to tell and this opening question at interview is a gift - It is your chance to tell your story, in just a few sentences.
.......And before you dismiss me, I know the majority of people are not getting to an interview desk but this does not mean you can not tell your story.
You can use your story to build human connection, long before any interview stage. Once you have worked on your story, you can tell it often and everywhere..... try it out with a friend for feedback, share relevant examples of your work on LinkedIn, answer other peoples questions in groups, share photographs of yourself at a networking event to show you are passionate (and a real human). All of these steps add up to paint a picture of who you are and as a bonus, you get practice in telling your story along the way!
People are being hired through human connection. Sharing your story is a tool for people to connect with you. Sharing your story often and everywhere allows them to know you before they meet you and also it takes the pressure off giving the perfect answer in that short interview moment when you are asked "tell me about yourself".
January is a great time to pause and think about what has been working well and not so well. No dramatic overhauls needed, just small adjustments and space to reflect and reassess.
No matter how stuck you feel in your job, how overwhelmed you feel or how hopeless you feel in your job search, I want you to know that there is always a choice. Share with someone because a fresh perspective can help you to see your choices when you can't see them yourself.
