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Job seeking

Recruitment is not broken. It's evolving.

Trevor Churchley · 19 Oct 2026

Recruitment is broken? If it is, how did 135 people in the Talentology Job Seeker Community get back into work after being lost in the noise?

And 32 of them played The Hustle Game.

I keep hearing "recruitment is broken", or is this code for "my search isn't progressing and I need an excuse"?

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh but I need to say it.

In nearly 30 years I've watched this industry change constantly, and it's changing again. There's no doubt the 2026 market is hard. Part of that is a tough tech market and geopolitical issues. Then there's AI, which has changed how resumes get written and how many get sent. One job seeker told me 1,000 people had applied for a single role, and a lot of recruiters have left because it's so hard.

Plenty of people are job seeking right now because a redundancy or lost contract landed with no warning. Most people, and I mean most, don't keep an eye on the job market when they are in a job or keep their networking skills current. It's the job seeking version of an ostrich with its head in the sand, hoping it won't happen to them. Then it does, and that's human, not a failing.

Standing out is harder. It isn't impossible, and your network is still your advantage. Most of us find that first move awkward, even project managers and business analysts who start conversations for a living.

So to progress your job search in the right direction, start small. Pick the smallest thing. Ring one person you know, post on LinkedIn for the first time, meet that recruiter, ask for the favour. Do it, then celebrate it. Take a deep breath and go again. And keep going. You'll get there.

The first step feels like the hardest one. In my experience it rarely is, and you'll love yourself for showing up and reaping the benefits.

Talentology AU

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