Job seeking
What actually brought your confidence back?
Trevor Churchley ·
Yes, that's me grinning and pointing at my own logo like a kid with a new bike. Nearly 30 years in this industry and I still haven't seen a bigger job search asset than this (not my t-shirt btw).
I've sat across from a lot of experienced IT people in the weeks after a redundancy. The skills are all still there. Twenty-odd years of delivery, systems they built, teams they ran. What goes missing is the way they talk about it.
They apologise for the gap, mention their age before anyone's asked, and describe a program they rescued as having "helped out a bit". Then they wonder why the interview felt flat.
Hiring managers pick up on it in the first few minutes. It isn't arrogance they're looking for, nobody wants that. Just someone who's easy about their own track record and genuinely glad to be in the room talking about the work.
The good news is it comes back. Usually once someone is moving again, talking to people, getting a bit of momentum each week. The confidence tends to follow the activity, not the other way around.
So yes, I'm grinning in a Talentology t-shirt at home. I love what I do and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. I'd like more of the people I work with to feel allowed to look this pleased about their own work.
I'd love to know what actually brought your confidence back after a tough stretch. My guess is it wasn't the new CV.
Talentology AU
Btw, this is for you Robert Grossmann
Come and meet us at a free event.
Job Seeker Café every Friday and The Hustle Game Bootcamp every second Wednesday. Free, online, with Trevor.
Want 1-on-1 help? See career coaching for IT job seekers, or CareerAGENT if you're an IT contractor between contracts.