Why is job hunting so hard now these days?

“Trevor, why is job hunting so hard now these days? I used to get a tap on the shoulder from an ex-boss, tweak my resume, chat to a few recruiters, and land a role in no time - what changed?”

I get this question all the time. ALL. THE. TIME.

Some of the people I speak to:

- Have never applied for a job - recruiters used to hunt them down.

- Last looked when job ads were in the Sydney Morning Herald or The Australian IT Section (yes, with those big fat newspaper inserts).

- Used to print their resumes and fax them to recruiters.

Ahhh, the good ol’ simple days of job seeking. The days where we’d complain that recruiters would harass us to represent us! An ‘UP’ market!

However, for many, this is their first ‘DOWN’ market - one where the job market is struggling and there are more job seekers than jobs.

We haven’t seen a job market this tough since the early 2000s, and for the last 30 years, we’ve mostly been spoiled.

But today?

- There are hundreds of applicants per role

- Only 2-3% of online applicants get an interview

- 95% of companies use ATS systems to filter resumes

- Ghosting is the new normal

- 70–80% of roles aren’t advertised - they’re filled through referrals and relationships

So if job hunting feels like a full-time job with no paycheck - you’re not crazy. You’re not alone.

You’re now playing a brand new game…with an old playbook.

To compete today, you need to:

⚡ Embrace the new market reality

⚡ Learn the new process

⚡ And be the hardest-working job seeker in the room

Because in a crowded job market, activity = Visibility. Visibility = Noticeability. Noticeability = Success

You need to:

✅ Be the job seeker who’s seen everywhere

✅ Be the person your network thinks of before a job is posted

✅ Be top of mind with recruiters and hiring managers

It now takes a multi-channel hustle:

🔹 Apply for roles - and follow up constantly

🔹 Build real relationships with recruiters

🔹 Tap your network - 80% of roles are filled through it

🔹 Monitor LinkedIn for movement

🔹 Share content - profiles that do get 4x more views

🔹 Like, comment, engage

🔹 Show up. Be seen. Stay visible.

Hustle for attention. Hustle for feedback. Hustle for success.

No one’s handing out jobs on silver platters anymore.

But if you show up, loud and clear - people will notice.

And that’s when the shoulder taps start again.

#CareerAGILITY TalentologyAU #ModernJobSearch #JobSearchReality  #jobsearchtips #YouGotThis