"Job Boards"

I had a conversation last week that stuck with me. A candidate rang after their third rejection in a month, frustrated and confused. ‘What am I doing wrong?’ they asked. The answer took longer than they expected.

The candidates who succeed aren’t necessarily the most qualified. I’ve placed people with average CVs into excellent roles, and watched candidates with perfect credentials get passed over again and again. The difference isn’t talent. It’s awareness.

Awareness of how hiring actually works. Awareness of what interviewers are really asking when they ask those questions. Awareness of the politics, the biases, the unwritten rules that govern every hiring decision.

Most people operate on assumptions. They assume the best candidate gets hired. They assume experience trumps everything. They assume the process is logical. These assumptions cost them opportunities.

I’m not saying you should game the system or be inauthentic. I’m saying you should understand what you’re dealing with. Bring your genuine self, but bring awareness too.

My advice? Stop focusing solely on the technical aspects of job hunting and start paying attention to the human dynamics. Yes, your CV matters. Yes, your skills matter. But so does your ability to read situations, build rapport, and navigate uncertainty.

These are learnable skills. Every awkward interview, every confusing rejection, every drawn-out process – they’re all teaching you something if you’re paying attention. The question is whether you’re learning or just complaining.

I’ve seen people transform their career trajectory by simply becoming more aware. Not by getting new qualifications or gaining more experience, but by understanding how the world they’re operating in actually works.

That’s the edge that separates people who get stuck from people who move forward.