The broken job hunt: why the system isn’t working and what to do instead

If you’ve been job hunting recently, you’ve probably noticed something strange. The harder you try to follow all the advice - tailor the CV, craft the perfect cover letter, apply early, apply often - the less progress you seem to make.

It’s not you. It’s the system.

The way we hire people hasn’t caught up with the way we actually work.

1. The numbers problem

Let’s start with the maths. In 2025, the UK unemployment rate is hovering around 4.3%, which sounds low. But that figure hides the real story. Vacancies are down, hiring budgets are tighter, and many mid-level professionals are stuck in limbo - overqualified for junior roles, under-experienced for senior ones.

A single job in marketing, comms, or sustainability can attract 300 or more applicants. And because AI screening tools are now doing the first round of sorting, many qualified people are ruled out before anyone even reads their name.

If you’ve felt invisible in this process, it’s because - statistically - you often are.

2. The meaning mismatch

The pandemic shifted priorities. People began asking for flexibility, trust, and purpose. But many employers went back to business as usual: vague job descriptions, outdated expectations, and little clarity about what “good” work really looks like.

This mismatch leaves people stuck in what psychologists call values dissonance - the gap between what matters to you and what your job actually rewards. It’s draining, and it’s why so many people say they’re “fine” on paper but quietly disengaged at work.

Until employers start hiring for alignment, not just skills, this mismatch will keep growing.

3. The algorithm problem

Automation has sped up hiring, and stripped out a lot of humanity. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) scan CVs for keywords and eliminate anyone who doesn’t match the pattern.

It’s efficient, but it also filters out nuance: career changers, freelancers, people returning from time off, or anyone with a nonlinear path. In other words, exactly the kind of people who often have the creativity, resilience, and curiosity that make workplaces better.

4. The solution isn’t more hustle

When the system feels broken, most of us double down. We apply harder. We spend hours editing wording, running CVs through AI checkers, and refreshing inboxes.

But the people who are landing interesting, meaningful work aren’t winning because they’re hustling more, they’re opting out of the old game.

They’re finding jobs through smaller networks, purpose-led communities, or projects that grow into something bigger. They’re reaching out directly to people they admire, starting side projects, volunteering, collaborating, showing up where opportunities start, not where they end up.

That’s how the hidden job market works, and it’s where most of the good stuff lives.

5. What to do instead

If the traditional job market feels broken, try treating your career like a creative project, not a waiting game.

Shift your focus from applications to relationships.

Start conversations instead of sending documents. Ask curious questions. People hire people they trust, not just those with perfect CVs.

Show your thinking, not just your history.

Write about something you’ve learned. Share a project. Show your process. When you make your work visible, opportunities tend to find you.

Prototype your next step.

Before you make a big leap, test a small version of it - freelance, volunteer, shadow, or collaborate. You’ll learn faster and take smarter risks.

Choose communities that expand your world.

You don’t have to do this alone. Find spaces where people are already building the kind of careers you want.

6. The hopeful bit

The hiring system might be outdated, but it’s not the whole story. Behind it are people - founders, managers, teammates - who want to work with others who care, who have ideas, who show up with energy.

Meaningful work still exists. You just might have to find it in smaller, more human corners of the internet and real life.

Stop trying to beat the algorithm. Build relationships, tell your story, and experiment your way forward.

Because the best jobs, the ones that fit your skills and your soul, usually start with a conversation, not a portal.

Ready to take a different approach?

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