Every so often, I get comments on my LinkedIn posts accusing me of lacking empathy. I don’t take it personally, my self-worth isn’t tied to opinions from strangers on the internet.
However, let’s be clear: my content isn’t written to be warm and fuzzy. It’s designed to be real. I know everyone doesn’t want to hear it, but I believe job seekers deserve the truth about how hiring works. Sugarcoating reality doesn’t help anyone.
It’s easy to criticize hiring decisions from the outside. I read all of the posts about companies needing to “give people a chance”. But let’s be honest - if it were our money, our business, our team on the line, most of us would make the same choices hiring managers do.
Hiring managers aren’t sitting in a room plotting how to make the job market harder for candidates. They’re trying to minimize risk. A bad hire costs money, time, morale, etc. Those are their priorities, and rightfully so.
The current reality is that we’re in an incredibly tough job market. There are more candidates than available jobs, and on top of that, companies are being asked to “do more with less.” That team of 10? It’s now a team of 6. And if they get approval to hire just one more person, most hiring managers aren’t going to take a risk and gamble to "give someone a chance" who hasn’t proven themselves - they literally can’t afford to.
So, how do you stand out and land the job? You remove risk. You prove, clearly and confidently, that you are the best choice for the job. That’s what my content is all about.
If we receive 200 applications for a role, each candidate has a 0.5% chance of getting the job. That’s not being ruthless, it’s math. And beating those odds requires effort and strategy.
Becoming a stronger interviewer by practicing how to best communicate your value and relevant experience is a strategy. Being selective about the jobs you apply for and submitting a resume that is highly focused to align with a particular role is a strategy.
Submitting the same resume to 100 jobs a day without considering the qualifications isn’t a strategy. Copying and pasting the same generic message to anyone on LinkedIn with "Recruiter" in their title isn't a strategy. Blaming the system and complaining about it instead of taking action isn't a strategy.
Control what you can and focus on presenting yourself as the strongest candidate - that is really the only strategy.
If you believe that makes me unempathetic, my content simply isn’t for you, and that's okay.
But if you want insights from someone who has been a top performer in recruiting for the last decade, seen what works [and what doesn't], and actually wants to help you succeed - stick around.
#recruitmentrevealed