Real Talk About Finding a Job In the Chaos of Today's Market
Most mornings I’m up around 5 am. Some days it’s straight to the gym. Other mornings, I prefer the quiet of the house and opt to write for an hour or two. And then there are mornings I get up way too early and decide to read the news. (This is not recommended).
A few days ago, the news I read was in the Wall Street Journal. And, after reading the article, I was peeved. I dropped a post on LinkedIn, hit “share,” and went on with my day.
Here's the post:
Then my phone started buzzing. Comments. DMs. Reactions.
Suddenly, we’re in a real conversation.
People are pissed. People are struggling. People are angry, curious, and genuinely trying.
And I have to tell you: I’m inspired by every single person who showed up in that thread.
A job search isn’t a hobby, people.
If you go into this Friday with one thought—one act of compassion for someone who is job searching, or one act of self‑respect if you’re job searching—make it this:
Looking for a job affects every single part of your life. Your sleep. Your relationships. Your bank account. Your confidence. Your LinkedIn scroll habits.
Can we please stop pretending everyone is sitting on family office money, leisurely “exploring options” at an unknown tempo, with an unknown script, and unknown criteria? The SHREK firms are not talking to everyone, and they probably aren't taking your call.
To the 5 million…and the rest
Roughly 5 million people in the US start a new job every month. (These are not newly created jobs; that number is around 200k monthly. These are human beings who leave a job on Friday and go someplace new on Monday). If you’re one of them: congratulations. Truly. You earned it.
To everyone else?
For the record: I “look” for a job every day too. I’ve been the rainmaker for Hunter Ambrose & Co for 20 years, 1 month, and 2 days. The B2B and B2C markets can be just as temperamental as your job search. It's feast or famine; you eat what you kill in any small firm.
During the first three months of COVID, business went off a cliff. So my team produced podcasts because everyone wanted one and it was quick cash. I've done a dozen unglamorous things in 20 years to keep the firm going.
I’ve done plenty of work that didn’t match my title, my achievements, or my ego.
That’s not failure. That’s survival with strategy.
The tough love (delivered with care)if you are job searching. Said with genuine care and compassion.
Get it together.
Stop the virtue posts.
Pivot.
Get your house in order.
Reach out and ask for help.
Stop complaining about what isn't working and find one thing that is.
I offer free, no‑sales‑pitch coaching sessions. You’d be shocked how few people with an “open to work” badge and a hard‑luck story actually take me up on it.
Just visit https://www.hunterambrose.com/ and click coaching.
If what you’re doing is not working, stop doing it. Ask for help.
We cannot change how thousands of businesses recruit. We cannot change how they hire. We cannot stop the Russian roulette some organizations play with people’s feelings, careers, and livelihoods.
But we can change:
How we react.
What we expect.
What we do tomorrow morning to get closer to the interview, the offer, and that first Monday at a new job.
That’s the part of the hiring system we own. And it’s more powerful than it looks.
You are not alone (even if it feels like it)
If you’re struggling, you have a community—even if your brain is telling you otherwise.
You have people who’ve taken “any job” to keep the lights on. You have people who’ve taken criticism that made them bristle…and then used it to change everything.
You have people who understand that “looking for a job” is not a line on a profile. It’s a full‑body experience.
You’re not weak for needing help. You’re unwise if you never ask for it.
Weekend read & invitation
If you need a good weekend read, I capture this and more—from the history of recruitment to what’s broken (and fixable) on both sides of the hiring system—in my book, The HIRE. On Amazon and Audible: https://a.co/d/07KtZqRe
If this hit a nerve, here are three things you can do before Monday:
Ask one person for specific help with your job search. And then do it. (Often the one you disagree with the most is a good direction to start in).
Decide one thing you’ll stop doing that hasn’t worked.
Do the Gratitude Walk- I do this every time I'm stuck. I reach out to 10 people to say thank you, see how they are, ask if I can help with something, or share something good and kind. No ask. No expectations. Just human-to-human behavior.
