‘I’ve never had to work this hard to get a job – help!’

Today I’m analysing the situation of Wilhelm. Wilhelm reached out to me via LinkedIn as he wanted to join my Creative Career Level Up programme.

What’s the challenge?

Wilhelm is in his early 40s. He’s held senior positions in the Creative industry, most recently on the client side in the music industry, after 10 years on the agency side. He’s a cool guy – super chilled, obviously very good at what he does, and has loads of charisma. You meet him once and you instantly like him.

But here’s the problem: after being made redundant from his last role, Wilhelm is facing a real job hunt for the first time in his career. Until now, the roles always came to him – through LinkedIn, his network, or moving internally. He never had to apply online, never had to pitch himself, never had to truly “hunt.”

Now he’s discovering the market is tougher, more competitive, and completely different from what he’s used to. The jobs aren’t falling in his lap anymore – and it’s a shock.

How can he move forward?

Wilhelm has reached a point many senior professionals do: he’s never actually learned the skill of job hunting. Strategic planning, positioning, pitching, interviewing – he’s relied on his charm and his track record, and that worked… until it didn’t.

The market has changed. The industry has changed. And now he needs a whole new set of skills to land the jobs he deserves.

My advice

1. Make a plan

If you’ve never had to be strategic and intentional about your career, chances are you’ve never made a plan for it. If jobs just fell into your lap, you probably never stopped to ask: What do I really want from my career? Now you have to. Do the introspective work. Understand who you are at this moment in your life. Then make a plan that reflects where you want to go next. 

Without a plan your job hunt will be scattered and unfocused. And worse, other people will drag you in directions you don’t want to go. Don’t let them drag you. You decide.

2. Switch your mindset

Traditional job hunting – applying online, waiting, hoping someone notices you – is done with an employee mindset. In this market, you have to think like an entrepreneur. If your business and huge chunks of money were on the line, what would you do differently? Trust me, it’s a lot more than you’re doing now. 

Entrepreneurs don’t sit around waiting. They look for a hundred ways to get in front of a decision-maker. When I tell people with an employee mindset to “go direct to the hiring manager,” they stare at me blankly. But if you think like an entrepreneur, you’ll see a million ways to make it happen.

3. Stop complaining

I don’t mean to sound harsh, but you have to stop complaining. Careers are tough. Nobody gets through their whole career with jobs just falling in their lap. If you’ve reached your early 40s and never had to hustle for a job, that’s not a flex – that’s a skill gap. 

And in a market like this, you’re feeling the hard reality of not having learned it earlier. So stop complaining. Get some help. Learn the skills you should have picked up years ago. Then start hustling like so many people have had to do their whole careers.

The outcome

The great thing for Wilhelm is: he decided to join my Creative Career Level Up programme. We sorted his resume, upskilled him on how to pitch and position, and I even watched one of his interviews and gave him direct feedback. 

He’s already interviewing for three amazing roles – and best of all, he feels in control of his career again. No more leaving it to luck. Now he’s actively driving things forward.

Come join us

If you want to take charge of your career like Wilhelm, we’re open for October enrolments in my Creative Career Level Up programme. But spots are filling fast. You’ve got two solid months before the Christmas lull. Don’t waste them. Apply now and let’s push your job hunt forward before the year ends.