“I used to walk into interviews and get the job. Now I feel like I’m performing.”

Today I’m analysing the situation of Michael. Michael contacted me as he was interested in joining my Creative Career Level Up programme. 

Michael has worked in marketing and campaign management for more than 15 years.

On paper, he’s experienced. He’s worked with well-known brands. He’s led campaigns. Managed stakeholders. Worked in fast-paced environments. Built a strong career.

But over the last couple of years, things have felt unsettled.

After being made redundant from a long-term role, he took a few positions that didn’t turn out the way he hoped. One role became toxic very quickly. Another left him questioning whether he was even heading in the right direction anymore.

Now he’s back job hunting and finding himself stuck in a place I see a lot of people land in after a rough career experience:

“I know I’m capable… but I’ve lost confidence in how to communicate that.”

What’s the challenge?

The biggest challenge here isn’t capability.

It’s clarity and positioning.

Michael is getting interviews. Recruiters are interested. His background is strong enough to open doors.

But somewhere between the application and the interview, he’s losing confidence in his own story.

He told me something really interesting on our call:

“I feel like I’m performing in interviews instead of just being myself.”

That usually happens when someone is trying to force themselves into roles that don’t fully align with who they are anymore.

Over time, Michael had drifted into more communications-heavy positions, when in reality his strengths sat much more in campaign management, stakeholder management, partnerships and leading projects.

He also realised something else:

The environments he thrives in matter just as much as the role itself.

After working in structured, professional organisations for most of his career, moving into a less supportive environment completely knocked his confidence.

And once confidence takes a hit, even highly capable people start second-guessing themselves.

How can he move forward?

The next step isn’t applying for more jobs faster.

It’s getting clear on three things:

1. What type of work actually suits his strengths

2. What type of environment does he perform best in

3. How to confidently communicate his value again

Because when you’re clear on those three things, interviews stop feeling performative.

You stop trying to say the “right” thing and start speaking from a place of confidence and alignment.

And often, the issue isn’t that someone’s career has gone backwards.

It’s that they’ve lost trust in themselves after landing in the wrong environment.

That’s a very different problem to solve.

My advice

Stop focusing only on job titles

Michael kept asking himself whether he should continue applying for campaign manager roles.

But the better question is:

“What problems am I actually best at solving?”

Sometimes people get too attached to titles and not attached enough to their strengths.

Pay attention to environment fit

A company can look amazing on paper and still be completely wrong for you.

The biggest lesson from Michael’s experience was that culture, leadership style and flexibility matter enormously.

Especially once you’ve already experienced a healthy work environment before.

Rebuild confidence through evidence

Confidence doesn’t come from positive thinking.

It comes from reconnecting to evidence.

The evidence here is that Michael has already built a successful career before. He has already delivered results. He has already been valued in high-performing teams.

One difficult experience does not erase that.

It just means the next move needs to be chosen more intentionally.

Does Michael’s situation resonate with you? If it does, the Creative Career Level Up programme might be the right fit for you. 

Check out more details, including testimonials, on our website here

Or use the link below to find out whether the Creative Career Level Up is the right fit for you.