“I’ve tried every angle… and I still can’t seem to get in the room”

Today I’m analysing the situation of Isabella.

Isabella reached out to me because she’s been job hunting for months and feeling more and more frustrated by the whole process.

She’s a very senior leader who stepped out of a big corporate role last year after a long run in premium consumer brands. Since then, she’s taken a bit of a break, done some consulting work to keep herself busy, and thrown herself into finding the next role.

And when I say thrown herself into it, I mean it.

She’s updated her profile. Reworked her CV multiple times. Spoken to recruiters. Reactivated her network. Applied online. Followed up. Kept herself in the loop.

But all of that work has only led to a small number of interviews.

That’s the bit that’s really getting to her.

Because when she does get in the room, she tends to do well. The problem is getting into the room in the first place.

What’s the challenge?

Isabella’s challenge is a combination of two things.

First, she’s at a senior level now, and there are simply fewer roles. When you get to this stage of your career, the pyramid narrows. There just aren’t as many opportunities at the top.

Second, she’s in that horrible phase of job hunting where it feels like a mountain of effort is giving birth to a tiny result.

And that can really mess with your confidence.

You start to wonder whether the market is broken, whether your experience is being undervalued, or whether you’re somehow doing everything wrong.

Usually, it’s not one big thing. It’s the market, the seniority, and the strategy all colliding at once.

How can she move forward?

For Isabella, this is not about trying harder. She’s already trying very hard.

It’s about stepping back and doing a reset.

She needs to stop throwing energy in every direction and get much more focused about where she’s aiming, what roles actually make sense, and how she’s getting in front of decision-makers.

Because at this level, job hunting is not about mass applying. It’s about precision.

My advice

1. Reset the strategy

When you’ve been in the market for a while, it’s easy to get stuck in reaction mode. Applying, tweaking, chasing, repeating.

I’d want Isabella to pause and properly rethink the plan.

What roles are in? What roles are out? What is the ideal next move, and what is the smart stepping-stone if needed?

2. Focus on origination

This is where the real issue is.

If the interviews are generally going okay, then the biggest opportunity is getting more of the right conversations started.

That means less energy on cold online applications and more energy on warm routes in, network-led conversations, and direct outreach that actually gets noticed.

3. Stop making this mean something about your worth

A tough market has a way of making brilliant people question themselves.

But difficulty does not equal lack of value.

Sometimes the market is slow. Sometimes senior roles take longer. Sometimes companies are messy.

None of that changes what you bring to the table.

If Isabella’s situation resonates with you and you’d like my help in your job hunt, the Creative Career Level Up might be right for you.

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

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