'The job market is so tough right now. Should I be job hunting?'

Today I’m analysing the situation of Jess. Jess reached out to me because she really wants a new job and wanted to join my Creative Career Level Up programme to help her make the move.  

Jess is excited about the next stage of her career. She’s been wanting to move jobs for a long time, but with Covid and then all the talk of a recession, she’s scared to make a move. 

When I asked how long she’d been thinking about it, she told me — three years. I was honestly baffled as to why she’d stayed in her job so long, even though she was ready for the next phase.  

“I keep hearing the job market is really bad,” she told me.  

And I hear this so much. Everyone’s hearing how bad the job market is and getting scared to move.  

But here’s the truth: things have been tough for a long time. Back at the end of 2022, the economies of the Western world started to turn. Interest rates went up, and so did inflation. Big tech companies started mass layoffs, and it trickled down from there.  

All the while, people like Jess sat and waited.  

What’s the challenge?  

The trouble with sitting and waiting is that you have no control over your situation. You become a sitting duck. You stop growing and learning in your role and start to feel stagnant. That’s exactly what happened with Jess. She’s waited so long that now she’s starting to lose confidence in her ability to get her next role.  

How can she move forward?  

The key is to shift from waiting to acting. You don’t need to hand in your resignation tomorrow. But you do need to start building momentum again.  

My advice 

1. Just make a plan  

You don’t have to dive headfirst into job hunting. The first step in any successful job search is to make a plan.  

Decide what you want to do next. Do some research. Have a few informational chats. Get a career coach. Work out your direction. Then worry about actually landing the role.  

Making a plan is low risk and high reward. You can do it while still in your current job, and it’s the first small step to feeling back in control.  

2. Start building your network  

Actively start connecting with people again. Create a tracker in Trello or a spreadsheet. Write down ten people you already know. Take them for a coffee. Ask for their advice, and then ask if they can introduce you to someone else. Keep going until your network grows.  

Even just having conversations will make you feel more confident about what’s next.  

3. Stop worrying about the things you can’t control  

You can’t control the job market. You can’t control politicians, interest rates, or when roles get advertised.  

But you can control how much networking you do, how good your pitch is, how refined your applications are, and how well you prepare for interviews.  

Focus on what’s within your power—and let go of the rest.  

I liked Jess a lot. I really want her to get out of her comfort zone. Comfort zones are dream killers. Once you finally leave them, you wonder why you stayed so long.  

So Jess….take the leap. And if you’re reading this and feeling the same way, I encourage you to do the same.  

Careers are meant to grow. As are people. And all the best stuff happens when you keep moving forward.  

If you’re ready to stop waiting and finally make your next career move—like Jess—apply to join my Creative Career Level Up programme. You’ll get hands-on support, structure, and strategy to navigate the job market confidently, land the right role, and finally step into the next chapter of your career.