Navigating a job search in 2025
A couple of months ago, I received this note from a candidate I had to release from a search:
Dear Lorna Jane, I am just reaching out to say thank you. Thus far, you have been the only human interaction throughout my job search. Thank you for the time you took initially and for your human response during the review and rejection process. Thanks for being a bright light in what has otherwise been a grueling process.
It stopped me in my tracks.
Because let’s be honest — it’s rough out there. Every day, I see LinkedIn posts from discouraged job seekers describing the silence, the lack of responsiveness, the feeling that no one’s really listening. And it’s true: in many larger companies and corporate search firms, AI does much of the initial screening. It’s efficient, but it can also feel cold.
That’s where I try to do things differently. LJN Advisory (it’s just me!) partners with smaller nonprofits and individuals to bring humanity back into the search process. This year alone, I’ve screened nearly 200 applicants — 75 for one position alone! And what I’m noticing is that some candidates, worn down by the process, are starting to assume no human will ever see their application. Understandably as a result, their materials and outreach can become less personal and less tailored to the roles they truly want.
To those candidates I want to say: don’t give up. The human touch still matters. Your personalization and authenticity can set you apart — and if this is a role you want, show up as if you know you’ll be meeting real people along the way. Because you will.
This blog is kicks off a four-part series created to support job seekers in putting their best foot forward in 2025.
Over the next four weeks, I’ll share encouragement and practical tips using my experiences as a search consultant and as a coach working with clients in a job search. You can find each installment on Tuesdays beginning September 2nd on LinkedIn, Facebook, and here on my website. And if you’d like more personalized support, I also offer flexible, affordable coaching to meet you where you are in your search.
The schedule will be:
Preparing to search
Creating your materials
Applying
Interviewing
Let’s do this together. See you next week!
Lorna Jane