Today’s job market is particularly difficult and emotionally draining for everyone (especially early careers). Here’s some advice to protect your self-esteem, mental health and confidence during your job search.
Ghosting epidemic : It’s not you
With AI automated applications and hiring volumes being lower due to the current economical and geopolitical situation, the number of applications is significantly higher than usual. This situation is the same for most Western countries.In a normal context, recruiters are usually very busy. Between sourcing, screening candidates, posting job adverts, interviews, pressure from hiring managers, reporting and other activities, rejecting candidates is unfortunately usually at the bottom of our priority list. First it’s never a good feeling to reject someone – don’t think we take any pleasure doing it – and most of all it’s not urgent. Your application has either probably not be seen or is being kept as back up.
The Truth Behind the “No”: The Normalization of Automated Rejections
I know how frustrating it can be to see your application (sometimes immediately) rejected if your experience and skillset perfectly match the job description. But remember : never take an automated rejection email personally or think that your profile is not interesting. You don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes.
Sometimes the role has been filled internally, which is something companies tend to prefer these days, the recruiter search is put on hold or the job is already filled and someone forgot to unpost the job advert.
Sometimes it has to do with the hiring brief even tough you have the right background and experience. For instance, they absolutely need one skill or one particular expertise or experience that the hiring manager told the recruiter in “off” and which doesn’t appear on the job description.
And yes some companies now use AI to screen applications and you can be automatically rejected by the system because of what you filled on the ATS (it can be your phone number not matching the location of the role) or if you don’t have enough of the relevant keywords from the job description or set up by humans, that’s why today quality matters more than quantity but it’s not that common than that yet (to read further on the topic).
That’s why adopting a direct approach, send proactive applications to selected companies and leveraging networking are more important than ever—but needs to be done right. I can guide you through this. 2026 is about to apply with strategy.
Unemployment Routine & Career Reset
I know it may sound obvious, but keeping an active routine and healthy lifestyle, as much as possible, is crucial. Do not beat yourself if you are not up everyday at 7 or 8am like you used to. If you feel tired and need to sleep, do it. Take time for yourself. Don’t feel guilty. You won’t have an occasion to properly rest often. If you live alone, don’t stay alone all the time. Go live with someone else if you can or take a part-time job, the earlier the better. The danger when being unemployed and living alone, is to let the days slip, be disconnected from your circle who is working, loose confidence, spiraling in negative thoughts and reach a point where you will run out of money.
Unemployment times are also an opportunity to redefine and reflect our place and worth without work. Why not consider a career change ? Stay positive, enjoy the time you have for yourself and remember that some people (with a horrible boss or working long hours) would love to be unemployed! Free time and freedom are real advantages. Work on a project or start this activity you usually never have time for (learning a new language, play a musical instrument, take drawing or acting classes), organise your week, be patient and resilient.
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