What People Who Land Jobs Are Doing Differently

If you’ve been job hunting for a while and getting nowhere, it’s not because you’re not good enough, and it’s not because “the market is broken.”

Yes, the job market is tough right now. But even in tough markets, people are still landing jobs.

So what are they doing differently?

After more than two decades in recruitment, here’s what I’ve seen time and time again: the people who consistently land interviews and offers aren’t necessarily the most qualified – they’re the most strategic.

They understand how the game works. They put effort in the right places. And they don’t just “hope for the best” after hitting apply.

Here’s what they’re doing that most job seekers aren’t.

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1. They’ve stopped relying on job boards

Most job seekers fire off applications on Indeed or LinkedIn and wait. That’s it. But the best candidates? They use job boards to find roles not to apply for them.

Instead of clicking “Easy Apply” like everyone else, they research the company, find the hiring manager or recruiter on LinkedIn, and message them directly. A tailored message with a strong LinkedIn profile is way more effective than being applicant number 287 on a job board.

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2. Their CV is actually readable

No buzzwords. No crammed two-page limit. No irrelevant fluff from 15 years ago.

Just a clear, concise document that tells a recruiter what they need to know within 6 seconds.

The people landing jobs understand their CV isn’t a biography, it’s a marketing doc. It showcases results, not just responsibilities. Achievements with numbers. Not just a list of tasks.

And crucially, they make it skimmable. Because no recruiter is reading every word of your CV , we’re scanning it to see if you’re a match. The people landing interviews make it ridiculously easy for us to say yes.

My Free CV Template will help.

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3. They don’t just “apply”, they campaign

Applying is passive. These candidates go on the offensive.

They comment on relevant LinkedIn posts, share content, show up in industry conversations. They send follow-up messages after applying. They build relationships with recruiters before they need them.

They treat their job search like a campaign. Not a checkbox exercise.

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4. They know how to tell their story

When these candidates get into an interview, they’re not just answering questions, they’re telling a story. They know their career narrative. They can explain why they’ve made the moves they have, what they’ve achieved, and how that links to this next role.

It’s not robotic. It’s not rehearsed. It’s a confident, clear career story that makes the interviewer feel like this person knows exactly what they’re about.

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5. They ask the right questions

At the end of the interview, they don’t ask “What’s the culture like?” or “What’s your favourite thing about working here?”

They ask questions that help them assess whether the company and role are right for them.

• “In 12 months’ time, how will you know the person in this role has been successful?”
• “What are the biggest challenges facing the team right now?”
• “What’s your management style like?”

These aren’t just good questions, they’re positioning tools. They flip the script and show that the candidate isn’t just desperate to land any job. They’re evaluating the company just as much as the company is evaluating them.

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6. They’ve got a LinkedIn presence that works for them

They don’t need to be content creators or influencers, but their profile is clean, clear, and targeted. Their headline reflects what they do (and what they want to do next). Their job titles make sense for the roles they’re applying to. And their skills section? It’s loaded with the right keywords.

They know LinkedIn isn’t just a digital CV, it’s a search engine. And if you’re not showing up, you’re invisible.

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7. They don’t waste energy trying to “beat the ATS”

They’ve seen the TikToks. They’ve heard the myths. But they know the truth: the ATS isn’t rejecting your CV. A human is.

They don’t waste time stuffing their CV with keywords in white font or worrying about beating the system. They focus on making their CV easy for a real person to read. Because that’s what matters.

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8. They’re realistic, but relentless

These candidates don’t get every job they go for. They still get ghosted. They still get rejected. But they don’t let that derail them.

They track their applications, learn from every interview, and adjust their approach as they go. They treat job searching like a skill, not just something that happens in the background.

They don’t apply for 100 jobs in a day. They apply for 5 the right way. They’re strategic. And they’re consistent.

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Working Smarter

If you’re not getting the results you want from your job search, it’s not about working harder, it’s about working smarter.

Look at what people who are getting hired are doing differently. Borrow their strategies. Adopt their mindset.

Because landing a job in today’s market isn’t just about qualifications. It’s about showing up in the right way, in the right places, to the right people.

And the good news? That’s all stuff you can control.