Is your job search not getting anywhere? 7 unexpected obstacles that are holding back your application

Is your job search at a standstill? Discover 7 unexpected obstacles (resume, interview, follow-up) that are holding back your application and our practical advice for overcoming them.

The realization is bitter: weeks, or even months, spent poring over job listings. Your application is ready, you've sent out dozens of resumes, personalized each cover letter... and yet, the phone remains silent. Or worse, you go through interviews that lead nowhere, leaving a taste of bewilderment and frustration.

You know that you have value, skills, and motivation. So, what's holding you back?

If this situation resonates with you, take heart. It's often not a lack of talent, but a series of small details that, when added up, sabotage your efforts. Let's analyze together 7 common reasons that might explain why you haven't yet landed your dream job.

1. Your resume: a mere document or your best ambassador?

The resume is the first door you open. However, this door is often guarded by a robot. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) have become the standard. They sort, filter, and rank resumes before a human eye even sees them. If your resume isn't "readable" by them, you're invisible.

The keyword trap: The ATS looks for an exact match with the terms in the job listing. If the ad mentions "Agile Project Management" and your resume refers to "project management", you lose points.
- The solution: Analyze the job listing and incorporate the exact keywords and phrases (skills, software, job titles).Tip: Copy-paste the job listing into ChatGPT and ask it: "List the essential skills and keywords from this ad to optimize my resume."
Form before content: A design that's too creative, with columns, images, or exotic fonts can make your resume unreadable to software.
- The solution: Opt for a simple and classic layout (Word or text PDF format). Keep your creativity for your portfolio or personal website.
The lack of evidence:"Sales Manager" means nothing. "A 15% increase in sales over one year in the Northern sector" is proof. 57% of recruiters lament the lack of quantified examples.
- The solution: Quantify your successes! Use powerful action verbs ("I developed", "I optimized", "I reduced") and numbers to illustrate each key task.

2. Your online image: a showcase open 24/7

Don't be naive: 9 out of 10 recruiters admit to "googling" candidates. Your social networks are an extension of your resume. Poor management can be a deal-breaker.

On LinkedIn: A neglected profile, without a photo or with an outdated title, sends a signal of carelessness. It's like coming to an interview with a stained shirt.
- The action to take: Update your title, summary, and experiences. Ask for recommendations. Share a relevant article once a week to show that you are active and passionate about your field.
On personal networks (Facebook, Instagram, X...): Your privacy is yours, but if your profiles are public, they become professional. Pictures of excessive partying, strong political opinions, or complaints about your former job can scare off an employer.
- The action to take: Clean up! Set your accounts to "private" and only keep your close friends. If you care about your freedom of speech, use an unidentifiable pseudonym.

3. The cover letter: why you and not someone else?

Too many candidates rush this step, sending generic letters that scream "I'm applying everywhere". A cover letter should answer one question: why should we choose YOU for THIS position, in THIS company?

Avoid copy-pasting: Show that you have done your research. Mention a recent project of the company, one of its values that resonates with you, or a specific challenge you can address.
Be the solution: Don't just list your skills. Explain how they will solve a problem for the company. "My experience in logistics will allow me to optimize your supply chain and reduce lead times, as I have done at X."

4. The interview: a dialogue, not an interrogation

You've finally landed the interview! This is where it all comes together. A perfect resume will never make up for a poor oral performance.

Lack of preparation: Arriving without knowing the company's activities, its competitors, or its current events is a serious mistake. It shows a lack of motivation.
Easy criticism: NEVER speak ill of your former employers, colleagues, or managers. Even if you are right. It makes you appear negative and unreliable. Talk about "challenges" or "environments that no longer matched your aspirations".
Passivity: An interview is an exchange. If you don't ask any questions at the end, the recruiter might think you're not that interested. Prepare 2 or 3 relevant questions about the team, the challenges of the position, or the company culture.
Talking about money too soon: The issue of compensation is important, but don't bring it up right away. Let the recruiter initiate the conversation. First show your interest in the role.

5. Follow-up: The Art of Staying on People's Minds

The interview is over, but your work isn't. Lack of follow-up is often seen as a lack of interest.

The thank-you email: Within 24 hours, send a brief personalized email to thank the recruiter for their time. Reiterate your interest briefly and mention a specific point from your conversation to jog their memory.
Smart follow-up: If the deadline for a response has passed, a polite and concise reminder is perfectly acceptable. It confirms your interest without seeming pushy.

6. The "horse eye" search: the trap of the ideal position

You have a very clear idea of the position, the sector, and the type of company you are targeting. That's a good thing, but if it's too rigid, you are closing doors on yourself.

Broaden your horizons: A 'Communications Officer' position in a small or medium-sized enterprise could offer you more responsibilities and skills than an 'Assistant Communications' role in a large corporation. Be open to related opportunities that will allow you to enhance your skills.
The power of networking: Attend industry events, engage with professionals on LinkedIn. Your next job may not be on a job listing site, but at the end of a conversation.

7. Honesty: Unwavering Consistency

Recruiters have a knack for spotting inconsistencies. A small lie on the resume can create discomfort and destroy trust during the interview.

Do not embellish the truth: Do not claim to have mastered a software that you barely know or to have managed a project that you merely supervised.
Own your journey: A gap in your resume? An experience that ended poorly? Prepare an honest and positive explanation, focused on what you have learned from it. Authenticity is much more valued than feigned perfection.

Conclusion:

‍La recherche d'emploi est un marathon, pas un sprint. Chaque "non" est une occasion d'apprendre et d'affiner votre stratégie. Soyez rigoureux, restez positif et considérez chaque étape du processus comme une chance de montrer le meilleur de vous-même. En corrigeant ces freins, vous ne chercherez plus seulement un emploi, vous irez le décrocher.

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Transforming is not reorganizing: The human survival guide for HR facing radical change.

70% of transformations fail due to the human factor. Discover the HR guide inspired by the RTBF case to successfully drive change and leave no one behind.I'm going to be honest with you. The word "transformation" tires me. It's heard everywhere, in every executive committee, on every PowerPoint slide. The problem? It's been emptied of its meaning. It's been reduced to org charts, processes, and tools. We've forgotten that transforming a company is, above all, about supporting human beings who are losing their bearings.When I spoke with Christine Thiran, HR Director of RTBF, I realized that I was dealing with a leader who had not forgotten. She steered one of the most profound transformations of the Belgian media landscape, not from an ivory tower, but from the trenches, staying close to her teams.His testimony is a powerful antidote to the dehumanization of change. Forget the consultants and complex diagrams. Here are the human lessons of a radical transformation.The initial shock: Accepting and naming the griefImagine the scene. You gather your top 200 executives. People who have built their careers, their professional identity, within an organization they know inside out. And then, you announce the news to them.Christine tells it bluntly: "They announced to all these executives that a large part would have to... they were going to revoke their mandate."The word is out: "withdraw". It's not a "career evolution", it's a loss. A loss of status, of benchmarks, of work relationships built over years. It is precisely at this moment, by denying the emotional impact, that most transformation plans sow the seeds of their own failure.What Christine and her team were smart to do was to name things. Her words are powerful and still resonate with me: "We have done a lot of support programs, grief management because cutting, breaking up teams like that... there is a mourning. It must be acknowledged, even if my boss was annoyed that I talked about it."Talking about "grief" in a corporate setting might seem excessive. Yet, it's exactly what the famous Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Change Curve models. Originally applied to the stages of grief, it perfectly describes the emotional stages an employee goes through when faced with a major change: shock, denial, anger, bargaining, sadness, and finally, acceptance. Ignoring these stages guarantees that resistance will take hold permanently.‍The Change Curve: Understanding the emotional phases of a transformation.‍The cardinal philosophy: "Leave no one behind"In the face of this emotional chaos, a single compass guided the actions of RTBF's HR director. A simple phrase, but one that changes everything."It was just essential not to leave anyone behind. [...] The worst thing is to leave people on the side. They won't understand and they will start to have thoughts that are not positive."This sentence is not just wishful thinking. It's a strategy. It's the belief that the energy spent on supporting each individual is an investment, not a cost. What does that actually mean? Christine explains having "motivated her teams to go out and find people", to understand why an executive hadn't applied for a new position, to ensure that everyone had an exit door or a clear transition path.This approach is the polar opposite of the traditional method that involves announcing the plan and letting people fend for themselves. The result? This figure is not a hunch, but a harsh reality. A seminal study by the Harvard Business Review ("The Hard Side of Change Management") confirms that nearly 70% of transformation initiatives fail.The main reason? Companies focus on the technical aspects (structure, process) and overlook the human element, the "soft side," which is actually the hardest to manage. By not leaving anyone behind, RTBF has not only shown humanity; it has defused the main time bomb of its project.(Source: "The Hard Side of Change Management", Harold L. Sirkin, Perry Keenan, and Alan Jackson, Harvard Business Review, October 2005. URL: https://hbr.org/2005/10/the-hard-side-of-change-management)The Mechanics of Success: Combining Purpose and StructureHaving a philosophy is good. Having a method to apply it is better. The famous John Kotter's 8-step change model provides a perfect framework for understanding the success of RTBF. Even if the company didn't consciously tick each box, the spirit of these key steps is evident in its approach.Here are the 8 steps of Kotter's model:Create a sense of urgency.Form a powerful leading coalition.Develop a vision and a strategy.Communicate the vision for change.Empower employees to take action.Generate short-term wins.Consolidate achievements and generate even more change.Anchor new approaches in the corporate culture.In her testimony, Christine particularly emphasizes the steps 1, 4, and 6. The urgency (the media's survival against new practices), the communication of the vision ("We spent a lot of time explaining the meaning, the why. [...] Having a storytelling that made sense.") and the short-term victories (the promise of internal mobility, initially met with skepticism but proven by the numbers: 146 out of 154 positions filled internally) were the visible pillars of their success.What I take away, as a leader...RTBF's journey is not just a simple reorganization. It's a masterclass on leadership in times of crisis. It reminds us that our role, as HR leaders, is not to draw boxes, but to hold hands. To acknowledge the pain, to set a clear direction, and to never, ever, consider people as a variable to be adjusted.True transformation is not measured by the beauty of the new organizational chart, but by the resilience and trust of the teams that have gone through it.And you, in your transformations, how do you ensure that no one is left behind?Want to go further?This question leads to another, equally crucial one: once the new structure is in place, how can we ensure that the new roles are clear, motivating, and truly aligned with the vision? Because there is a great risk of falling back into old habits with job descriptions that do not reflect the change.Changing roles on paper is one thing. Bringing them to life is another. It's a challenge I face every day. That's why we organize sessions d'introduction à Jobloom, short and interactive. The goal? To show you concretely how to rethink your mission descriptions to turn them into real management and motivation tools.To discover a method and concrete examples, join one of our upcoming sessions. Inspiration is guaranteed.‍