Navigating a Long PM Job Search

'I've been out of work for seven months and applied to 100+ PM roles. Despite 12 years of experience and strong references, most interview processes stall after the second or third round. How can I stay motivated and improve my chances in such a tough market?' — Sarah

Great question, and rest assured you are not alone! This touches on a few areas I'd like to address that may help others in the same position. The areas are, namely, the process, motivation and remaining competitive.

This is the worst market I have seen in over 25 years, and it has really impacted white-collar professionals the most. There is a silver lining with a state election early next year, which should bring some change. Some projects are starting to get the green light. The project management market has become more competitive, with employers taking longer to hire, budgets under closer scrutiny, and candidates needing to work harder to stand out. For Project Managers, this does not mean opportunities have disappeared. It means the approach needs to be sharper, more targeted and more commercially focused.

That said, there are a few things you can do to give yourself the best chance, and I'll try to share here a few practical things that will give you the highest return on your investment of time.

First off, I'd like to address the motivation. Apart from the stress around job hunting it can be soul-destroying not getting callbacks or feedback after interviews.

How to keep motivated

It was a few years ago that a Jiu jitsu black belt instructor gave me some of the best advice I've ever heard regarding motivation, and it always stuck with me:

'Habit beats willpower, routine beats motivation'

There are days when you are sick, injured, tired, just don't feel like it, not in the mood… You get the idea. But you show up and train, because it's 6am on a Friday and that's what you do. It's your schedule. A habit.

Burning out, climbing in your own head, fear of failure, negative self-talk, and plain just being exhausted —all killers of motivation. So don't rely on motivation, but on setting and following a process.

So, habit one: have a weekly task list where the tasks differ each day. There's nothing worse than "Groundhog Seek Day." No new jobs, so you apply for a more senior role "just in case," or a more junior role, and you'll keep looking. These are normal behaviours, especially in the current market, as humans like doing things, but this will confuse your online brand and not help you.

There are many activities you can break down that aid your cause that don't rely on sitting on Seek all day. A few ideas here:

LinkedIn — increasing your network.
LinkedIn — increasing your brand (posting a comment, asking a question, writing an article, etc.).
Connecting with people and reaching out to companies you respect and would like to work for, applying to these directly.
Using your network and booking in coffees (over 12 years you'll have a good network), and running a "where are they now?" exercise and reaching out.
Researching and attending any networking events.
Following up on previous applications (with phone calls).
Practicing interview responses.
Not to mention recording all this activity.

Obviously, don't do all of these every day, and every 3rd day still schedule time to apply to relevant ads on Seek.

'Out of all this activity though (and second takeaway), use your network before relying on job boards'

In a competitive market, many roles are discussed before they are advertised. Speak with former managers, colleagues, recruiters, vendors, and clients. Let them know the type of role you are looking for and the problems you are best placed to solve.

Keep the message specific. Rather than saying "I'm looking for a PM role," say "I'm looking for technology, business transformation or governance-heavy project roles where stakeholder complexity and delivery discipline are important."

Next tip: Tailor your CV for every role, but don't use Chat GPT!

Many Project Manager CVs read like job descriptions: governance, reporting, stakeholder management, risk management, and delivery tracking. While these are important, they do not differentiate you.

In a tight market, a generic CV is rarely enough. Hiring managers are looking for evidence that you understand their environment and can solve their specific problems.

Before applying, review the job ad carefully and align your CV to the language of the role. If the role is focused on digital transformation, highlight technology delivery. If it is a regulatory project, bring compliance, governance, and risk experience forward. Your CV should make it easy for the reader to see why you are relevant within the first 30 seconds.

That said, so many people now are applying using ChatGPT, and putting the resume and the job ad in and spitting out a CV that is neither unique nor compelling. This has increased applications to circa 200 per advert, and honestly, 50 of them will be samey, with the same buzz words.

Employers want to know what you have delivered. Focus on measurable outcomes such as cost savings, system implementations, process improvements, regulatory compliance, customer experience improvements or business transformation.

Instead of saying "managed project delivery," say "delivered a $4m technology uplift across 10 business units, reducing manual processing by 25%."

Show adaptability, especially around AI and change

All employers and hiring managers are under pressure to do more with less. Project Managers who can help teams adopt new tools, improve ways of working and manage change are valuable. You do not need to be a technical AI expert, but you should understand how automation, data and AI are affecting project delivery, reporting, risk management and business processes. Demonstrating curiosity and adaptability can separate you from candidates who appear fixed in older ways of working. Certainly expect and plan for a question relating to AI in the interview process.

In closing, a tough market always rewards clarity. The Project Managers who stand out are those who can clearly explain what they deliver, where they add value and why they are relevant to the employer's current challenges. The more targeted and outcome-focused your approach, the stronger your chances of securing the right role.

Please share your resume with me, and I'll ensure it's shared with our internal teams. And please remember that you are not alone. Hope this helps.