Can we talk about something that doesn’t get said enough?

Job boards are a mess.
(And your clients are not the problem.)

I was talking to a coach recently who has been in university career services for nearly two decades. Knows her stuff. Last year, her husband got laid off, and she jumped in to help him with his job search.

Twenty minutes into the first application, she was swearing at her laptop.
She said: “Helping him navigate online job boards has been eye-opening.  I HATE THEM!”

Honestly? I get it.

She clicked “Easy Apply.”
It wasn’t easy.
It took her to a third-party site, asked her to create a new profile, auto-filled nothing correctly, and then redirected her to the employer’s site to do it all over again.

Twenty-two minutes. One job. And she’s a pro.

So when your clients say, “This is exhausting,”
Or “I feel like I’m shouting into a void,”
Or “Why am I even doing this?”

They’re not being dramatic. They’re telling the truth.

Let’s not gaslight our clients.

Too many job seekers are being told:
“Apply to more roles.”
“Customize your resume.”
“Track your applications in a spreadsheet.”

All solid advice, in theory.

But when the system is clunky and designed with zero human empathy, it doesn’t matter how polished their resume is.
They’re going to hit a wall.

And when we ignore that?
We unintentionally send the message: “You must not be trying hard enough.”

Which is the last thing someone needs to hear when they’re already operating on empty.

This isn’t a motivation issue. It’s a system issue.

Let’s stop telling clients they need more grit.
What they need is a better strategy.

Because if you're spending hours a day applying to jobs online and getting ghosted, it’s not just soul-sucking.

It’s bad math.

That’s why the best coaches I know are doing this instead:

🔹 Helping clients build shortlists of companies they actually care about
🔹 Showing them how to connect with real humans inside those companies
🔹 Teaching value-forward outreach that sounds like them, not a script
🔹 Replacing “spray and pray” with intentional momentum

Because here’s the truth most job seekers don’t hear:

The job board is not the job search.
It’s just one channel. And for most people, it’s the least effective one.

Teach your clients how to game the system.

This is where your coaching really matters.

You’re not just helping them write a better resume. You’re helping them stay sane. Stay confident. Stay connected to their value in a system designed to erode it.

That’s not fluffy. That’s transformational.

There’s one shift I’ve seen that makes a huge difference: Instead of asking, “How many roles did you apply to this week?”
Ask, “What’s the most energising conversation you had this week?”

Because real job search momentum doesn’t come from checkboxes.
It comes from clarity, connection, and trusting the process.

That’s what you help them build.

Your clients aren’t lazy. They’re exhausted.

And let’s be real, you’ve probably felt that way too.

If you’ve ever looked at a job application portal and wanted to run the other direction, that’s not a failure. That’s your nervous system telling you, “This process sucks.” 

And it does.

So imagine being 22, in your first job search, with zero confidence, no roadmap, and a resume that still says “barista.”

Or a steady employee who has worked at the same company for 15 years and has just been laid off.

Now imagine being told:
“Just apply to more roles. You’ll get there.”

It’s no wonder they ghost the follow-up. Or skip your workshop. Or start questioning if they’re cut out for any of this.

They’re not flaking.
They’re drowning.

And this is your chance to throw them a lifeline. Not with more hustle. With a better map.

Believe your clients.

When they say the job search is broken, they’re not making excuses.
They’re reporting the facts.

Your job isn’t to fix the system. It’s to help them move through it with as much strategy and self-respect as possible.

Because job boards are inefficient. Impersonal. Often infuriating.
But you? You get to be the human in the middle of all that noise who says:

“Hey. You’re not the problem. Let’s do this differently.”

More of that, please.

Heather

➡️ To learn more about me and what I do, visit my website 

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