Behind the Hiring Curtain: What’s Really Happening

Episode 330 - Patrick Dunlop, organisational psychologist and Future of Work professor, shares what he learned from studying recruiters, what’s overhyped, what’s still painfully manual, and how experienced candidates can move with confidence through modern selection processes.Spend enough time around job seekers and you will hear the same diagnosis: “Hiring is broken.”Spend enough time around recruiters and you will hear a different one: “We’re drowning.”Both can be true. What has changed in the last few years is not simply the technology inside recruitment. It’s the volume, the noise, and the mismatch between what candidates think is happening and what is actually happening inside organisations.In my conversation with Professor Patrick Dunlop, an organisational psychologist at Curtin University, one theme kept resurfacing: the biggest misunderstanding is not about AI. It’s about realism. Hiring varies wildly from one organisation to the next, and much of what candidates assume is “automated” is still surprisingly manual, uneven, and dependent on human judgement.What follows is a structured, evidence-informed way to think about modern hiring if you are an experienced professional, particularly in your 40s and beyond.Read the full Blog on the Website31 Days of Action for Job SeekersFind Your Talents: Learn About Your Strengths, and Watch Your Career GrowJoin 5,000+ Readers of The Job Hunting Newsletter: Subscribe NowLear More About Renata's career coaching and coursesTimestamps to guide your listening:00:00 Understanding Assessment Tools00:52 The Importance of Job Analysis03:48 Designing Effective Assessment Processes06:53 The Role of Simulations and Case Studies09:59 Concerns About Psychometric Testing12:56 Faking in Assessments and Its Implications15:50 Cultural Differences in Assessment Responses26:44 Cross-Cultural Assessment in Personality Testing30:57 Candidate Experience and Recruitment Processes36:10 The Impact of AI on Job Applications39:04 Adapting to New Technologies in Job Search49:19 Future Trends in Recruitment and AssessmentLinks mentioned in this episode:Patrick Dunlop's LinkedIn ProfileAbout the host, Renata BernardeHello, I'm Renata Bernarde, the Host of The Job Hunting Podcast. I'm also an executive coach, job-hunting expert, and career strategist. I teach corporate, non-profit, and public professionals the steps and frameworks to help them find great jobs, change, and advance their careers with confidence and less stress. Watch the Episodes on YouTubeFollow Renata on Social Media:LinkedInInstagramFacebookX / Twitter

Episode 329 - We unpack what interviewers are really reacting to, how to show agility at any age, and how to stay authentic while adapting to different cultures and expectations. I understand why Brené Brown and Adam Grant can say “thumbs down” on executive presence and get a standing ovation. In their conversation on Dare to Lead, they frame executive presence as “party of one” and contrast it with leadership as a “collective capability.” It’s a compelling point, and a necessary correction for leaders who confuse charisma with competence or confuse performative confidence with real stewardship.But in my day-to-day work as a career coach for experienced corporate professionals, executives, and senior technical specialists, executive presence is not a fad, a buzzword, or an outdated corporate relic. It is a hiring variable. It’s the most searched term on my podcast’s website. And pretending otherwise leaves job seekers at the mercy of unspoken rules.That’s why I devoted Episode 329 of The Job Hunting Podcast to executive presence, alongside two experts who don’t treat it as a personality type or a costume: Dr. Alexa Chilcutt, executive coach and faculty lead for the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School’s Executive Education Business Communication Certificate, and Dr. Carl DuPont, Associate Professor of Voice at Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute and Executive Education faculty at Carey.What I took from our discussion is this: executive presence is real because the question isn’t whether it exists. The question is whether we teach it responsibly, in a way that helps professionals be read accurately, without forcing them into a narrow mould.Read the full Blog on the Website31 Days of Action for Job SeekersFind Your Talents: Learn About Your Strengths, and Watch Your Career GrowJoin 5,000+ Readers of The Job Hunting Newsletter: Subscribe NowLear More About Renata's career coaching and coursesTimestamps to guide your listening:My websiteMy InstagramSubscribe to my newsletterGroup coaching wait listWork with Renata: All my courses and coaching servicesAlexa Chilcutt, PhDCarl DuPont, DMAAlexa and Carl's websiteAlexa and Carl's book - for 25% discount, enter the code Pres26 at checkoutLinks mentioned in this episode:00:00 Introduction to Executive Presence01:51 Defining Executive Presence04:43 The Importance of Communication07:36 Challenging Traditional Views on Executive Presence09:54 Navigating Ageism in the Workplace12:52 Cultural Dissonance and Code Switching28:33 Authenticity vs. Performance in Executive Presence32:27 The Evolution of Personal Branding34:22 Navigating Cultural Expectations in Professional Appearance37:42 The Role of Voice in Executive Presence41:23 Embracing Diversity in Professional Narratives46:52 The Art of Communication: Finding Your Voice52:03 Overcoming Barriers to Executive PresenceAbout the host, Renata BernardeHello, I'm Renata Bernarde, the Host of The Job Hunting Podcast. I'm also an executive coach, job-hunting expert, and career strategist. I teach corporate, non-profit, and public professionals the steps and frameworks to help them find great jobs, change, and advance their careers with confidence and less stress. Watch the Episodes on YouTubeFollow Renata on Social Media:LinkedInInstagramFacebookX / Twitter

Episode 328 - I borrow two tools from elite sport psychology: the difference between thoughts and attention, and the difference between internal and external focus. You’ll learn how to stop fighting your nerves and start directing your attention.Job searching can feel deeply personal, but the mechanics of it are closer to a high-performance environment than most people want to admit. You are assessed in real time. You are compared, often invisibly, against other candidates. You are expected to communicate with clarity, confidence, and restraint while navigating uncertainty, rejection, and the emotional weight of change.For experienced corporate professionals and executives, this becomes even more complex. The stakes feel higher, the stories are longer, and the margin for error can seem smaller. Many of the people I work with are excellent at their jobs, yet they find the job search uniquely destabilising. That’s not because they are not capable. It’s because job hunting creates a different cognitive and emotional context than most leadership roles do.Read the full Blog on the Website31 Days of Action for Job SeekersFind Your Talents: Learn About Your Strengths, and Watch Your Career GrowJoin 5,000+ Readers of The Job Hunting Newsletter: Subscribe NowLear More About Renata's career coaching and coursesTimestamps to guide your listening:00:00 The Competitive Nature of Job Hunting03:26 Understanding Thoughts vs. Attention19:27 Internal vs. External Focus in Job Search33:02 Applying Focus Techniques in Real ScenariosLinks mentioned in this episode:My InstagramSubscribe to my newsletterGroup coaching wait listReset Your Career online courseAll my courses and coaching services:Video with Alex Cohen that I mentioned on the podcastMovie WimbledonNetflix series Break PointAbout the host, Renata BernardeHello, I'm Renata Bernarde, the Host of The Job Hunting Podcast. I'm also an executive coach, job-hunting expert, and career strategist. I teach corporate, non-profit, and public professionals the steps and frameworks to help them find great jobs, change, and advance their careers with confidence and less stress. Watch the Episodes on YouTubeFollow Renata on Social Media:LinkedInInstagramFacebookX / Twitter

Episode 327 - I share six tools I use with experienced professionals who feel stuck in job search. You will leave with clearer direction, a simple decision filter, and practical ways to build momentum. January has a particular sound in my inbox. It is the quiet urgency of people who are either ready for change or exhausted from trying. Many are senior professionals with decades of achievement behind them, now facing a job search that feels unfamiliar, slower, and strangely impersonal. The temptation is to treat that discomfort as a personal flaw. Please, do not. Instead, treat it as a signal. If you feel overwhelmed right now, you are not broken. You are overloaded. And the overload is not only emotional. It is structural. As 2026 begins, multiple signals point to a labor market that is “stuck in place,” with slow hiring and slow firing, and a growing divide between sectors that are hiring and those that are simply holding. That “low-hire, low-fire” reality creates a special kind of psychological strain for corporate job seekers. You can do everything “right” and still hear nothing. You can have a strong resume and still feel invisible. You can be an excellent leader and still find yourself tweaking a LinkedIn headline at midnight, as if the correct adjective will unlock a recruiter’s calendar. This is the context in which mindset stops being motivational fluff and becomes a practical career asset. The market is sending a clear message: there is less room for vague positioning, passive applications, and comfort-zone job searching. The good news is that experienced professionals are unusually well equipped for this moment, once they stop trying to recreate the last chapter and begin designing the next one. Read the full Blog on the Website31 Days of Action for Job SeekersFind Your Talents: Learn About Your Strengths, and Watch Your Career GrowJoin 5,000+ Readers of The Job Hunting Newsletter: Subscribe NowLear More About Renata's career coaching and coursesTimestamps to guide your listening:00:00 Welcome to 2026: A New Beginning00:11 Changing Your Mindset for Job Searching04:17 Six Mindset Tools for Career Success07:22 Designing Your Professional Character10:34 Outsmarting Your Internal Monster14:44 The Third Person Audit for Clarity18:54 Taking Action: From Ideas to Execution20:52 Podcast Changes and Future EngagementLinks mentioned in this episode:My websiteSubscribe to my newsletterGroup coaching wait listRB Lnkdn Club, a support group to grow your LinkedIn presenceWork with Renata: All my courses and coaching servicesVideo I mentioned on the podcastAbout the host, Renata BernardeHello, I'm Renata Bernarde, the Host of The Job Hunting Podcast. I'm also an executive coach, job-hunting expert, and career strategist. I teach corporate, non-profit, and public professionals the steps and frameworks to help them find great jobs, change, and advance their careers with confidence and less stress. Watch the Episodes on YouTubeFollow Renata on Social Media:LinkedInInstagramFacebookX / Twitter

Episode 326 - Navigate career uncertainty with strategies to stay relevant amid AI disruptions and global shifts.Rebroadcasting as Episode 326 during our holiday break, this episode (originally released as Episode 295) continues to be one of the most practical and impactful guides for professionals feeling threatened by uncertainty in the job market, especially from AI.The job market feels like it's operating in a dense fog. For many professionals, particularly those in mid-to-senior corporate roles, navigating a career today is less like following a GPS and more like learning to read a compass in the dark. This uncertainty is not just emotional, it’s systemic. We’ve seen a wave of redundancies ripple across different sectors. My own coaching clients, many of whom are experienced professionals, were affected. The catalyst? A perfect storm of geopolitical issues, reduced funding, and yes, artificial intelligence.Read the full Blog on the Website31 Days of Action for Job SeekersFind Your Talents: Learn About Your Strengths, and Watch Your Career GrowJoin 5,000+ Readers of The Job Hunting Newsletter: Subscribe NowLear More About Renata's career coaching and coursesTimestamps to guide your listening:00:00 Navigating Job Search Challenges08:31 Facing Uncertainty in the Job Market17:00 The Fog of Uncertainty in 202536:44 Taking Action Amidst UncertaintyLinks mentioned in this episode:Reset Your CareerTalentPredixBook a consultation with meEpisode 23 - Adapting to Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity - with Janet SernackEpisode 59 - The Power of Self-Fidelity: How to Be True to Yourself and Thrive Professionally - With Author Cassandra GoodmanSubscribe to the newsletterAbout the host, Renata BernardeHello, I'm Renata Bernarde, the Host of The Job Hunting Podcast. I'm also an executive coach, job-hunting expert, and career strategist. I teach corporate, non-profit, and public professionals the steps and frameworks to help them find great jobs, change, and advance their careers with confidence and less stress. Watch the Episodes on YouTubeFollow Renata on Social Media:LinkedInInstagramFacebookX / Twitter

Episode 325 - In a world that celebrates hustle, rest can feel counterintuitive. But for ambitious professionals, learning to pause is not optional. It’s a strategic necessity.Rebroadcasting as Episode 325 during our holiday break, this episode (originally released as Episode 298) continues to be one of the most practical and impactful guides for professionals feeling burned out at work.If you’ve spent the last few months feeling more exhausted than usual, struggling to focus, or wondering why your motivation has gone missing despite a looming job application or promotion deadline, you’re not alone. In my coaching work with experienced professionals, these themes are everywhere. And they’re not the result of laziness, lack of ambition, or poor time management. They are the hallmarks of burnout, which is now a routine part of corporate life.Burnout isn’t new. But its spread among high-performing professionals is growing quieter, deeper, and more normalized than ever. The World Health Organization gave it official status as an “occupational phenomenon” in 2019, describing it as the result of chronic workplace stress left unmanaged. Yet the language around burnout still lags behind the reality: many professionals don’t realise they’re burning out until their relationships suffer, their health declines, or their job search stalls despite their best efforts.You don’t need to be working in a hospital during a pandemic to feel burned out. Today, it’s just as likely to show up in the corner office, the Zoom window, or the resume file named “final_final_FINAL.pdf”. From senior executives navigating hybrid workplaces to job seekers attempting to “optimize” every aspect of their applications, the common thread is emotional depletion disguised as diligence.And the real danger? Burnout thrives in silence.Read the full Blog on the Website31 Days of Action for Job SeekersFind Your Talents: Learn About Your Strengths, and Watch Your Career GrowJoin 5,000+ Readers of The Job Hunting Newsletter: Subscribe NowLear More About Renata's career coaching and coursesTimestamps to guide your listening:00:00 Understanding Burnout02:02 Defining Burnout and Its Impact07:40 Strategies to Combat Burnout15:55 The Role of Rest in Career SuccessLinks mentioned in this episode:The Times articleThe Guardian articleWintering, by Katherine MayWork with meWrite us a review on Apple PodcastsAbout the host, Renata BernardeHello, I'm Renata Bernarde, the Host of The Job Hunting Podcast. I'm also an executive coach, job-hunting expert, and career strategist. I teach corporate, non-profit, and public professionals the steps and frameworks to help them find great jobs, change, and advance their careers with confidence and less stress. Watch the Episodes on YouTubeFollow Renata on Social Media:LinkedInInstagramFacebookX / Twitter

Episode 324 - If you've ever felt frustrated by job search advice that doesn’t seem to work for you, this episode will help you understand why, and what to do instead. This episode is being rebroadcast as Episode 324 during our holiday break. It originally aired as Episode 277, and it remains one of the most useful episodes I’ve recorded for professionals who feel stuck in their job search.If you spend any time on LinkedIn these days, you’ll find no shortage of job search success stories. Posts from professionals who landed a new role in record time are often presented as if they hold the ultimate secret formula. The implication? If you’re still struggling to land your next opportunity, you must be doing something wrong.But the reality of job searching, especially for experienced corporate professionals, is far more complex than these polished narratives suggest. As a career strategist and coach, I work with professionals every day who are trying to navigate a labor market that has changed drastically. Their frustrations, struggles, and triumphs reveal an inconvenient truth: job search success is rarely as simple as social media makes it seem.Read the full Blog on the Website31 Days of Action for Job SeekersFind Your Talents: Learn About Your Strengths, and Watch Your Career GrowJoin 5,000+ Readers of The Job Hunting Newsletter: Subscribe NowLear More About Renata's career coaching and coursesTimestamps to guide your listening:00:00 Debunking Job Search Myths06:08 Understanding the Real Cost of Job Search Advice15:10 Identifying Your Unique Job Search Strategy21:36 Creating Your Own Success StoryLinks mentioned in this episode:Learn more about working with meBook a consultation with RenataThe Job Hunting Made SimpleEpisode 117 - The Job Hunting Experience, with Amber KnightEpisode 55 - From City Life to Tropical Paradise: A Positive Redundancy Story Update, with Alistair FreemanAbout the host, Renata BernardeHello, I'm Renata Bernarde, the Host of The Job Hunting Podcast. I'm also an executive coach, job-hunting expert, and career strategist. I teach corporate, non-profit, and public professionals the steps and frameworks to help them find great jobs, change, and advance their careers with confidence and less stress. Watch the Episodes on YouTubeFollow Renata on Social Media:LinkedInInstagramFacebookX / Twitter

Episode 323 - I break down why experienced corporate professionals are struggling to regain control of their careers and share three practical steps to accelerate your job searchThis episode is being rebroadcast as Episode 323 during our holiday break. It originally aired as Episode 275, and it remains one of the most useful reset episodes I’ve recorded for experienced professionals who feel stuck in their job search.The job market has been tough over the past few years. Whether you were impacted by the pandemic or faced the challenges of the post-pandemic economy, job hunting is no easy feat. If you're an experienced professional, you're likely feeling stuck, frustrated, or overwhelmed. The good news? You don't have to navigate this process by yourself anymore.In this episode and blog, I’ll walk you through three essential steps to help you regain control over your job search. These are actionable, proven strategies that go beyond the clichéd advice of "posting more on LinkedIn" or "mastering the STAR interview technique." As a career and executive coach, I’ve helped counThis episode is being rebroadcast as Episode 323 during our holiday break. It originally aired as Episode 275, and it remains one of the most useful reset episodes I’ve recorded for experienced professionals who feel stuck in their job search.Read the full Blog on the Website31 Days of Action for Job SeekersFind Your Talents: Learn About Your Strengths, and Watch Your Career GrowJoin 5,000+ Readers of The Job Hunting Newsletter: Subscribe NowLear More About Renata's career coaching and coursesTimestamps to guide your listening:00:00 Navigating the Job Market Challenges09:11 The Importance of Self-Knowledge in Job Search15:16 Strategies for Effective Job Hunting21:06 Coaching for Career AdvancementLinks mentioned in this episode:Learn more about my private coaching programJoin the waitlist for the Job Hunting Made Simple ProgramBook a consultation with RenataEpisode 322 - Are your job search efforts failing short? Discover the 5 critical mistakes that could be stopping you from landing your next role, and how to correct them.About the host, Renata BernardeHello, I'm Renata Bernarde, the Host of The Job Hunting Podcast. I'm also an executive coach, job-hunting expert, and career strategist. I teach corporate, non-profit, and public professionals the steps and frameworks to help them find great jobs, change, and advance their careers with confidence and less stress. Watch the Episodes on YouTubeFollow Renata on Social Media:LinkedInInstagramFacebookX / Twitter

Holiday Replay Episode 322 - Are your job search efforts failing short? Discover the 5 critical mistakes that could be stopping you from landing your next role, and how to correct them.This episode is being rebroadcast as Episode 323 during our holiday break. It originally aired as Episode 275 and it remains one of the most useful reset episodes I’ve recorded for experienced professionals who feel stuck in their job search.This is the kind of episode that lands differently when you’re tired, discouraged, or overthinking your next move. If this year didn’t go to plan, use this as a practical reset: mindset, interview presence, upskilling signals, and the small etiquette details that quietly cost offers.When job seeking, while external factors played a role, it’s crucial to focus on the aspects within your control. In this podcast episode, I explore the five main reasons why you may not have secured a job and, more importantly, what you can do differently.Drawing insights from renowned experts, as well as my own experience as a career coach, I will guide you through key mindset shifts, practical job search strategies, and essential interview techniques that can transform your career prospects. In this blog I will summarize the key points from this episode.Read the full Blog on the Website31 Days of Action for Job SeekersFind Your Talents: Learn About Your Strengths, and Watch Your Career GrowJoin 5,000+ Readers of The Job Hunting Newsletter: Subscribe NowLear More About Renata's career coaching and coursesTimestamps to guide your listening:00:00 Welcome and Introduction to 2025 Job Market02:09 Reflecting on Job Search Challenges04:36 Mindset: The Invisible Force in Job Success20:54 Common Mistakes in Job Applications31:02 Actionable Steps for Job Seekers in 2025Links mentioned in this episode:Job Hunting Made Simple ProgramBook a consultation with RenataEpisode 321 - The job market in 2025 has been flat, competitive, and emotionally draining for many professionals. In this episode, recruiter Geoff Slade and I unpack what’s really happening behind the scenes and what job seekers can do to stand out, especially when everyone’s application starts to look the same.Episode 273 - Insights from a Top Recruiter: How to Advance Your Career as an Internal CandidateMarisa Peer Ted TalkArticle mentionedAbout the host, Renata BernardeHello, I'm Renata Bernarde, the Host of The Job Hunting Podcast. I'm also an executive coach, job-hunting expert, and career strategist. I teach corporate, non-profit, and public professionals the steps and frameworks to help them find great jobs, change, and advance their careers with confidence and less stress. Watch the Episodes on YouTubeFollow Renata on Social Media:LinkedInInstagramFacebookX / Twitter

Episode 321 - The job market in 2025 has been flat, competitive, and emotionally draining for many professionals. In this episode, recruiter Geoff Slade and I unpack what’s really happening behind the scenes and what job seekers can do to stand out, especially when everyone’s application starts to look the same. If 2025 felt harsher than you expected, you were not imagining it. As a career coach, I’ve watched experienced professionals, including senior leaders, get caught in longer hiring cycles, more competition, and a colder tone in recruitment communication. In this episode of The Job Hunting Podcast, I sat down with Geoff Slade, Chairman of the Slade Group, for our end-of-year reflection and forward-looking conversation. Geoff has a rare vantage point. His group operates across multiple recruitment brands and covers everything from entry-level roles through to senior executive appointments. He’s also been in the recruitment industry for decades, which gives him pattern recognition that most job seekers never get access to. In this blog post, I’m summarising and unpacking key points from our conversation, with a focus on what corporate professionals and executives can do right now. We discussed the flat job market, the rise of interim roles, the reality of negotiating salary and flexibility, and how AI is changing the way applications look and feel. Most importantly, we talked about how to market yourself so you stop blending in. Read the full Blog on the Website31 Days of Action for Job SeekersFind Your Talents: Learn About Your Strengths, and Watch Your Career GrowJoin 5,000+ Readers of The Job Hunting Newsletter: Subscribe NowLear More About Renata's career coaching and coursesTimestamps to guide your listening:00:00 Overview of 2025 Job Market Dynamics05:07 Ruthlessness in Recruitment Communication07:49 Impact of Layoffs on Job Seekers10:17 Demand for Interim and Temporary Roles12:59 Negotiating Flexibility in a Tough Market15:32 The Future of Hybrid Work18:12 Tectonic Shifts in Employment Trends21:04 Negotiating Salary in a Challenging Environment23:54 Navigating Job Offers and Salary Negotiations26:56 The Impact of AI on Job Applications29:43 Building Confidence in Job Applications35:09 Strategies for Job Seekers in a Competitive Market40:02 Proactive Job Searching Techniques42:53 The Importance of Action and AccountabilityLinks mentioned in this episode:Episode with Talent Acquisition Manager Leanne BranniganContact me if you need help leading hybrid work environmentsInterview with Anita Ziemer, Executive Director, Slade GroupWhere you can access my template to connect with recruitersEpisode 217 - How to job search in 2024: An expert's view on the job market and recruitment trends, with Geoff SladeEpisode 163 - How to Job Search in 2023: An Expert’s View on the Job Market and Recruitment Trends, with Geoff SladeAbout the host, Renata BernardeHello, I'm Renata Bernarde, the Host of The Job Hunting Podcast. I'm also an executive coach, job-hunting expert, and career strategist. I teach corporate, non-profit, and public professionals the steps and frameworks to help them find great jobs, change, and advance their careers with confidence and less stress. Watch the Episodes on YouTubeFollow Renata on Social Media:LinkedInInstagramFacebookX / Twitter