It’s Okay

As a career coach, I provide comfort, empathy, and motivation to my job-seeking clients. 

I offer solace when they feel discouraged, dejected, or ghosted after submitting resumes with no response. Or when they feel disillusioned after an interview because they were not selected, or when they are passed over for an eagerly anticipated promotion. Or when they feel burned out by their employer, commute, or other work-life balance struggles. Or when they receive a “pink slip.”

Job seekers carry emotions and real-life circumstances into job search and career management. 

As my clients’ Chief Motivational Officer (CMO), I empower them by reminding them it’s okay not to be Okay. It is a normal part of job loss, career management decision-making, and grief in the employment process. 

As a CMO, I also offer empowerment, encouragement, and confidence as job seekers prepare for interviews, feel good about their career decisions, or engage in active, energizing, career action planning. 

One of the compliments I receive the most often from my job-seeking clients is that I provide them with confidence to move to the next phase in the job search: it may range from taking the first step to submit a resume, attending a relationship-building event to network, reaching out to a contact via social media, preparing for or engaging in an interview, making decisions about which job to accept, learning how to negotiate a salary and benefits, or speaking to a supervisor about next steps to attain a promotion. 

More than 20 of my clients have attained their dream jobs in the past couple of months. Others secured new employment as a stepping-stone to future dream jobs. Some struggled during the process, feeling dejected after many “rejection” texts and emails. Others spent countless hours preparing for an interview. Some learned to use AI to develop resumes and prepare for interviews. Some initially struggled to determine their career direction. 

They worked hard to prepare professional resumes, practice simulated interviews, and strengthen their social media profiles. All of these clients credited me with helping them gain the confidence to move through the career management plans we prepared together. 

When someone faltered, I told them that it was okay not to be Okay. I acknowledged their feelings. Putting on my career coaching hat, I asked how we could rework what happened, for example, lots of ghosting after applying for many positions, not being selected after being one of two for the final round of interviews, or not getting a promotion.

Regrouping, I ask questions and provide challenges:

• What could you have done differently? Tell me about it.
• What can you change going forward? How can you make that happen?
• How long have you been in ‘stuck’ mode?
• How can I best help you? Pick one issue to start – the most pressing for you, and let’s pull it apart. 

Brainstorming with my clients to cement commitment and accountability, I then ask more questions:

• Do we need to adjust your resume for various positions? Let’s review a couple of sample target jobs and see if we can figure out what is going on. Perhaps your resume and target jobs are not aligned. Do we need to develop new or different highly impactful accomplishment stories?
• Have you engaged in networking and talking to humans? Can we make a list of opportunities to speak with people, e.g., association meetings, alumni meetings, job fairs, your holiday card list, faith-based groups, industry-specific groups, and others? What ideas do you have? How and when can you reach out?
• What are you willing to do to get out of stuck mode? Provide me with a list of three ideas. 
• Have you considered skills-based learning?
• If you have already applied to several hundred jobs with zero response, do you think you need to consider a different pathway? Are you willing to try something new or different from what you have been doing?

Career Coaches are Career Architects & Career Strategists

We put career coaching into a personalized context. By speaking our clients’ language and living through corporate jobs, family, layoffs, health issues, and more, we understand and can help clients navigate finances, family responsibilities, workplace politics, culture, identity, health constraints, and values. We provide discernment and insightful judgment when clients compare job offers, opportunities, career paths, or salary options. There may not be a single right or wrong answer in the decision-making process; however, the answer must feel comfortable and agreeable to our clients. 

We know that personal connections are still the most effective job search strategy. Who you know, and who knows who you know, is key to getting introductions to job interviews. We coach clients to discern between options, opportunities, and decisions.  

Internal recruiters work within their organizations to recruit people who employees already know and can recommend. When I worked at Northrop Corporation, my colleague received a generous bonus for recommending me to the company for a position in HR to set up the company’s reference check program and serve as an employment specialist, which led to a position as an internal recruiter. Also, I received a bonus for recommending a colleague from a previous job. Before interviewing her, my boss spoke with me at length about my colleague’s skill set, personality, drive, and abilities. 

Some companies focus solely on internal recruitment to promote growth and employee loyalty. Some companies that focus on internal recruitment include Procter & Gamble, Zappos, Google, Salesforce, and others. Internal recruitment often leads to professional development and leadership opportunities. However, there is an argument for external hiring: new, fresh ideas. External recruiters are hired to find potential candidates who aren’t even looking for jobs. 

LinkedIn networking statistics show that 85% of jobs are filled through networking, and referrals are 50% more likely to land interviews. Strategic networking beats job boards for landing opportunities in 2026.

We need to help job seekers shift their mindset, so they view relationship-building and networking as career-management tools. 

Navigating the Market

Career management is not easy. However, with a career coaching plan, empathy, and motivation, job seekers can build the confidence to navigate the employment market successfully over time and land fulfilling jobs.