August 18, 2025

From Coach to Client: What I Learned About Job Search Encouragement

Job search burnout is real. Here’s why encouragement can matter more than advice.

Include a personal profile or introduction statement at the top of your resume

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Add an infographic element that displays your best traits and accomplishments

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Add Infographic - Jobboardly X Webflow Template — Erat scelerisque eu dui diam varius in proin sit elementum amet vitae et.

Use headings and subheadings throughout your resume to highlight key sections and make the information easier to read

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Utilize space by using bullet points to outline skills and job qualifications

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Incorporate visuals and images such as graphs and charts

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Sometimes the most important thing you can offer someone is a reason to keep going.

I used to think job search advice was all about tactics.

Fix your resume. Add more metrics. Tailor it to the job. Practice the STAR method.

These were the things I repeated often… sometimes to others, sometimes to myself.

And they’re all useful. They’re necessary.

But then I watched someone I care about completely burn out after months of applying and hearing nothing back. I watched them do everything right and still feel invisible. I watched their voice shift from determined to dull.

Tactics aren’t enough when someone is running on empty.

In one of my conversations with a career coach, she said something that stuck with me.

“By the time people come to me, they don’t just need help. They need hope.”

I knew exactly what she meant.

There’s a kind of quiet shame that comes with job searching, especially when it takes longer than expected. You start to question yourself. Your value. Your past decisions. Even your future. Every application feels heavier than the last. And even when someone gives you feedback, it can feel like too little, too late.

It doesn’t matter how optimized your resume is if you no longer believe in your own story.

I’ve seen this from both sides now. As someone giving advice. And as someone who’s needed it.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

People don’t just want to be told what to do.
They want to feel like they’re not alone in it.
They want someone to remind them that the silence isn’t personal.
That rejection isn’t the final word.
That showing up every day is an act of strength, not desperation.

Encouragement doesn’t always look like a pep talk. Sometimes it’s just someone sitting with you in the discomfort. Reading your cover letter draft without judgment. Helping you see the thread that connects your experience when you’ve lost sight of it. Asking, “Do you want feedback, or do you just want someone to say this is hard?”

“I’ve had clients break down crying in the middle of a resume review. And it’s not because of the resume. It’s because they needed permission to feel how heavy this is.”

We forget that sometimes, the real value isn’t in the advice but in the space we create for someone to feel human again.

To anyone job searching right now

If you’re job searching right now and you’re tired, I want to say something clearly:

You’re allowed to be tired.
You’re allowed to be frustrated.
You’re allowed to feel like this is taking longer than it should.

But I also want to remind you that there are people rooting for you. Even if you haven’t met them yet. Even if it’s just someone you talked to once who saw your potential and remembered your name.