10 Game-Changing Job Search Tips for 2025

30th September 2025

The 10 top tips for job searching in 2025

Listen, the job market in 2025 hits different than it did even two years ago. Whether you’re fresh out of Uni, switching careers, or just trying to escape that soul-crushing retail job, the game has changed. Here’s your guide to landing that bag in 2025.

1. Your LinkedIn Needs to Be Main Character Energy

Remember when LinkedIn was just boomers posting motivational quotes over sunrises? Yeah, that’s dead. In 2025, LinkedIn is where recruiters are actually looking for you. Your profile needs to slap: professional headshot (not your gym mirror selfie), a headline that’s more than just “Student” or “Seeking Opportunities,” and posts that show you know what you’re talking about. Think of it as your professional Instagram where the algorithm actually works in your favour.

2. AI Is Your Bestie (But Don’t Let It Write Everything)

Tools like ChatGPT can help you draft cover letters and polish your CV, but here’s the tea: recruiters can spot AI-generated applications from a mile away now. Use AI to brainstorm and structure, but inject your actual personality. If your cover letter sounds like a robot having an existential crisis, you’ve gone too far. The vibe should be “AI-assisted human” not “human-assisted AI.”

3. Network Like Your Job Depends On It (Because It Does)

That stat about 70-80% of jobs never being advertised? Still true, still devastating. The job you want might not even exist yet until someone thinks of you. Slide into DMs (professionally), comment thoughtfully on industry posts, go to actual networking events even if they make you want to cry. I know it feels like the social equivalent of doing cardio, but one coffee chat could literally change your life. Plus, free coffee.

4. Your CV Needs to Beat the Bots

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are the Ibiza final boss you need to defeat before a human even sees your CV. Use keywords from the job description, keep formatting simple (sorry, those aesthetic Canva templates might get rejected), and save as a PDF unless told otherwise. Think of it like SEO but for your career. You’re not just writing for humans anymore.

5. Personal Projects > Perfect Grades

Nobody cares that you got a 2:1 at Uni if you can’t prove you can actually do the thing. Built a portfolio website? Created a TikTok account that got 10k followers? Organised a charity event? Started a side hustle? That’s the stuff that makes recruiters go “okay, this person gets it.” Your personal projects are proof of work, and in 2025, receipts matter more than grades. That’s not to say the grades don’t matter as they give you the foundation to build your experiences on. The higher grades you achieve, then of course the more doors you can open.

6. Video Applications Are the New Normal

Some companies are asking for video introductions or recorded interview responses now, and honestly? It’s giving Black Mirror but we’re here anyway. Since 2020 online interviews and video interviews have taken off like a Jet2 holiday! We suggest you practice talking to your camera without looking like you’re being held hostage. Good lighting, clean background, and for the love of god, look at the camera not at yourself on the screen. Pretend you’re filming a get-ready-with-me but make it professional.

7. The Portfolio Website Is Non-Negotiable

Even if you’re not in a “creative” field, having a simple portfolio website/channel shows you have digital literacy and initiative. Buy a domain with your name (they’re like £10), throw up some projects, testimonials, and a way to contact you. It doesn’t need to be Behance-level gorgeous, just functional and professional. Think of it as your digital handshake. Of course, LinkedIn is a great alternative to having a website.

8. Company Culture Research Goes Deep

Don’t just check if they have a ping pong table and call it a day. Check Glassdoor reviews, look at their social media, see who works there on LinkedIn and what they’re saying. Are there young people there who seem happy? Do they promote from within? What’s the vibe? You wouldn’t date someone without checking their Instagram first, so why accept a job without proper stalking—Sorry, I mean research.

9. Follow Up Without ‘Being That Person’

Sending a thank-you email after an interview isn’t cringe, it’s strategic. But there’s a fine line between “following up” and “why are you ignoring me we literally made eye contact.” Send one thank-you within 24 hours, maybe one check-in a week later if you haven’t heard back, and then let it go. You’re Elsa from Frozen now. Desperation isn’t the vibe.

10. Rejection Is Redirection (No, Really Though)

You’re going to get ghosted. You’re going to get automated rejections that sting. You might interview somewhere four times and still get a no. It’s giving emotional damage, but here’s the thing: every rejection is practice for the yes that actually matters. The job market in 2025 is brutal, and if you’re not getting rejected, you’re not applying enough. Keep the ratio in perspective: you only need ONE yes to change everything.

The Real Talk Section

Job searching in 2025 feels impossible sometimes because, well, it kind of is. The entry-level job that requires 3-5 years of experience is still out there being ridiculous. The salary that hasn’t kept up with inflation is still insulting. The “we’re all family here” company that expects you to work unpaid overtime is still wilding.

But you’ve got advantages previous generations didn’t: remote work options, personal branding platforms, AI tools, and a whole generation that’s done with toxic work culture. Use them. Be strategic, be persistent, and remember that your worth isn’t determined by how fast you land a role.

Now go update that LinkedIn and make 2025 your year. You’ve got this. 💪