Cecilia Garnett Coaching

A lot of bright and talented young people aren’t getting interviews.

Not because they aren’t good enough, but because recruitment has completely changed. Today, employers screen candidates using AI filters and behavioural assessments before a human ever touches a CV.

If your team keeps hearing nothing back, they simply need to learn the new rules of the game…

Comment “Future” below and I’ll send you the exact checklist I use to help young people navigate modern hiring and get past the ATS.

applications

The most exhausting career break is the one where you never actually stopped working…

It happens gradually:
- remembering every appointment
- managing everyone else’s emotional needs
- keeping the home going
- keeping the job going

and somewhere in the middle of carrying everyone else… Your own career goals quietly move further down the list.

It’s not a lack of ambition. It’s a surplus of responsibility.

Before you beat yourself up for “not doing” more professionally, take a look at how much you’re carrying mentally, emotionally and physically.

Sometimes the first step isn’t working harder. It’s acknowledging how much of you has been going elsewhere.

Tag a woman who needs a reminder to give herself some grace today.

Stop hiding behind online applications.

The easiest way to get noticed by an employer might be standing right in front of them.

Employees don’t just hire CVs.

They hire people.

When you attend a jobs fair, you are giving employers something that an online application can’t:

- a first impression
- a conversation
- a personality behind the CV
- a reason to remember you

Get yourself in the room!

Sometimes the shortest route to an interview is a handshake, not another application form.

And if you want some help with some conversation starters, get in touch today.

What if I choose the wrong career?

Whether they were 13 or 17, this was one of the biggest worries I heard during my workshop with “Great Women in the Making” last week ( )

So many young people feel pressured to have their future figured out long before they need to.

My message was simple:
- Careers are rarely a straight line
- You don’t need all the answers today
- The best place to start as understanding your strengths, interests and what motivates you.

We also talked about something many teenagers underestimate…

The skills they are already building through school, sport, hobbies, responsibilities, and everyday life.

Communication
Teamwork
Resilience
Problem-solving

These are the skills employers value just as much as qualifications.

A huge thank you to “Great Women in the Making”, and especially to Rachel Gray Amber and Sherinne for inviting me to work with such ambitious, thoughtful and talented young women.

The future is bright.

Employers can tell when AI has written your application.

Because the application often says a lot… without actually saying anything memorable.

Recruiters are increasingly reading:
~ identical sentence structures
~ overused corporate phrases
~ vague examples
~ polished answers with very little substance behind them
~ generic strengths

And when you read hundreds of applications, patterns become obvious very quickly.

Make sure your application sounds like you and use specific examples with individual experiences and insights.

AI can absolutely help with:
• structure
• idea ideas
• improving clarity
• checking grammar

But it should support your thinking, not replace your voice.

Remember, employers are hiring for potential rather than polish.