Overview

🔹 A Polarised Job Market → Fewer opportunities, higher competition for candidates.
🔹 LinkedIn’s Dominance → Easy Apply floods recruiters, but ATS filters out talent.
🔹 Hybrid Work Divide → Flexibility vs. weakened company culture.
🔹 Leadership Gap → Women over 40 are leaving media agencies at alarming rates.
🔹 Parental Leave → Extended leave leads to lower pay and slower career progression.
🔹 3 Top Tips for Job Seekers → Get organised, network smartly, and act fast.

📺 Watch the full conversation with Neil Middlemass here.

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The Jobs Market: The Good, The Bad, and The Ghosted

There are few things in life that result in you breaking out in a hot sweat like going through a four-month job application interview process, meeting multiple stakeholders along the way before being told, “thanks, but no thanks.” Perhaps being aged 16, trying to buy your first pint in a pub with a dodgy ID you bought off the back of a magazine, comes close (add braces into the mix, and you’ve got one nervous, sweaty teenager).

I’ve been lucky enough to work for some amazing companies over the years. In 2006, I started out at a small agency that eventually evolved into one of the biggest SEO SaaS players. I spent many happy years there—seven, in fact—but the application process back then couldn’t have been further from where we are today.

I saw an advert in a local newspaper, polished up my CV (no Canva or ChatGPT in those days, kids), and met my future boss for a coffee in a local shop. It was an entry-level role and, despite my boss being extremely nice, the process was still nerve-racking for a 22-year-old. It turned out to be a great partnership—I stayed for seven years.

Despite the platform being three years old, I don’t think I even ventured onto LinkedIn—which seems bonkers, considering how ingrained the service is in the jobs market today.

Fast-forward to 2025, and the landscape is a world away from those more innocent days. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), personal branding, and mass-produced job applications powered by AI are now rife. Recruiters are inundated with applications—many from unqualified candidates—while job seekers often voice their disdain on LinkedIn about being ghosted.

Right now, job opportunities are scarce due to economic uncertainty, cost-cutting measures, and corporate restructuring. It’s a fiercely competitive market for candidates trying to stand out and land their dream role.

Not to mention how AI is being utilised by some brands to reduce the number of roles across marketing. It’s an uneasy and stressful time for anyone—at any level—who’s out of work or considering a career move.

To make sense of the chaos, I sat down with Neil Middlemass, founder of fractional / talent and industry leader.

The best in the business

Without a doubt, Neil is the best talent leader I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. I met him back in 2014 when I was working in Adland, and we’ve kept in touch ever since. What’s impressed me most about Neil is that he’s always been an incredible sounding board—whether I needed advice or someone to bounce ideas off.

I spoke with him on a Saturday afternoon once, when I was feeling down in the dumps after a role that wasn’t working out for me (nice people, nice agency – but the work just wasn’t rewarding). Neil was calm, clear, and reassuring with his words. I was struggling, but he helped me see the light ahead—what I could do to turn things around in the short term and how to plan for the future.

We discussed what my dream role would look like, and I laid out the blueprint with five key points. It had to be in London (1), ideally in King’s Cross (2), at a very well-funded startup (3), led by an inspirational entrepreneur (4), and in the football industry (5).

Around 18 months after that chat, Neil placed me at Cazoo. It was based in London (King’s Cross, in fact), one of the best-funded startups at the time, and led by Alex Chesterman—the serial entrepreneur behind LoveFilm and Zoopla before his successful exits.

Well, 4 out of 5 wasn’t bad!

This just goes to show the importance of building relationships and maintaining them over time. It still matters, and Neil is exceptional at fostering and nurturing genuine connections. He’s a leading voice in the sector, regularly publishing important insights on shifting market dynamics, gender pay inequality, and workforce trends.

I sat down with Neil to talk about life, work and how the jobs market has evolved over the past two decades.

Navigating the Modern Job Market: A Conversation with Neil Middlemass

Neil Middlemass isn’t just any talent leader. With over 18 years of experience in talent strategy, working with global brands and leading media agencies, he’s witnessed the industry rise, fall, and reshape itself in response to economic shifts, technological advances, and evolving workplace dynamics. Our chat covered everything from the realities of today’s job market to why so many women are leaving senior roles in media agencies.

The Polarised Job Market: Who Holds the Power?

We kicked things off by discussing the state of the job market. Neil was quick to point out that while it may seem like there are plenty of opportunities, things aren’t as rosy as they appear.

“It’s a polarised market right now,” Neil explained. “On one end, you’ve got candidates who are aggressively applying for roles, sometimes ones they wouldn’t have considered in a stronger market. On the other, you have passive candidates who won’t move unless there’s a very compelling offer."

This split creates a strange dynamic: recruiters are overwhelmed with applications for some roles, while struggling to fill niche or senior positions.

So who does this market benefit?

• Good for recruiters: More candidates mean more choice, especially for junior and mid-level roles.

• Challenging for job seekers: High competition and automated filters make it difficult for even qualified candidates to stand out.

• Difficult for companies: Top talent, particularly for senior roles, is harder to attract without offering substantial perks or higher salaries.

The Rise (and Risk) of LinkedIn

We couldn’t talk about recruitment without mentioning LinkedIn—the platform Neil credits with completely reshaping the job search landscape.

“All roads lead to LinkedIn,” Neil said. But it’s not without its flaws. The platform has made it too easy to apply, leading to a flood of applications and leaving recruiters to sift through hundreds, sometimes thousands, of irrelevant submissions.

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) have become the first hurdle for most candidates, automatically filtering CVs based on keywords and relevance. “You could be overqualified and still get filtered out by the system,” Neil noted.

Hybrid Work: A Double-Edged Sword

We moved on to the changing landscape of hybrid work. Neil had mixed feelings about it.

“Hybrid working gives me the flexibility to drop my daughter off at school every day—that’s invaluable. But for businesses, the culture suffers when teams aren’t together regularly.”

His advice? If companies want hybrid to work, they need to ensure everyone is in the office on the same days. Otherwise, collaboration and company culture take a hit.

The Silent Exodus: Where Are the Senior Women Going?

One of the most striking insights from Neil’s research is the disappearance of women over 40 from leadership positions in media agencies. Despite women making up 50.7% of the industry, fewer than 40% hold senior leadership roles.

The reasons? According to Neil:

• Cost-cutting disproportionately affects senior women, as companies consolidate higher-paid roles.

• Maternity leave comes at a cost—women who take six months or more earn 16.9% less at leadership level.

• A lack of workplace support for parents leads to poor work-life balance and career stagnation.

“We’re losing senior female talent to in-house roles or other industries altogether,” Neil warned. “It’s a systemic issue that businesses need to address if they want to retain diverse leadership.”

Three tips for job seekers in 2025

Before wrapping up, I asked Neil for his top advice for anyone navigating today’s job market:

1. Get Organised: Export your LinkedIn connections, build spreadsheets, and track applications.

2. Use Your Network: Reach out to existing connections for referrals and insights.

3. Start Early: Don’t wait until you’re desperate to start applying—get ahead of the market.

The bottom line

Our conversation left me with a clear takeaway: the job market today is more competitive, fragmented, and unforgiving than ever before. But for those who stay proactive, leverage their networks, and adapt to the evolving landscape, there are still plenty of opportunities to progress at the right organisation with a culture fit that meets your requirements.

Neil Middlemass understands the industry better than anyone. If you’re serious about navigating this tricky landscape, his insights are invaluable. Whether you’re job hunting, hiring, or simply trying to future-proof your career, building meaningful relationships and surrounding yourself with a positive yet honest network is essential