The other day I had a coaching session with a senior candidate, very well prepared professionally, highly educated and with multiple certifications, with a career path that shows loyalty and seriousness. An unfavourable conjuncture - the company where he worked decided to withdraw from the local market - put him in the situation of being out of a job after almost 20 years. At first, benefiting from a decent exit package, he didn't panic and wanted to enjoy an unexpected vacation. In addition, the man was confident that his experience in the field he had worked in, his qualifications and the results he had achieved over the years would enable him to find work within a reasonable time. He was also encouraged by his former colleagues who, in turn, knowing him as an excellent professional, could not imagine seeing him idle for too long. Our candidate started applying for different jobs, sending his CV to recruitment agencies, contacting his former colleagues, pretty much anything he thought would reintegrate him professionally. His surprise was that most of the time his CV was not viewed when he applied online. He did have a few interviews with potential employers, however, and if he received negative responses, they did not specify why he was not the one chosen. This year marks the two-year anniversary of his active job search. And now he's being hit with the comment that he's been "on the sidelines" for too long. The young man, soon to change his prefix (40), is demoralised and feels that, in fact, he may not have been as good as he and those he knew thought he was. He has reached the point where he would take almost any job and start over in any other field. I asked him if he really thinks this is a solution; especially since this approach doesn't seem to be successful either. We reviewed his work, his results and aspirations, his motivational factors, his personality and working style, his qualities and the things that define and recommend him. I encouraged him to clearly define his short-term objectives, i.e. the target companies and positions he is pursuing, to review the way he has written his CV, his presence on existing online professional networking channels, to call on all those who can recommend him for his work and results and make them visible, to dare to even create a personal brand, because he has the right to do so. We live in a time when it's not enough for you and a handful of collaborators to know how good you are, as long as it's not visible - in all the appropriate, common sense forms and in a creative way where possible. There's nothing wrong or ostentatious about making your worth known, especially if you have the related credentials behind you. The online environment has become second nature to us, whether we like it or not. Someone once said that if you're not present online, you don't exist. I don't 100 % agree with that statement, but if you have something to say, do it, get involved in the community you're a part of and share from your experience!