Telling Your Unemployment Story on BusinessInsider and Elsewhere: High-Risk, for Both You and the Publication

There used to be so much stigma about losing a job, even because of a layoff, that the unemployed:

Created rosy spins about how well the job search was going

Maintained an overall low profile, taking survival jobs off-the-radar, and

Knew that media was not their friend. 

Not so much anymore. 

A common MO has been to loop into doom-and-gloom, sharing (oversharing) the story of chronic unemployment with the media. That strategy is high-risk, both for the jobless and for the media outlet publishing what is turning out in this AI, cost-efficiency, offshoring low-hire era the "same old."

Typical in BusinessInsider is the sharing by former UX designer Christopher Santoso who has been without a full-time job since May 2025. What's most soul-wearing to him is being ghosted when applying.

So?

Sure, presenting himself in the media can get the attention of employers. That means that such a strategy can be high-reward. I wish that be the outcome for Santoso.

However, more probable is this: being perceived as desperate for work. The new joke is that job interviews are being conducted to weed out those who seem desperate. What employers want are the most marketable, most confident, most focused who'll produce results from day-one. The desperate will probably require time to get back to being work-ready and self-assured, trusting their instincts. 

Actually the current game is about being the most effective in self-promotion. And that's about your success, especially recent wins. Not about setbacks. Make that story brief about how you course-corrected, when asked in a job interview.

For a brief time the buzz was about, particularly in tech, the utility of failure. However, that was really never a sturdy platform to build your story. It had been contended that if techie Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes had been able to accept failure she wouldn't have felt the need to resort to fraud. 

In addition, carrying so many of these hard-luck sagas might not be smart business for BusinessInsider and other publications. Yahoo reports:

"Business Insider has seen its subscriber base decrease each of the past three years, dropping about 27% between the end of 2022 and the end of 2025 ..."

By the end of 2025, its paid subscriber base was down to 135,000. Recently it established a semi-paywall. For a while it had taken down the paywall for many stories. Currently, you can click in but soon pops up the blurb that the rest is only available to paid subscribers. Am I going to pay to read so many shares by the chronic unemployed? One a year is enough to remind me to remain receiving income. 

In coaching, I advise clients to operate a job search from a position of strength. Of course, that includes steering clear of oversharing. Not to media. Not to your network. Not even to family members who are turning out to be pests. Also counterproductive is attaching the "Open to Work" banner on the all-important LinkedIn profile. As I explain: Do you want an appointment with a kitchen contractor who's available immediately or one with a three-week waiting list? 

I also hammer the fundamental: Work gets you work. Instead of sitting around full-time in isolation applying for jobs, grab work. Any kind. Being out there, interacting with the world, bringing in income, restoring confidence are just some of the benefits. Equally important is that you can break open to fresh perspectives about how again to earn a good living. The law of supply and demand has changed and it keeps changing.

Earning a Good Living in 2026 Involves Mental Combat. The enemy is usually your own thinking.

Complimentary consultation. No Pressure. Solid Guidance. Contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.