The job market today is broken in ways people (except for Gen-Zs on TikTok) rarely admit out loud. Companies are struggling to fill roles quickly without blowing their budgets. Layoffs every single day from every corner of the world. Jobseekers are sending out hundreds of applications and hearing nothing back. Candidates are coached by no one or by inexperienced professionals, ghosted by recruiters, and often overlooked not because they aren’t good enough—but because their CV or story isn’t built for the way hiring really works.
That’s the gap I have been living in for over 20 years. I have sat on every side of the table:
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At top agencies, where billing targets and KPIs ruled the day.
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In-house at LinkedIn, Booking.com, and BASF/MBCC, where I led large regional talent teams and fought the pressure of cost and time while still needing the right hires. I have also been on Recruitment Process Outsourcing side, where all they care is slides and reports, and endless politics and favouritism and not the real work.
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And as a career coach, where I’ve watched candidates lose confidence after months of rejection—even when they were qualified.
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As a hiring manager and a business owner of 3 brands, where I have to focus on growth and not hiring all-day.
The reality is simple: hiring has become expensive and inefficient, while job searching has become demoralizing and lonely.
That’s why Substance exists.
Substance is the search firm I built this to make sure our hiring managers are getting what they have been looking for – the right hire. No inflated fees, no empty promises. We source talent from overlooked markets—Philippines, India, Vietnam, Eastern Europe, South Africa—where skill is strong but cost isn’t inflated. For clients in high-cost countries, this means saving up to 70% on recruitment without sacrificing quality. We’ve placed senior finance, tech, and product leaders where other firms failed—because we’re not here to impress, we’re here to deliver.
Find out why we name our search firm substance – read here.
That’s why Level Up exists.
Level Up was born out of CareerCare by Deema Yanni, after years of candidates asking me the same question: “Why am I not getting hired?” OR “Why am I not getting any interviews?” The truth: most people are invisible on paper. Their CV doesn’t show impact. Their LinkedIn looks like an obituary, not a pitch. Their interviews collapse because no one has ever told them what hiring managers actually care about. Level Up fixes that. CVs rebuilt to win attention. LinkedIn profiles positioned to attract opportunities. Mock interviews that prepare you for the toughest questions. And honest feedback that cuts deeper than “you’ll be fine.”
I’ve placed candidates into jobs at 25, 35, 45, even 60 years old. And even in tough markets like Japan. Through economic downturns, hiring freezes, and industries in crisis. Because when you know how to position yourself and when you have a recruiter who understands both sides, you stand out.
At LevelUp, we offer two types of service – Personalised Career Coaching and Workshops. Check them out to see which one fits you more.
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Substance and Level Up are two sides of the same coin. One solves the employer’s problem: quality hires without the bloated costs. The other solves the candidate’s problem: visibility, confidence, and strategy in a brutal job market.
I built both because I’ve lived the failures of this system from every angle – from a recruiter in agency, to in-house talent leader, hiring manager and business owner and I work closely with hiring managers for effective recruiting and coaching. And I’m not here to play along with how it’s always been done. I’m here to prove that hiring and job searching don’t have to be this broken.
Visit jobs.getsubstance.co for all opportunities we are working on.
Follow our tiktok account for brutal hiring insider – here.
We are always on the search for brainy reliable hungry individuals for Level Up. Apply now.
