Welcome to Career Essentials, where I share actionable insights and curated articles that will help accelerate your career and supercharge your job search.
If You Really Want the Job, Don’t Stop at “Apply.”
You applied for a job and crickets.
You have options:
a) Find people YOU KNOW inside the company or former employees that can provide you with advice, information, or recommendations on how to proceed
b) Connect with HR/Talent/Recruiter at the organization
c) Continue to talk to people about what you are looking for
d) Reach out to anyone in the organization and ask for information
e) Do nothing
It's discouraging not to get a response. It may even be considered rude or impolite.
But you have choices and power!
Taking any type of action is better than doing nothing.
If this were an opportunity you were truly interested in, why wouldn't you pursue it?
Honestly, throwing your resume/application out there and expecting a response is not a plan.
In today's job market, flooded with AI slop, bots, and mass application tools, you will have to take extra steps to stand out and get noticed.
You know what those steps entail?
Humans!
People hire people! Build relationships. Get advice, information, and recommendations from people in your field.
Do more!
🔎 JOB SEARCH
Scott shares specific examples of actions you can take to improve the odds of getting an interview. Clearly applying online alone is not enough based on this data from Ashby.
How to Job Search When the World Is on Fire - The Job Hopper
This summary and reminders will help your job search in the month of January.
There are typically more jobs posted in January. Take advantage of this.
Limit your consumption of news for your mental well-being
Connect with insiders to increase your chances of an interview
Apply soon after the job is posted. To do this, have versions of your resume ready
Send follow-up messages after interviews
The Hiring Landscape | Original Research - Novorésumé
This is a comprehensive evaluation of how resumes are evaluated, cover letters reviewed, and how candidates are evaluated based on surveys from 200+ HR professionals. Notable points include:
65% of HR professionals make first impressions in 15 seconds or less — Keep your resume concise and impactful from the top.
Two-page resumes are preferred by 68.3% of recruiters — Don’t be afraid to go beyond one page if it helps tell your story better.
Skills-based resumes are gaining popularity (47.5%) — Highlight your skills clearly to stand out, especially if changing industries or roles.
98.5% of recruiters consider cultural fit important — Tailor your application to show how you align with the company’s values and mission.
🤝 NETWORKING
Why Your Network Is the Answer to Everything - KelloggInsight
Networking gets a bad rap. But, reframe networking to mean “getting answers to your questions” and it feels better! This is an example of how one executive viewed networking which catapulted his career. You don’t need to know everything… you just need to know people to reach out to. This is the essence of networking and why it isn’t just something you do when you are job searching.
20 People To Tap In Your Network For A Career Change - Heather Maietta
This is an excellent visual of the 20 types of people you know and will want to reconnect with during a job search! And referencing the article above, you are simply looking for answers! Ask for AIR (advice, information, or recommendations), do not ask for a job!
LinkedIn’s Semantic Proof Stack - Kevin D. Turner
In Kevin’s newsletter, he reveals a strategy that will help your profile get found and it doesn’t entail keyword stuffing. It’s about answering recruiters’ questions. Kevin writes: “The new game here on [LinkedIn][in]: Can your profile read like the answer to a sentence someone would type into [in] to find you?” Read his newsletter to learn how you can apply the semantic proof stack to your profile!
🗨 INTERVIEWING
How Storytelling Helps You Connect In A Job Interview - Paula Christiansen
Word choice matters when answering questions in an interview. See how you can use emotion/feelings to enhance your answer!
🔮 WORKFORCE
Unlike last week’s Jobs on the Rise by LinkedIn, this list shows employer demand is holding firm in healthcare, essential services, infrastructure-related roles, and skill-based jobs, even as other parts of the market slow. Here’s the bottom line as you look at the list of jobs on this list.
“The takeaway for job seekers is practical: roles that require credentials, hands-on expertise, or specialized skills continue to offer faster hiring cycles and greater resilience. Aligning career decisions with where demand is durable, not just visible, will be critical in navigating the job market in 2026.”
Boomers Are Staying In The Job Market As Gen Z Struggles To Break Through - MSN/Washington Post
Experience is valued in today’s high-risk averse job market! “The average new hire was 42 years old in 2025, according to a Revelio analysis released Jan. 6, versus 40.5 in 2022 and 40 in 2016.”
💰 CAREER
Sometimes our careers aren’t linear. Sometimes people piece together different roles. This is all part of the new world of work and so is a portfolio career. See if it fits you. And most importantly, it is up to you to connect the dots for future hiring figures to understand. John recommends you ask yourself questions like these:
What do you now know to be your mission? Your superpower?
What have all of your experiences boiled down to? State what you are now both able to do, and what you are motivated and driven to do with your portfolio career?
📶 RECRUITER PERSPECTIVE
How To Overcome Ageism - Amy Miller
Here it is in a nutshell! Don’t provide information that allows people to know your age. And if you want more details, Amy has released a longer video.
EVENTS
VERY LAST CHANCE
Motivation Monday starts January 26th! Last chance to get on the waitlist
Join a cohort of 12 mid-to-senior level professionals on Mondays at 12pm ET for 5 weeks!
Share your job search challenges with the group and receive solutions, workarounds, and new ideas to help you get unstuck quickly. You'll leave with clear, specific actions to implement.
Waitlisted people will be offered discounted pricing (under $300 for 5 sessions). The price will increase the next time!
JOB SEARCH VISUAL
You can learn a lot about a role by the questions you ask… and even more from the answers they sidestep ✨
Smart questions help you gather real intel while exposing potential red flags. They help you:
Decode expectations
Understand success criteria
Read the culture
Spot risks
Clarify the hiring flow
Here are 8 of my go-to questions every candidate should keep in their back pocket:
1️⃣ What are the most important elements of this job?
Gives you the blueprint for what to emphasize in your responses.
2️⃣ Why is this position open?
Reveals whether this is growth or turnover.
3️⃣ What did the last person in this role go on to do, and what were they like?
Shows the career path and the qualities they valued before.
4️⃣ How is performance evaluated, and how often?
Helpful when negotiating compensation and expectations.
5️⃣ What goals do you expect someone to achieve in the first 30, 60, 90 days (or first year)?
Points to the real priorities beneath the job description.
6️⃣ What do you enjoy most about working here?
A peek into the culture from someone living it.
And then your non-negotiables:
7️⃣ What are the next steps in the process?
8️⃣ What’s your timeline for updating candidates?
These signal confidence and help you stay in control of your search.
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