Welcome to Career Essentials, where I share actionable insights and curated articles that will help accelerate your career and supercharge your job search.
One AI Prompt That Solves the Target Company Problem
One of the most frustrating parts of a job search is not knowing which companies to target. When you’re unclear on where to focus, it’s easy to fall into the trap of relying only on job boards and waiting for roles to appear. The result? You see the same handful of postings, compete with hundreds of applicants, and miss opportunities at companies that would actually be a great fit but aren’t actively advertising roles.
AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity can help you break out of that cycle. Used the right way, they can quickly surface target companies you wouldn’t find on job boards and support every other part of your search, from research to writing and outreach.
How to Get Better AI Results for Your Job Search
Use these guidelines anytime you’re asking AI for job search help, not just for target companies.
1. Treat it like a conversation. Ask a clear question, review the response, then ask follow-ups to refine it.
2. Be specific. Specify in your prompt what role you want AI to play, for example: Acting as a… researcher, career coach, hiring manager, etc. Include details like role, industry, tone, audience, or what you’re trying to achieve.
3. Give context. Tell AI how you’ll use the output: a LinkedIn About section, email draft, interview prep, etc.
4. Ask for more. If the answer isn’t quite right, say “show me more options” or “expand this.”
5. Experiment. Rephrase your prompt or add more detail to improve the result.
WHY TARGET COMPANIES MATTER
Your list of target companies should become the driver of your entire job search, not just a research exercise. Once you know exactly which organizations you’re aiming for, everything else becomes more focused and effective.
Instead of reacting to job postings, you can:
Monitor each company’s careers page for new or upcoming roles
Follow the company and key employees on LinkedIn and engage thoughtfully with their content
Schedule informational conversations with insiders who can share insights about culture, priorities, and future hiring plans
Build relationships that may lead to warm introductions or referrals when roles open up
When target companies guide your actions, you move from passive applicant to informed, proactive candidate. That’s where AI becomes especially powerful. It helps you identify the right companies faster so you can spend your time building real momentum.
🎯TARGET COMPANY PROMPT
This is the same approach I recommend to job seekers who want to move beyond job boards and take control of their search. Start with this prompt and adapt based on the results you get:
“Act as a job search research assistant. I am trying to build a list of potential target companies for my job search. Based on the criteria I provide, generate a list of 25–40 companies that match. Include a mix of well-known organizations and lesser-known or emerging companies. For each company, include a one-sentence explanation of why it fits my criteria. Here are the factors I want you to consider (use as many as possible): Geographic location: [insert city/region]
Industry: [insert industry or sub-industry]
Competitors: [insert competitor names]
Products/services they provide: [insert specifics]
Companies that have recently hired for roles like: [insert job titles]
Company size: [insert size range]
Remote or hybrid work options: [yes/no/preferred]
Group the companies into categories (e.g., direct competitors, adjacent industries, fast-growing startups, large enterprises).”
Save this prompt. It’s the foundation of a smarter job search.
And for additional tips on using AI and prompting, read the comments in my LInkedIn post here
🔎 JOB SEARCH
Use my “12 Days of Christmas: Job Search Edition” for inspiration - Heather Maietta
Last year, Indeed Hiring Lab found that job searches fell 34% between Dec. 1 and Christmas Day. Starting with one social media makeover and ending with 12 offers pending, follow the fun 12 actions between now and January 1, 2026 and see what traction you make!
This is a powerful reminder! Polly’s advice: Stop chasing. Instead, she provides 4 things you can do that aren’t chasing. They add value to your follow-up.
🤝 NETWORKING
LinkedIn’s New AI Jobs & People Search: How to Get Found in the "Semantic" Era - Marie Zimenoff, Career Thought Leaders
This 35-minute video shows you how the Jobs tab has been updated with an AI search functionality. For now, you can toggle back to the old search filters. This practical review of recent LinkedIn changes should help you understand the basic implications of Brew360 changes and what you can do to improve your findability on LinkedIn. Marie explains that LinkedIn is looking at these three things to create “trust insights”: your profile, content your posts, and comments you write.
Are all 3 of these aligned on your LinkedIn profile and activities?
The 'Llama Brew View' Radically Changes How You’ll Get Discovered on LinkedIn & What to Do About It! - Kevin D. Turner
Here’s another look at how 360Brew plus other factors impact the discoverabilty of your LinkedIn profile. Here are the three things changing LinkedIn:
🦙 LLaMA-3: powers more intelligent Feed Retrieval
☕️ BREW360: powers personalized Feed Ranking
🔍 AI-powered Natural Language Search: powers “find someone who…” style People Search
So playing the keyword stuffing game won’t work anymore. To get the right people to see your content and profile, you will have to comment and post (about topics mentioned in your profile), and use those skills in context (writing) in your profile. Plus, have the appropriate skills from the drop-down menu.
It’s a lot to keep track of but… If you do the right thing for the right reasons, it all works!
🗨 INTERVIEWING
Asking questions throughout the interview is generally the best approach to making the interview feel more conversational. However, you want to save some questions for the end of the interview that convey what’s really important to you and position you as an informed, interested, enthusiastic candidate. Try some of these 8 questions.
📶 RECRUITER PERSPECTIVE
It's officially "future hiring prediction" season. What did 120 HR decision-makers have to say for 2026? - Kelli Hrivnak
First, Kelli’s take:
Steady and stable has been a trend in 2025 and likely in 2026
Managing candidate expectations for better pay/perks is a top challenge for recruiters.
Employers need to define their AI policies for sourcing, screening, and applications
She links to the HRBrew article with more 2026 predictions.
💗 WELL-BEING
Slow Down and Be Where Your Life Is - Mark Danaher
“If you want a simple way to anchor yourself during the holidays, here is a practice that stands out for its clarity, effectiveness, and impact. It’s a reset for your mind and nervous system, a quick return to center when everything around you feels fast.” Follow Mark’s suggested 5 simple steps and be present!
JANUARY OFFERINGS
Stuck in your job search? This isn’t another webinar.
In January, the Motivation Monday Job Search Accountability Group opens for a small, focused cohort of professionals ready to make real progress.
No fluff.
No guest speakers.
No endless “tips.”
Just 5 weeks of structured action, real accountability, and live problem-solving with peers who take their job search seriously.
Each Monday at 12pm ET, you’ll leave with clear actions and bring your real challenges to the group to get unstuck fast.
Spots are limited to 12 mid-to-senior level professionals with a clear career goal.
Join the waitlist now to get first access when dates are announced. This will fill quickly
LinkedIn Profile Transformation is just $249 through the end of 2025.
Get your profile ready for 2026! Book it today
JOB SEARCH VISUAL
Networking doesn’t have to be awkward — it’s your secret weapon for landing new opportunities and building a strong career network.
💡 Why It Matters
✨ Leads to insider job info
✨ Keeps you current on trends
✨ Opens doors to mentors & advice
WHERE TO NETWORK IRL (In Real Life)
👥 Industry events & conferences
🏢 Chamber of Commerce meetups
|🎓 Alumni or professional association events
💼 Job seeker groups
🎟️ Fundraisers or community events
Pro tip: Bring a friend to ease nerves!
ONE-ON-ONE NETWORKING
☕ Meet former coworkers
📞 Reach out to people you admire
👩🏫 Find a mentor or build an advisory board
💌 Always follow up within 48 hours
ONLINE NETWORKING
💬 Join LinkedIn or Facebook groups
🎥 Attend virtual events or LinkedIn Lives
💻 Take online classes to meet peers
🎓 Use your alumni network
EVERYDAY OPPORTUNITIES
🎯 Volunteer for causes you love
🎨 Join hobby or sports groups
🎉 Host casual get-togethers
👨👩👧 Family & community events count too!
Your December Networking Plan
✅ Build real relationships
✅ Network before you need to
✅ Stay in touch, not just when job hunting
Follow me on Instagram
DID YOU MISS THESE
PEOPLE TO FOLLOW
Scams are on the rise. What are you doing to stay informed and vigilant? I strongly encourage you to follow these two people for their regular insights into scams targeting job seekers plus many other scams and LinkedIn profile impersonation and fakes.
We all have to be vigilant.
⚠️ Double-check the sender's email
⚠️ Never click on links
⚠️ And if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
I'm no expert on scams, but I know these people are. Follow them:
Mark Anthony Dyson Creating job scam defense systems for job seekers | The Job Scam Report on Substack | The Voice of Job Seekers | Multimedia Content Creator | Speaker | Quoted in Forbes, Newsweek, Business Insider, Fast Company | ΦΒΣ
JAY JONES: Removed 32,641 Fake Jobs From LinkedIn | As seen on NBC News & Yahoo News | Fraud Risk & Platform Integrity Expert | Senior Copywriter | Follow me for Tips + IntelText