Part 1: Read the Role

Let me tell you about a candidate I worked with recently.

Smart.
Motivated.
Applying to everything she felt qualified for.

And completely confused about why she wasn't hearing back.

When I looked at what she was sending her resume to, it was obvious.

Not because she wasn't qualified, she was talented. But she was applying to roles that were never going to call her back, and she didn't know why.

She couldn't see it.

That's the real problem. Before we even get to resumes and LinkedIn profiles, we need to talk about something more fundamental:

Can you decode a job posting?

The Four Things You Need to Weigh

Every job posting is a puzzle. And if you can't solve the puzzle, you're wasting your time and more importantly, burning energy you need for the roles where you actually have a shot.

Here's what you need to evaluate before you do anything else:

Domain experience

Does your background match the industry or sector they're hiring in?
A fintech company and a healthcare startup may both want a senior engineer but they are not interchangeable.
The meat of the role

Strip away the fluffy language.
What is this person actually doing day to day?
Does that match what you've been doing?
The tech stack

How much overlap do you have?
You don't need 100%, but if you're missing the core technologies, you're going to be competing against people who aren't.
Your competition.

This is the one everyone ignores.
Who else is out there applying for this?
If the market is flooded with candidates who check every box and you check 3/4, you have to know that going in.

For example, when I was looking, I kept getting beat out for new territory sales roles because I have a blended sales and delivery background while my peers applying have only been swimming in the head hunting lane.

Look. You’ll miss all the shots you don’t take but burn-out is real so please be mindful where you spend your time.

The candidate I mentioned? She eventually figured this out, not by changing her resume, but by changing how she evaluated opportunities.

More on that in Part 2...

-Jaclyn

Interview with Leverage: Recruiter Edition (Part 2)

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Outreach That Gets Noticed (part 2)

Reader, On Monday we covered who to contact and when. You did the work, found the right recruiter and team. Now what? Let’s talk about the message itself. I read a lot of outreach. And I'll be direct: most of it sounds the same. Not because the people sending it are bad candidates, but because they're following an outdated professional template that signals "I didn't really think about this." I’m guilty of it myself. I have looked back and read outreach for sales activity I’ve done and...

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