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Welcome to Issue #199 of Jobseeking is Hard!

Today’s issue is brought to you by The Hustle! They put together a free database with 100 side hustle ideas for anyone who has ever looked at their bank account and thought, “Cool. So what’s Plan B?”

It includes ideas across e-commerce, services, content, and some wonderfully strange corners of the internet. Basically, more useful than the usual advice to “start a blog” and patiently wait for your passive-income empire to arrive. Am I saying one of these ideas will make you rich? No. I am saying scrolling through 100 ways to make extra money is probably a better use of time than rage-refreshing the same 5 job boards.

If you’re a free subscriber and enjoy Jobseeking is Hard, it costs $0 to support the newsletter by clicking the ad and checking it out. Thanks!

Happy Wednesday!

You find a job that looks like a great fit, spend time on the application, hit submit, and then…wait for someone to notice you.

That’s the part I don’t love.

Following up with the recruiter or someone connected to the role can help you get noticed in a crowded process…but the message just needs to do more than tell them you applied.

That’s what I want to talk about this week.

I’ll also share how one Premium Rewrite Bundle client was already doing work at the level they wanted to target, but the resume wasn’t giving recruiters enough evidence to see it. After we rebuilt the resume, LinkedIn profile, and cover letter around the actual level of the work, they quickly got a call for one of the roles they had originally sent me as a target.

This week we’re talking about:

• How to follow up after you apply

• How a Premium Rewrite Bundle helped a client make the level of their work easier for recruiters to recognize

• The best (worst?) job posting of the week

• The meme of the week

And for Premium subscribers I’m:

• Debunking advice on what you should never bring up in an interview

• Answering a Premium subscriber’s question about whether it’s worth following up when a company may already have an internal candidate in mind.

Let’s get to it!

GIVE THEM A REASON TO LOOK

One of the frustrating parts of applying for jobs is that you usually have no idea what happens after you click submit. Maybe the recruiter reviews your application that afternoon. Maybe 400 people applied before you. Maybe they’ve already started screening candidates. Maybe your resume is a good fit and they simply never get far enough into the applicant pool to see it.

That’s one of the reasons you really should follow up after applying. You’re creating another opportunity for a human involved in the process to notice you instead of relying entirely on where your application happens to land in a queue.

That doesn’t mean every follow-up gets a response. It also doesn’t mean every recruiter appreciates being contacted by every applicant for every job. Recruiters are busy and sometimes the company is already much farther along than the job posting makes it seem. There are plenty of reasons a good message can go nowhere.

The problem is usually the message itself.

A lot of candidates send some version of, “I recently applied for the position and wanted to follow up on my application. I’m very interested in the opportunity and would welcome the chance to discuss my qualifications.”

That’s polite. It’s also giving the recruiter almost nothing they can use.

You applied, so they can probably assume you’re interested. You’d like an interview because everyone who applied would like an interview. The recruiter still has to go open your resume, figure out what’s relevant, and decide why you’re different from all the other people who also told them they’re interested.

If you’re going to reach out, I want you to be specific about 2 things: why you and why them.

For “why you,” go back to the job posting and look at the most important responsibilities. Pick one that closely matches something you’ve already done and give the recruiter a quick example.

If the company needs someone to improve a process, tell them about a similar process you improved. If the role involves building or managing something, tell them about the version of that you’ve already built or managed. If they need someone to solve a problem you’ve handled before, that’s the example I want in the message.
You don’t have to cram an entire STAR response into a LinkedIn message. Two or three sentences can be enough. The point is to give the recruiter some proof instead of asking them to go hunting for it.

I also want a real reason you’re interested in that specific company or opportunity. Companies like to feel special.

(Yes, I understand the irony of saying that while they’re interviewing multiple candidates at the same time, but welcome to hiring.)

Maybe the company is growing in an area where you have experience. Maybe they’re working on something you know well. Maybe the role would let you do more of a specific type of work you’ve enjoyed or been successful doing. Maybe there’s a particular product, initiative, market, or business challenge that genuinely caught your attention.

Give them something specific.

Now, who should you contact? If the recruiter is listed on the posting, start there. If not, you can search for recruiters on LinkedIn who hire in that function, or look at the job description to see if it tells you who the role reports to. Sometimes you can reasonably identify the hiring manager from that.

(I wouldn’t spend hours trying to track down the perfect person. This isn’t an episode of Dateline.)

Find someone who appears reasonably connected to the hiring process and send a thoughtful note. You also don’t need to message six people at the same company with the same pitch. One targeted message can help. Messaging everyone between the recruiter and CEO starts to feel less like follow-up and more like a hostage situation.

Sometimes the recruiter replies. Sometimes they look at your profile. Sometimes your note gets your resume pulled from a giant applicant pool and creates a conversation you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. Sometimes absolutely nothing happens.

There isn’t a magic message that guarantees an interview. There are too many things you’ll never know about what’s happening behind the scenes. But if I have the choice between sending an application and hoping someone finds the reason to talk to me, or sending the application and then showing them one good reason myself, I’m going with the second option.

Have a topic you want me to cover in an upcoming issue? Reply or email [email protected] and tell me what you want to know!

SHAMELESS PLUG

If your job search needs a little more help, Karpiak Consulting offers resume and LinkedIn services, as well as job search strategy coaching.

Who knows...maybe you’ll be able to reshape your approach like this client 🤷‍♂️

So how did I help this Premium Rewrite Bundle client?

They came to me because they felt ready for the next level, but their resume wasn’t helping recruiters see it. The interesting part was that a lot of the next-level work was already happening.

During our call, one of the concerns we talked about was leadership. They didn’t have the clean direct-report structure recruiters sometimes expect when looking at more senior roles, and that can become an easy reason for someone to decide the candidate isn’t ready.

But direct reports are only one way to show leadership.

When we went through the work itself, there were plenty of examples of coordinating people across projects, training others, managing delivery, influencing stakeholders, and owning outcomes.

The original resume mentioned a lot of that work, but it didn’t explain it deeply enough for someone outside the function (like a recruiter) to understand the level of responsibility involved.

So that became a big part of the rewrite.

I added a clearer leadership story, gave more context around scope and ownership, and reorganized the resume so the reader didn’t have to get halfway through the document before understanding the level the client was already operating at.

I wasn’t trying to make the client look more senior than they were. I wanted recruiters to recognize the seniority that was already in the work.

And shortly after, they got a call for one of the exact target jobs they had sent me when they purchased the service.

Does one recruiter call mean the whole job search is solved? Of course not.

But when someone comes to me because recruiters aren’t seeing them at the level they believe they can compete at, getting a conversation for one of the roles they specifically wanted is a pretty encouraging start.

If you're not getting the response you expected from your resume and want an honest assessment of why, our services can help. 

Curious what the process has been like for other clients? Check out our testimonials here!

BEST (WORST?) JOB POST

OF THE WEEK

Here’s the job post that got the most people talking on my Instagram this week!

this job posting was written by someone who insists the toilet paper has to hang over, never under

If you come across an irritating job posting, email it to the newsletter or DM me on Instagram and I’ll add it to the list to post!

MEME OF THE WEEK

This meme got more reactions on my Threads than anything else I posted this week.

Today’s issue is also brought to you by SureThing! It takes one idea and turns it into posts for different platforms, which is helpful if your current social media workflow is:

Write LinkedIn post. Open Threads. Realize you have to rewrite it. Close Threads.

You give SureThing the idea, and it adapts the copy for each platform so you don’t have to keep pretending that rewriting the same thought 6 different ways is a productive use of your afternoon.

C’mon, give it a click…it costs $0 and helps support your favorite job search newsletter 🙂

One idea shouldn't take six rewrites to post.

Posting everywhere means rewriting one idea six times, so you post to one, or none. SureThing turns one idea into native posts for every platform.

Put It on Autopilot

PREMIUM SUBSCRIBER QUESTION

“I applied for a job and heard through someone at the company that they may already have an internal candidate in mind. Is it still worth following up with the recruiter, or am I just wasting my time?”

Check out the Premium Section below for my answer! Not a Premium Subscriber? Upgrade here: www.JobseekingIsHard.com/upgrade

Why upgrade? For less than $0.63/day, you get:

• Subscriber-Only Discounts: Get exclusive promo codes for Karpiak Consulting services, available only to Premium subscribers. Whether you're updating your resume, need a LinkedIn profile review, or want expert help tailoring your applications, these occasional discounts make expert support more accessible.

• Extra Tips & Advice: Gain exclusive insights, strategies, and advice from a recruiter with over 20 years of experience in the field. Discover what hiring managers truly value and how to stand out at every step of your job search.

• Access to Previous Issues: Explore a library of knowledge with all 100+ past issues of the newsletter. Each edition is packed with proven strategies, practical advice, and real-world jobseeking stories to give you an edge in today’s competitive job market. From resume tips to handling tough interview questions, you’ll find answers to every challenge.

• Exclusive Q&A: Have questions about your job search? Premium subscribers can ask Adam directly! Questions will be featured in upcoming issues, with detailed answers tailored to real-world scenarios, ensuring you get the guidance you need.

• Bonus Content: As part of your Premium subscription, you’ll receive 20 additional job search tips delivered to your inbox over the next 20 days. This includes advice on avoiding common mistakes and maximizing your job search strategy to land interviews faster.

Jobseekers, have a great rest of your week, and good luck with those applications!

-Adam

PS!! If you're enjoying the newsletter, let people know! Forward it, post it on social, tag me, whatever...the bigger the discussion, the better! The idea is to help as many people as possible!

About Adam- Recognized as a leading voice on hiring and workplace trends, Adam has been recruiting and providing career advice since 2003, developing high-trust relationships based on honesty with companies and jobseekers. A highly sought-after speaker, he has appeared in numerous outlets, including Bloomberg News, Business Insider, LinkedIn, and CNNMoney. You can find out more about Adam's resume and coaching services here.

AFFILIATES

NOTE: As an affiliate to these services, we will receive compensation if you purchase products or services through the links provided.

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