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Welcome to Issue #201 of Jobseeking is Hard!

Today’s issue is brought to you by Futurepedia! They’re giving away two AI courses for free, with no credit card required, which is a nice change from “free” usually meaning “free until you forget to cancel it in 7 days.” 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!

One of the harder parts of a job search is figuring out where your effort is actually worth it. It’s easy to spend too much time on jobs that probably weren’t your best opportunities to begin with.

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

I'll also share how a Rewrite Bundle client went from purchasing the service to choosing between opportunities just 31 days later!

This week we’re talking about:

• How to decide which applications deserve more effort

• How one client went from applying to picking their job in 31 days

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

• The meme of the week

And for Premium subscribers I’m:

• Debunking a post from a recruiter who says jobseekers shouldn’t message them directly and should stick to the ATS

• Answering a Premium subscriber’s question about choosing references when a former manager may not be the best option. I’ll explain who to use, when a bad reference can hurt you, and what to do before you hand over someone’s contact information.

Let’s get to it!

NOT EVERY JOB DESERVES THE SAME STRATEGY

A lot of jobseekers approach every application basically the same way. They see something that looks interesting, decide they’re qualified enough, send the resume, and move on. Maybe they tweak a few words. Maybe they don’t. Then a week later they’ve applied to 25 jobs and can barely remember which ones they actually cared about.

I understand why people do it. The market is frustrating, and volume feels productive. If you’re not getting enough responses, sending more applications seems like the obvious way to improve your chances. But every job you find doesn’t deserve the same amount of your time.

Some roles are a very clean fit. The title makes sense. The level makes sense. Your recent experience lines up with what they’re asking for. You can read the posting and immediately point to work you’ve already done that matches what they need.

Those are the applications I want you spending more time on.

That doesn’t mean rebuilding your resume from scratch every time. Look at what the company seems to care about most and make sure your strongest evidence is easy to find. If the role is heavily focused on building a function, fixing a process, managing a certain kind of team, or solving a problem you’ve already handled, that should come through clearly.

Then there are jobs that are reasonable, but not perfect. Maybe the industry is different. Maybe you’re missing one requirement. Maybe the title is a little different even though the work is similar. Apply if the case is there. Just don’t turn every one of those into a major project.

This is where people lose a ridiculous amount of time. They find a job that’s kind of a fit, then spend an hour rewriting the summary, another hour changing bullets, and even more time trying to find the right person at the company. Meanwhile, there may be much stronger opportunities sitting in another tab.

You have to be honest with yourself about your odds.

A useful test is pretty simple: if someone looked at your recent experience and strongest accomplishments, would your application make sense without a long explanation? If the answer is yes, it may deserve more of your attention. If you have to build an elaborate argument around why your experience might transfer, that should affect how much time you put into it.

There are also jobs where you’re mostly talking yourself into applying. You’ve never really done the work, the level doesn’t make much sense, or the role is moving you in a completely different direction. You can probably find a few transferable skills if you try hard enough. That doesn’t automatically make it a good use of your time. You’re usually competing against people whose background lines up more directly. They’ve done the work already, and the company doesn’t have to make as many assumptions about whether they can step in and handle it.

That’s why I don’t love application goals based entirely on volume. “I’m going to apply to 10 jobs a day” sounds disciplined, but it assumes every opening is worth roughly the same effort and has roughly the same chance of turning into something. They don’t. If you find five jobs where you’re a strong fit, I’d rather see you put real thought into those five than force yourself to find another 20 so you can hit a number. Check that the role is still active on the company site. Follow up with the recruiter or someone reasonably connected to the process if you can identify them. Give them a specific reason to look at you.

Your time and energy are limited. Spend more of both on the opportunities where your background gives you the strongest case. And when you have to work really hard just to explain why you might fit, sometimes the best application strategy is closing the tab.

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 go from buying a service to picking which job you want a month later like this client 🤷‍♂️

So how did I help this Rewrite Bundle client?

They purchased the service on July 20 and sent over several examples of the roles they wanted to target. That was helpful because I could see exactly what those employers were asking for and compare it against what the resume was showing.

The client already had a lot of the “right” experience. They’d built a program from scratch, developed technical solutions and integrations, worked across different tools and systems, and trained users on the platforms they supported.

BUT…the resume still leaned heavily into another part of their background, which made the experience most relevant to the jobs they wanted harder to recognize quickly.

So I rebuilt the resume around the jobs they actually wanted.

That meant bringing the most relevant work forward, making the technical experience much easier to see, adding a stronger skills section, and giving the most important projects more prominent positioning. I also reviewed the LinkedIn profile and created a cover letter so the same positioning carried across the rest of the application.

Then, exactly one month later, on August 20, they sent me this:

They’d accepted what they described as a PERFECT job, with a $40K bump in base salary and a fully remote setup.

Not bad for 31 days!

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!

“exciting” doing a lot of heavy lifting here

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, turns it into posts for different platforms, and lets you approve everything before it goes live, which is useful if your current social media system is “I should post something” followed by doing absolutely nothing for 11 days. You can connect your accounts, give it examples of your past posts so it can learn your voice, and have it adapt the same idea for LinkedIn, X, Threads, Instagram, TikTok, and more. 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’m pretty far along in an interview process and they just asked for references. One of my former managers and I didn’t end on great terms, but they’re probably the most obvious person to ask. Do I have to use them? And can a bad reference actually cost me the job?”

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.

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