Stop me if you’ve heard this before.

“Normally I get inbound offers, but I’ve barely received any outreach this year”

That came from a product leader who used to lead growth at a b2c health and wellness company valued at $3.7B.

Another product marketer, who’s helped pull in over $100M in revenue and launched an education brand, put it bluntly:

“It’s been bone dry.”

But the most telling quote is this that I talked about last week:

“This year I’ve received 17 referrals. None led to interviews.”

It’s felt tough…

Perhaps harder than ever to land your next role.

But as far as I knew, there wasn’t great data to back that up, until now.

The silver lining? There’s been some reduced hiring, but also a shift in hiring.

I’ll dig into some interesting findings (and what you can do about it) below.

Here’s what you’ll learn today:

• Why the job market has gotten so competitive (with real data)

• Four strategies that actually work when traditional methods fail

• How to use AI to level the playing field and stand out

…and more!

---

🚦Where Are You in Your Search Right Now?

I’ve spent two weeks into testing out my new resume and LinkedIn writing service, Land The Interview.

Reviewing resumes and LinkedIn profiles has become my new morning routine: I’m up at 04:30 to get cracking (I have a 2-hour window before baby Theodore 👶 joins me).

Now, here’s the truth:

I have a blast working on these.

I love how every person has a different story, a different narrative through line that’s usually sitting just below the surface…

They just need help making that front and center so their application stands out.

For example:

• The uber-impactful general counsel who want to make the jump into their dream industry

• The product leader who isn’t sure where their inbound has gone

• HR professionals considering a new direction for their careers

What I love most: uncovering that story that makes hiring managers think “we need to talk to this person immediately.”

It’s part detective work, part storytelling magic.

It’s taking scattered experiences and weave them into something that screams “perfect fit” to both humans and ATS algorithms.

I’ll be opening more spots in the next few weeks. LMK if you want to be on the waitlist.

📊 The State of Tech Talent

These aren’t just isolated stories. The numbers back up what you’re feeling.

According to the latest SignalFire State of Talent Report (h/t Brian Balfour and Fareed Mosavat for discussing this on Unsolicited Feedback) here’s how the job market has shifted:

🚫 The “Recovery” Left New Grads Behind (Especially in Big Tech)

Don’t be fooled by headlines of a rebounding tech market.

While the tech job market showed signs of recovery in 2024 for experienced professionals, Big Tech slashed new grad hiring by 24.8% between 2023 and 2024.

🔄 Junior Roles (1-3 Years Experience) Are Getting Squeezed Too

It’s not just fresh graduates feeling the pain.

Big Tech cut junior role hiring by 1.0% in 2024, while startups reduced junior hiring by 6.3%.

The “entry-level” squeeze is creeping up the experience ladder.

⚖️ Companies Want Proven Talent

Big Tech simultaneously increased hiring for experienced professionals:

• Mid-level (+27.2%)

• Senior (+33.9%)

• Staff+ (+27.1%) roles

This isn’t a hiring slowdown.

It’s a strategic pivot away from nurturing talent from the ground up.

💰 It’s Not Just the AI Hype

It’s easy to blame the AI media circus.

But there’s more to that story.

The real culprit? The hangover from the tech boom’s wild party.

The end of the ZIRP era means companies overhired during the 2020-and now face tighter budgets.

Shorter runways requires leaner hiring and focusing on immediate ROI.

🎯 What This Means for You?

So what do you do when it feels like the whole game has changed, and nothing’s working?

You stop playing by the old rules.

While everyone else is still mass-applying and hoping their referrals work like it’s 2019, you’re going to do something different. You’re going to prove you’re worth the investment before they even meet you.

The four strategies below aren’t just theory. They’re the playbook for standing out when standing out actually matters.

🔧 Strategy 1: Optimize Your Resume with AI

Your resume isn’t just competing against other humans anymore. It needs to win against AI screening tools first, then impress humans.

I’ve read hundreds of resumes and here’s challenge everyone runs into:

Most resumes read like job descriptions.

But hiring managers don’t care about your responsibilities. They care about what you accomplished.

Here’s the AI-powered approach:

✍️ Use Teal to decode job requirements:

Create a free Teal account and upload both your current resume and the target job description.

Upload the job description to Teal’s resume analyzer.

Review the “Match Score” and keyword recommendations. Focus on the skills and requirements.

Aim for 60%+ match before applying.

✍️ Use Claude to refine your bullet points with this prompt:

“Rewrite these resume bullets to show quantifiable impact using the format: Impact you drive + What you did + How you did it. Make it specific to [target role] at [company type].”

Here are examples of strong bullets:

• Reduced feature delivery time from 6 weeks to 3 weeks and increased team velocity by 40% by leading cross-functional team of 8 engineers through agile sprints

• Improved new user activation rate from 23% to 31% and reduced support tickets by 200 per month by redesigning onboarding flow using user feedback analysis

👉 Do this:

Don’t send the same resume to every job. Create 2-3 versions optimized for different role types, then customize keywords for each specific application.

Here’s a detailed breakdown on this process.

The goal isn’t perfection. Nor is it to give your complete work history.

The goal is to tell a story, make it past the ATS, and giving the human on the other side a reason to call you.

🎯 Strategy 2: Show You Want THIS Job With THIS Company

Two thoughtful paragraphs about why this company, this role, right now… will beat mass applications every time.

Cookie-cutter enthusiasm no longer cuts it.

The solution isn’t applying to more jobs. It’s showing you’ve done your homework on the ones that matter most.

So use AI to research faster:

🔬 Start with this prompt in Perplexity:

“What recent challenges, product launches, and growth initiatives is [Company] focused on? What problems might they be facing in [your expertise area]?”

✍️ Then craft your first draft in Claude:

“Based on this company research, write a compelling explanation of why I want to work specifically at [Company] in [Role]. Reference their recent [initiative/challenge] and connect it to my background in [relevant experience].”

👉 Do this:

Instead of applying to 50 jobs with generic messages, apply to 10 jobs with research-backed, personalized explanations of why you’re perfect for each specific role.

Quality beats quantity when everyone else is playing the numbers game.

Note: Yes, this messaging should go in your cover letter. But you can also use it in any direct outreach you do.

🚀 Strategy 3: Ship Proof of Work

An optimized resume beats a resume you slapped together.

But one scrappy AI-powered side project beats the optimized resumes.

🧾 Here’s how to create proof of work that matters:

1. Research like you’re already on the team: Use the company research from Strategy 2 to identify real problems they’re facing

2. Create a solution: Build something that demonstrates your thinking process (a deck, analysis, prototype, campaign strategy, etc.)

3. Make it professional: Build the prototype with Lovable or Cursor. Use Gamma to create polished presentation. Use Loom to record video walkthroughs of your work.

👉 Do this:

Pick one company you really want to work for. Spend a weekend creating something that solves a real problem they have. Then send it directly to the hiring manager with context about why you created it.

For a step-by-step on how to reach the hiring manager, see this guide.

⭐ Strategy 4: Add Real Value to Others

Everyone talks about “adding value” to your network…

But what does that actually mean?

Most people think it means liking LinkedIn posts or sending articles you found interesting.

Others try commenting “Great insight!” on every executive’s post.

This basic engagement is better than nothing…

But it’s not going to make you memorable.

So let’s get more specific:

Adding real value means helping people get to their outcome, faster, without giving up what they want (usually time, then money).

What this looks like

• Share insider insight that saves them research time

• Connect them with people who can solve their problems

• Offer solutions to challenges they’re facing

This is the best way to get someone’s attention because you’re solving actual problems instead of just making noise.

Here are three quick examples from my career, just to give you a sense of what I mean:

Repurposing content for an MMA writer

I saw an MMA analyst crushing it on video but missing opportunities to reach new audiences. Instead of just saying “love your content,” I offered to turn his podcasts into blog posts for Medium and Reddit. Zero time from him, and I wold amplify the work he’d already done.

Marketing execution for a coach

I met Linda at a networking brunch where she mentioned struggling with marketing for her coaching business. I didn’t send her generic advice. I researched her market and pitched three specific ideas: email campaigns, blog strategy, and video content. Then offered to actually implement whatever resonated.

Research for a NYT bestselling author

When Dennis Lehane moved to LA, I saw two real problems: he needed a West Coast assistant and research help for multiple projects. So I outlined exactly how I’d solve both problems and offered a free month to prove it worked.

These ideas took me days, sometimes weeks to think of.

Then weeks to execute.

But now you can do this in hours, maybe minutes, using any of the AI strategies above to scale your value creation

👉 Do this:

Follow 10-15 leaders at your target companies. When they post about challenges in your area of expertise, respond with specific, actionable insights.

Then push yourself to think of creative solutions that help them:

Reach their outcome

Reach it faster

Without sacrificing time or money

💫 The Bottom Line

Yes, the job market is brutal.

But it’s not impossible.

Here’s what we learned:

• Companies are obsessed with experience because they can’t afford mistakes

• They’re hiring fewer people and expecting immediate impact

• And the old playbook of mass applications and LinkedIn referral theater doesn’t work when everyone’s fighting for scraps.

…but that’s exactly why these strategies work.

While everyone else is optimizing resumes and hoping someone clicks “refer,” you’re going to:

• Research like you’re already on the team

• Create proof that you can solve their actual problems

• Show up with value instead of asking for favors

• Use AI to work faster and smarter than the competition

The companies worth working for want people who solve problems before being asked, use available tools effectively, and prove their value through action.

Stop playing the old game.

Start playing the new one.