Advanced Career Strategies for Top Professionals:

Welcome to our open guide!

In this comprehensive document, we'll walk you through our step-by-step process, teach you our latest techniques, and give you specific instructions to help you get an amazing job.

Bookmark this page. Come back to it anytime you want, and especially, anytime you are stuck.

If you follow along with the instructions, and continue to take action, we have absolutely no doubt that you'll transform your career and build your ideal future.

Our students and members, our instructors, and even our founders did - many of them starting from scratch. Why not make it your turn?

But, we have to be honest with you... This won't be trivial...

Getting a great job is simple. But it's not easy.

We say it's simple, because all you really have to do is "ask a bunch of employers to hire you".

That's a simple concept. It's not even that much work - when you do it right.

But for it to be effective, especially for getting you into highly coveted positions, you have to find the right employers and ask them the right way.

Remember: The free market might be a blue ocean infinite game, but the career game is a zero sum game!

There is a limited number of winning spots. Some win. Many lose...

We'll teach you how to do all this.

And we'll give you all the tools you need to make your efforts successful.

But, before we get started...

If you haven't already joined the weekly Career Hacks Newsletter, don't forget to do so. (From ideal resume templates to networking contact lists, there's a lot more available on our newsletter that we can't openly share on the Internet...)

Part 1 - Expectations

We’ll start with setting the stage and establishing expectations for your job search.

Part 2: 2024 Industry Report

We will breakdown growing sectors and reveal key insights about the economy and emerging technologies.

Part 3: Job Sources

We will list the most effective job sources, including job posting websites that are in play.

Part 4: Company Research

How to research companies, and prepare for sending in winning applications. Includes checklist.

Part 5: Resume Mastery

How to create compelling resumes that set you apart and how to get attention from high-value employers.

Part 6: Social Backbone

How to leverage social media the right way. Bad social media activity will kill your chances. Good activity will get employers to you.

Part 7: Cover Letters

How to send irresistible cover letters, follow up letters, and many other key communications.

Part 8: Application Secrets

How the corporate game is played, and what you can do to get your application into the hands of the right people.

Part 9: Interview Mastery

How to win phone interviews, in person interviews, panel interviews, group interviews, technical interviews; and any other type of interview you can imagine.

Part 10: Negotiations

Several invaluable resources on negotiating for best job outcome.

Part 11: Jobs vs. Careers

How to gain control over your future by understanding the difference between a job and a career.

Let's get one thing straight... Getting a great job is not easy.

Even when you're using our techniques, it will still take effort.

The question is, realistically, what level of effort are we talking about?

How Much Time & Effort Does It Take To Get a High-Value Job?

Your numbers will vary.

But first, before we talk about high-value jobs, let's talk about average jobs...

According to a U.S. Department of Labor study[1], only 29.6% of professionals take 1 to 3 months to find work. The majority take longer.

In fact, about 15.4% take 3 to 6 months, and about 22.6% take over 6 months. And an estimated group of up to 30% spend more than a year looking for work!

That's a considerable length of time. And we haven't even looked at the actual effort involved!

You see... According to multiple sources[2], 98% of job applicants get rejected.

This means, on average, an individual needs to send out 50 job applications to get a single interview.

That's a lot of applications!

If you are really streamlined, sending a single compelling application will take you ~40 minutes. There are studies that suggest a good application can take anywhere from 90 minutes to several hours, but let's ignore all those and say it's 40 mins for the sake of simplicity.

That gives you 40 minutes x 50 applications = 2000 minutes or about 33.3 hours of applying to get a single interview.

And lets be optimistic, and assume that you'll go through 4 interviews.

That means, we are looking at 132 hours of applying to get an average job.

That's about 4 work weeks of effort.

So... If you are average, that's what it takes to get an average job.

Obviously, in this document, our goal isn't to keep you at these average numbers. We want to get you a job much faster, and with a lot less effort.

And let's get crystal clear on one thing: Our goal is NOT to get you an average job, where you'll be paid a meagre wage to do mind-numbing work, get no respect or satisfaction, while resenting your boss, disliking your co-workers and beating yourself up about the way you waste your precious time there... No way!

We want to get you a high-value job, which has a technical definition:

For starters, a high value job is infinitely better than an average job. It is much better than a good job. In fact, it's even better than a great job.

According to the Gallup, the preeminent American analytics and advisory company, a good job is a job with 30+ hours of work a week where you get a consistent paycheck.

And a great job is, again according to Gallup, "one where you feel your boss cares about your development, where you are able to use your strengths, and where you believe your work makes a contribution to society".[13]

That's not too bad... But a high value job is even better:

A high-value job as a great job where you can earn at least 2x above the average income (right now average income is $59,428, meaning a high-value job would net you at least $118,856), and where your day-to-day work is simultaneously an investment in your professional development.[14]

In other words, every day you are employed at a high-value job, you not only become more employable, but you also automatically increase your pay-grade. (This is actually how we build careers to the top, as well explain more in Part 11 of this guide).

Now... Before we get into the intricacies of finding and securing such a job, let's talk about what it takes...

It's Not About Doing More, It's About Taking The Right Actions

This is one of our main rules here: What we teach is never about more work (i.e. work smart, not hard).

In the same spirit, getting a high value job should not be about more work either... At least, not the way we do it.

It's about doing the minimum amount of the right kind of work.

The simple mathematical truth is that, in reality, all it takes is one great application, one powerful referral, one effective introduction, or one spot-on interview to get a high-value job.

After all, the interview that gets you the job is the only one interview that counts!

Because of this principle, it is safe to say that you are only one application away from your dream job. Always, just one application away - the right application away.

But for it to get you the high-value job you want, you have to know where to send it, and how to make it count...

That being said, developing that core career skill - finding and getting a high-value job is a career skill - it takes a very specific know-how. And more importantly, it takes a very specific kind of guidance. (Knowledge gives you the facts about what works and what doesn't, while guidance gives you the specific direction to act on).

You need both knowledge and guidance...

Given this fact... If you want a high-value job... Do work that you are passionate about, that pays well, that has growth potential, that recognizes you for your worth, and that gives you genuine satisfaction...

Don't you think you should invest some time learning about how to find and get such a job?

Don't you think a minimum salary of $118,856 is worth the time invested in acquiring this knowledge and guidance?

Don't you think you should at least spend a tiny bit of time... Learning the ropes of the professional world, not from HR or coaches, but from other professionals who made it to the top?

Don't you think it's worth... Maybe... Reading a comprehensive guide written by such professionals? 

I'd say it's worth it. 

It's worth it, especially since, it only takes a minuscule fraction of time, compared to the time you would end up wasting if you were to get stuck in a dead end job.

Remember: The cost of being stuck in a dead end job is not measured in the hours it takes to learn the career skills we're about to teach you... It is measured in decades wasted, with the added psychological torment of watching your hopes and dreams go by, while you count every minute of every shift eagerly wishing for it to end.

Considering the alternatives, developing the career skill of getting a high value job is absolutely 100% worth it. 

Just read the guide and get this handled once and for all.

Once you're there, you'll have validated all your education, all your previous professional experience, and all the hard work you put into your development.

We suggest: If you want a high value job, you commit to reading and finishing this guide, period. Don't get distracted. Don't get up. Don't even move. Drop everything else, and right now - finish what you've started. 

Finally, before we get into the meat of it, you might be wondering: "Do I really need to learn how to get a high-value job? Isn't it something that just happens to people. Do I really need to read this guide?".

Chances are, you do.

Yes... Sometimes daddy knows an executive in the company you want to join and you don't have to learn most of these tactics to get the job.

And yes, sometimes your applications are super lucky, or your Harvard degree catches HR's envious attention; so you can find your way to the corner office rather quickly.

But even in such circumstances, you still have to learn how the corporate game really works, at least to the degree it's explained in this guide.

Not what HR says. Not what the "experts" pretend or wish. But how it really works.

Most people don't learn what really works, and they just "wing it". Or at best, they skim through some hyped-up-clickbait article (created by offshore gig workers who never actually held any high-value jobs).

Ignorant and misguided, most people, even when applying for an average job, screw up. Here's what they do:

First of all, they take the scattershot approach and apply to everything and anything. And they send their applications just once to each target employer, communicating sporadically and inconsistently.

Yes... They also have horrible resumes, they can't write a cover letter to save their lives, and they shoot themselves in the foot during interviews...

But, even without fixing any of that, if they simply applied to more jobs in a focused and consistent way, they wouldn't have to spend months or even years looking for that next average job.

And instead of watching "The Office" re-runs, or playing "Minecraft" for hours, or shopping for clothes only to return them due to buyer's remorse; or whatever it is that they do... If people actually learned how the corporate game really works...

They could transform their lives so rapidly that, in just a couple of weeks, they could graduate from the cubical farm to the corner office.

Remember this: Simply spending a few minutes here, and applying to a few jobs there, does not build a successful future.

Yes... We admit. Even the average and ignorant person will eventually get a job.

But they will also get pushed around from job to job due to circumstances, they will be bossed around and underappreciated, and eventually, they will retire in poverty.

Make no mistake: Just being employed doesn't mean someone's winning...

And also, finding jobs without reading a single book about career development or taking a single lecture on career skills, doesn't mean they were so smart that they didn't need the guidance...

On the contrary, it simply means they missed out on their true potential.

If you can already get a decent job before reading this guide, imagine how awesome of a job you could get after reading the guide!

Don't miss out on your true potential because you think you're "above it" or because you don't "need it".

At the very least, approach the text with an experimental attitude and simply count how many new things you'll learn. 

In other words, with this guide, whether you know you need it, or "know" that you don't need it - commit to reading it.

Commit yourself now! Learn what it actually takes to get - not just a job - but a high-value job.

Learn how to build a high-value career filled with many high-value jobs where you are employed at the highest and best use of your time.

That's how you make impact. That's how you do work that matters. And that's how you reach your true potential - professionally and financially.

Remember: You'll only have to learn this once.

When it comes to employment, demand is king!

Going into an industry where there is growing demand gets you hired faster.

It increases your wages. It increases your job options.

It even gets employers to be more risk tolerant. In a high demand environment, they will take a chance on you even if you happen to be less experienced. And if the demand is high enough, employers will start to fight over candidates, including entry-level candidates!

Positioning yourself to be in demand makes things much easier.

But remember: The opposite is also true...

Going into an industry where there is shrinking demand slows you down.

It suppresses your wages. It reduces your job options.

And it forces even the most experienced professionals to fight for scraps, while the rest get laid off.

Now... When most people - including most career coaches and headhunters - talk about high-demand sectors, they focus entirely on industry or sector demand.

For instance, we all know that demand in healthcare as an industry is growing. And so, a lot of advisers will tell students to go get a nursing degree or to get a job working for a hospital to tap into that industry demand.

And while this advice isn't necessarily bad, it's incomplete... It's also lazy and dull... And... It doesn't take into account your preference for working in healthcare.

Sure... Going into a growing profession with an explosion of jobs will give you opportunity.

But it doesn't really give you much choice over what you want to do. And it doesn't really help you if you don't have the required degrees, or the interest.

And much more importantly, it completely ignores other types of demand that drive jobs!

Remember: the idea isn't to get into a profession with an abundance of open positions. The idea is to tap into market demand. And getting into a profession with an abundance of open positions is only one way of tapping into demand.

But there are also other types of demand...

And they tend to give you greater flexibility and freedom when seeking your individual success.

Understand "Skill Demand"

Skill demand has to do with employers needing specific skill-sets for a variety of roles.

For instance, right now, the demand for data analytics is shooting through the roof. And a variety of jobs - not professions, but jobs - desperately seek individuals who can do various data analytics tasks.

You can align with that skill (plus a variety of others we'll explain below) to get a better job faster.

By the way, you don't have to be a data scientist to get a job in data analytics. You could, for instance, be a marketing manager and focus on roles that require data analytics. And you can differentiate yourself by learning data analytics even when your typical marketing manager job doesn't require it. (For instance: the author of this segment was able to get a high ranking role leading three departments, by developing and leveraging expertise in creating sales systems, despite the fact that it's not related to project management, which was his official profession)

In other words, you don't have to go all the way into a profession. You just have to level u
p a specific skill in order to tap into skill demand.

It's all about SEEING what employers most desperately need as SPECIFIC TASKS, and SHOWING them that you've got it handled.

Consider "Geographic Demand"

When Amazon sets up a new headquarters, or Apple starts a factory, or Google purchases a mid-size startup in a city, they will inevitably create a large list of open positions in dozens of professions in that city.

And you don't have to be an e-commerce professional, turn into a factory worker, or work on Amazon's fulfilment floor in order to capitalise on it. There are many MANY more options for finding fulfilling and lucrative work than just going for the obvious roles a firm advertises. (More on that later).

The point here is: it's a lot easier to get a job in a firm, when they start new operations, especially in new territories. They tend to hurry their hiring process to hit growth goals, HR people start cutting corners, or newly flush executives who became multi-millionaires after selling their firms, who are contractually obligated to stay during the transition years... Well... For some magical reason, they hire anyone and everyone that makes their life a tad bit easier, since the salaries no longer come out of their pockets.

So... In the truest sense, when it comes to hiring, a good part of it really is very much like real estate: Location! Location! Location!

And remember... In our global economy, many firms keep moving, start new operations, or buy one another. For instance, several big tech companies are moving from places like California to places like North Carolina, Colorado and Texas due to the lower taxes and more relaxed state laws.[4]

If you keep your eyes open and location flexible, even if for a short period of time, you can tap into incredible geographical demand. And if you wish, after learning our promotion techniques to get your first title promotion (a promotion where your title changes), you can come back to your original city as a "big wig". (More on that later too).

Do Not Ignore "Market Demand"

This basically means the market is going crazy over a specific product or service.

For instance, about twenty years ago, the Y2K bug was a big deal. Firms thought that computer systems were going to crash and bring some kind of doomsday.

To mitigate the risk, they employed a lot of programmers and IT specialists, and paid them large sums of money, to do what for the most part amounted to looking through a bunch of systems and saying "nothing to worry about here"!

Many careers were made in that frenzy by people who recognized that the market was *overpaying* on the Y2K hype, and decided to cash in.

The same thing happened with SEO just about ten years back, where with just a little bit of work, you'd get disproportionate returns on your efforts. (Incidentally, today competition for SEO jobs or contracts has turned into such a global bloodbath that you can find "specialists" who "work" for less than $1 per hour!).

While these hypes come and go, just like surfing giant ocean waves, if you can spot the pattern and stand at the right spot, careers can be taken to monumental heights using their momentum.

Today there are a number of areas of market demand (i.e. social media, blockchain, influencer marketing, AI, etc.) that the market is going berserk over.

And there is no reason why you can't use that to your advantage...

Are you getting the point about demand?

You don't have to swim upstream! You don't have to fight for scraps!

Use what employers desperately need and exploit the skill based, geography based and market based demands to the top.

How to See The Flow of Demand in The Job Market

This is exceedingly important! You need to get your bearings.

When you look at a list of job postings, you don't really get to see where there is growing demand, and where there is shrinking demand.

You will not understand demand by talking with your career counsellor... By talking to your friends talk about what's "hot"... By listening to your relatives yap about a "smart" or "safe" career choices over thanksgiving dinner... Or by reading online articles that some temp worker from South East Asia got paid $20 to write for a website that sells your attention to advertisers...

These will NOT shed much light on where there is growing demand. In fact, it is more likely that they will be re-hashing stories about current trends to get the click, and pointing you to a popular sector with immense competition and shrinking demand. The opposite of what you want.

Moreover, you'll only get confused, because their information will be based on hearsay, come from conflicting sources, and reflect an incomplete understanding of economics and technology.

Yes these are strong statements, but there is a good reason for them... Pay very close attention!

Most people are COMPLETELY clueless when it comes to market demand.

They barely have anecdotal evidence, and more importantly, they don't have the required understanding of economics to have even the slightest hope of predicting the markets. They only - and they can only - try to chase after the market.

This means: You need to steer away from mainstream opinions, and read real statistics to spot demand.

So... What statistics are we talking about?

The Important Stats You Need To Know

When we say statistics, we don't mean quarterly or even annual statistics.

You don't want to get bogged down with reports and statements like "Nationwide, the seasonally adjusted net employment outlook in the construction sector is 23%."[4]

While these trends are important for investors and employers, they don't matter for your career. They are just noise.

You want to see:

a) Long term industry and sector trends

b) Future skill deficiencies identified by big management consulting firms

c) New emerging technologies that create new jobs

d) Fortune 500 business announcements

So, let's go over each...

Long Term Trends You Should Care About

Perhaps the best place to start is The Occupational Outlook, which is published by The Bureau of Labor Statistics each decade.

According to this report, the fastest growth will occur in healthcare, personal care and social assistance, and construction.

It also states that jobs requiring a master's degree will grow the fastest while those that only need a high school diploma will grow the slowest.

It forecasts, over the course of ten years:

In order to get a great high-value job, screen employers so that they are either directly in a high demand sector, or are serving a high demand sector.

Take Advantage of Future Skill Deficiencies

After combing through findings by the McKinsey Institute, The Jobs of the Future Report by Cognizant, reports from The World Economic Forum, and numerous reports by Investment Banks, as well as a handful of very interesting studies and several TED talks...

We have identified Five Core Skills and Seven High-Value Disciplines that employers are desperate for, not just right now, but for both the near term and the long term future.

Some of these are common sense. Others are completely surprising.

The Core Skills Are: 

⯁ Critical Thinking

⯁ Communication

⯁ Interaction

⯁ Creativity

⯁ Technology

And The High-Value Disciplines Are:

⯁ Software

⯁ Data Science

⯁ Sales-Systems

⯁ Presentation

⯁ Behavioural Psychology

⯁ Business Administration

⯁ Project Management

These are all functions that every employer needs. And they give you the biggest advantage in growing your career rapidly.

In order to get a great high-value job, seek job roles that demand these skill and disciplines, and highlight your expertise in these areas in your job search materials.

To learn more about these skill in detail, and to access our resources for developing them, visit this page.

Watch New Emerging Technologies That Create/Destroy Jobs

There are a number of emerging disruptive technologies you need to learn about.

Some of these will create massive employment opportunities. Others will eliminate a large number of jobs. Many will do both.

You need to make sure that you are on the right side of this opportunity transfer.

The chief disruptive technologies we already know about are the Internet, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Biotechnology, Nanotechnology, and Robotics.

While getting a job directly working on these technologies is a great opportunity, that's not everyone's cup of tea.

And even if you don't want to be a Neural Network Programmer or a Robotics Project Manager, you still need to keep an eye out for how our world will change in the next 3 to 5 years. Not to mention the next 5 to 10 years.

Stay away from jobs that:

1. Rely on repetitive instructions (i.e. customer service). Using AI, we are already eliminating many repetitive human interactions.

2. Require the operation of simple equipment (i.e. driving). We already have self-driving trucks, and they have been thoroughly tested. And robotics advances are already eliminating jobs from picking fruit to handling patients to cooking.

3. Based on middleman (i.e. Realtor, Purchasing Manager, etc.). The Internet is devouring every industry that relies on gatekeepers. That's why Amazon's Jeff Bezos is the richest man on the planet; he got rid of the malls who were the middleman between producers and consumers.

Instead seek jobs that:

1. Create and control technology. An AI may take over thousands of customer service jobs. But a company will need to build that AI. A self-driving car company like Otto will annihilate the driving industry. These companies and their partners will employ a great many new professionals. Make sure you are on the winning side.

2. Require complex human interactions. We won't be able to replace therapists or leaders with an AI anytime soon. We also won't be able to automate leadership, people management, relationship management or project management.

3. Require creativity. Musicians, artists, actors, game designers, architects, scientists, entrepreneurs, speakers, entertainers... You name it! In our tech disrupted internet-at-scale world these types of creative jobs are going to be safer (yes SAFER) than a paper pushing white collar job that lives inside Excel spreadsheets and works off an SOP manual.

And always keep this in mind: What you may have been told by parents and society as safe is no longer safe. And what you may have been told as unsafe, is actually the safe option. Technology and globalisation turns the world upside down. And changing demand changes everything.

Ultimately, in order to get a great high-value job, you need to, as the great hockey player Wayne Gretzky is often quoted: "go where the puck is!"

Be Aware of Fortune 500 Business Announcements

To take advantage of these demand boons, you need to keep your eyes and ears open, and watch the news.

Or even better yet, read the Wall Street Journal or look through the Google Finance News section regularly.

Every once in a while, you are going to hear something like "Amazon is seeking new headquarters".

When that happens, and you catch it early on, you can use it to create a disproportionate advantage.

For instance, you can contact the employer ahead of time, before they post jobs to start building a relationship.

Or you can start connecting with people who work at the company so that you can get a referral in due time.

Yes, this technique has an element of luck and, chances are, you won't stumble into your next step job by watching the news tomorrow. But still keep this in mind as a long term technique.

Time and time again, we've seen it work wonders.

Seeking new operations and new offices has proven insanely valuable in getting next level jobs. This not only helps you get hired, but also has the potential of turning your next job into a promotion.

Good high-value jobs are plenty.

So are low-wage mind numbing jobs.

What determines whether you see more low-value jobs or high-value jobs depends on where you look.

And when it comes to where you look, we've got both good news and bad news.

The bad news is, the majority of high-value jobs, and the best of all jobs are in what's known as the hidden job market. In fact, some estimate that the hidden job market accounts for 80% of all jobs - and we think they are underestimating this number!

What this means is the best jobs are not posted or publicly available. You can only access them through networking or through what's called the Warm Application Process. (More on that later).

In other words, when it comes to applying for jobs, most people fight for scraps while a fortunate few land the best jobs before anyone else hears about them.

But don't get discouraged, there is also good news!

Throughout this document, we'll be guiding you and getting you ready to get into the hidden job market. And we'll share with you other resources where you can learn the warm application process by following an easy step-by-step formula.

But before we do any of that, we first have to cover the basics.

First of all, you need to learn that where you are in your career will dictate where you look for jobs.

For instance, it's unlikely you'll see a job posting for a "Director of Human Resources" position that pays $180k in salary plus various benefits and bonuses, on Craigslist.

Yes, a really desperate employer may pay the $35 fee and run such ads. But it's rare.

Similarly, you are guaranteed not to find an "Entry Level Customer Service Rep 1" position which pays $37k and has minimal benefits on a place like The Ladders, which is a website that advertises jobs that offer at least at $100k in salary.

And again, you will most likely never see a Chief Technology Officer position which pays $350k with great benefits and considerable stock options, even when it is for a small firm, on any job posting site. Those positions are filled primarily through network outreach and word of mouth.

So... Be honest with yourself. Think about where you really are in your career. And use the following guidelines accordingly.

If You Are Just Starting Your Career

If you are early in your career. Or if you are trying to break into your industry, you may want to start with temp work agencies or internships first.

This way you'll build relationships with insiders and get some referrals.

If you pick internships, be sure to only work paid internships. Unpaid internships - statistically speaking - do not make any difference in you getting hired for full time job.

You should also work towards networking and connecting with industry insiders through meetups and social events. And yes, you can even build a networking relationships at a bar or a social gathering - if you have the necessary social skills for it.

That being said... It's a big upward climb to network as a newbie.

Early on in your career you have ZERO leverage. You cannot offer anyone favours. You come with substantial risks. AND no one takes you seriously.

They may not say that to your face out of the niceties of our culture, but that's what's really going on.

That's why, your networking efforts are best managed through friend introductions and social gatherings rather than professional gatherings.

Chasing professional gatherings or sending random LinkedIn connection requests to strangers can appear like you are begging and lower your value, especially when you are just starting. Yes, there is a way to make it work using the warm application process, but it's a bit more nuanced than walking up to strangers in parties or spamming people over LinkedIn.

If you don't already know this process, you will simply have to send a monstrous number of job applications to positions you qualify for as well as positions you don't quite qualify for. You'll basically be playing a numbers game.

By the way, not all job requirements are accurate. And one application for a job you are unqualified for may lead to another job you are qualified for.

In other words, your goal as a newbie is to get on people's radar.

Half your job will be to get in front of as many people as you can who actually CARE about what you have to offer. And the other half is to rack up as much relevant experience as possible, so that you can use it to market yourself into more valuable positions.

And remember: Once you swallow your pride and get to work, you'll realise that everyone successful goes through this process. It's nothing unusual. And as soon as you get your first high-value job, you'll forever be an in demand professional and you'll never have to deal with such negative treatment again.

Here's how you should allocate your time:

1. Applications to job postings, through job search sites, as well as applications to companies you are interested in through their website regardless of whether they have an open job or not - 50%

2. Looking for Internships / Temp Work. Target job postings. Also send unsolicited messages to firms - 30%

3. Networking to connect with industry insiders - 20%

(Make sure you read more about the nuances of applications on Part 7 - Applications)

Suggested Sources for Start of Career:

1. Kelly Services - Temp work and recruiting agency.

2. ManpowerGroup - similar to Kelly but less prestigious, yet more jobs.

3. Freelancer - Temp remote work.

4. Upwork - Same as Freelancer.

5. College Recruiter - Designed for new graduates.

6. After College - Discover entry level jobs and internships.

7. Experience - Also for new graduates.

8. Google Jobs (Or just type "Google Jobs" in Google) - This should be your default place to start.

9. Google Industry Websites - Each industry has specific channels. For instance the games industry has websites like Gamasutra, or the software industry uses boards like Stack Overflow. You should learn the websites for your industry and scan them for jobs.

10. Indeed - It's a job aggregator that collects listing from all over.

11. Craiglslist - Lots of postings for entry level jobs. Less high-value jobs, but still relevant when you are starting out.You may also have limited success with headhunters if you're in an in demand industry or segment (i.e. software, biotech, Ivy League education, etc.). Search for headhunters in your city using Google.

If You Are In The First Few Years of Your Career

If you're a professional who has a few years under their belt - say 3 to 7 years - you'll have a lot more options.

First of all, you'll unlock the ability to use headhunters and recruiters. These people are paid to get you into positions and they will do a lot of your outreach for you.

In fact, the good ones will even bypass HR altogether, which is almost as good as the warm application process.

Remember: It pays to have a great headhunter.

You'll also be filling up your LinkedIn profile and attending some industry events and gatherings. This will enable you to turn these connections into job sources.

And, finally, you'll still be able to apply using job search sites. Keep in mind, at this point in your career, you'll still be competing with a considerable number of applicants. But you'll receive much better treatment from HR and Hiring Managers.

Now, this is important. Don't get hung up on the way you got treated the last time around. You didn't have a track record then. Now you do, and your applications will be much more productive.

Here's how you should allocate your time:

1. Connecting with headhunters and building relationships with people who get paid to place you in jobs and can help you bypass HR - 45%

2. In person and online networking, especially with hiring managers, leaders and executives - 35%

3. Sending in job applications to relevant jobs, and jobs that would be a promotion - 20%

Suggested Sources for First Few Years of Career:

1. LinkedIn - This should be your default. You should live on LinkedIn at this point in your career. You'll meet 90% of the headhunters you'll work with through this resource. And you'll connect with friends and graduates from your past to expand your network.

2. Google Local Headhunters (Google: <your city> headhunters). A bunch of agencies will pop up. Connect with every one that has first page listings.

3. Alumni Central - You should connect with alumni now, since you have some experience to offer.

4. Google Industry Websites - Each industry has specific channels. For instance the games industry has websites like Gamasutra, and the software industry uses boards like Stack Overflow. You should learn the websites for your industry and scan them for jobs.

5. Google Jobs (Or just type "Google Jobs" in Google) - This should be your default place to start.6. Monster - Has a broad international reach, and that can help you leapfrog your career.

7. Indeed - It's a job aggregator that collects listing from all over.

8. CareerBuilder - Another useful resource.

9. The Ladders - $100k+ jobs. You may be able to use this if you are in a high-wage industry.

10. Idealist - Posts "opportunities for action and collaboration", with listings around the world.

11. Craiglslist - still has worthwhile postings for early career professionals.

12. Freelancer - You can do some temp remote work to boost your network and build a better portfolio.

13. Upwork - Same as Freelancer.

If You Are Established In Your Career

If you have somewhere between 7 to 15 years of professional experience, even if it's across multiple jobs and industries, you are considered a "seasoned" professional.

At this point, getting a similar job to what you've been doing should be pretty much automatic, as long as the markets are doing well and you have some tangible skills.

That's why, it is the time to aggressively seek jobs that are "out of your league".

If you are a rank and file worker, you should shoot for becoming a lead or a manager.

If you are a manager, you should work toward becoming an executive.

If you are already an executive, you should try to add another zero to the end your salary.

Or if you don't want to ascent the authority hierarchy, while still escalating your pay-grade, you may want to get more senior roles in your profession. Or you can get involved with teaching your craft, or providing thought leadership by joining a board of advisers. Remember: not every professional needs to become a manager to be a big career success.

There is unprecedented opportunity for seasoned professionals right now, and most of it pays very VERY well.

Unfortunately, you will be hard pressed to find these on job search sites.

Yes, they do occasionally come up. And you should set up some Google Alerts for the
types of titles or companies you may be interested in, so that you can capture and respond to them quickly if they come up.

But at this stage of your career, job applications should be mostly a thing of the past. And the majority of your efforts should focus on personal branding and networking.

This is an important concept we talk extensively about in many of our programs (which you should go through).

In fact, it's crucial to know how to create an effective personal brand - even if you're not very experienced.

Here's the gist of it to get you started:

When we talk personal branding, we are not talking about the type of branding marketers talk about.

It's not about getting a website, appearing on interviews or starting a foundation.

This type of branding is simply a catch all phrase for all the things you do to differentiate yourself from all the other professionals who have a similar level of experience.

It's basically standing out in the most desirable way possible.

And you do that through specialisation, through higher-scope work, through teaching, or through some combination of all three.

For instance...

Let's say that you are a software developer who has 9 years of work experience "under their belt".

If you want to rise up the value chain, you can do a few things:

You can pick a niche and specialise as an expert: Become a "Full-Stack Web Developer and an expert in scale-able server solutions". That way, firms can pay you a lot of money to design complex servers.

Or you can do higher-scope work as a manager or a leader: Become a "Director of Technology who oversees server teams". That way, you can get paid a lot of money to build and manage highly skilled teams.

Or you can teach teach your craft: Become a "Software expert who teaches engineers and managers how to build top notch software". That way, you can be hired to teach other teams how to do better work.

Or you can combine specialisation and teaching: Become a "Full-Stack Web Developer with a YouTube channel where you teach weekly classes to other web developers". That way, you can get a lot of exposure and build a rapidly growing network.

Or you can do anything else you imagine, as long as it positions you as a specialised expert, as an authority, or as a leader in your field.

That's it. That's personal branding - and you don't need to pay some PR expert and arm and a leg to posture and pretend you're important.

Personal branding is not about posturing or pretending. It's about giving value to people in a public and visible way.

Now... Obviously there are a lot of nuances.

And Once you identify the way you want to be seen, you'll need to get the public to believe in your brand, so that they take you seriously and pay you large sums of money for doing elite work.

And you do that through a combination of networking, content creation and self-promotion.

 Again, this gets very deep very quickly and if this is something you are interested in, be sure to check our publications and events.

Here's how you should allocate your time:

1. Personal Branding and Networking. This will include content creation, social media activity and even teaching. Actively connecting with influencers and leaders in your industry, both online and in person - 70%

2. Connecting with higher level headhunters and, potentially, with executive placement agencies. - 20%

3. Sending job applications. Most of which should be unsolicited as the jobs you desire will rarely be posted. - 10%

Please note that at this level, most of your applications should be warm and they should either bypass HR, or work with friendly and cooperative HR who is on your side. In fact, HR will generally treat you well - and their genuinely friendly, and more importantly, respectful treatment is a good indicator that you have become established in your career.

This is why, even cold applications are fine. As long as you are not a threat to the career of the people who are reviewing your application, you'll do well.

All that being said, keep in mind that for many high profile positions, HR will not even know about the position. When you are established in your career, getting a job at your current level or a slight promotion will be easy going through the regular channels (depending on market conditions). But your next step up, or your next big promotion will require new tricks up your sleeve. More on how to do that below.

Suggested Sources for an Established Career:

1. LinkedIn - At this point in your career, beyond reaching out to new people, you should also create content (i.e. write articles) and share them on LinkedIn to expand your network.

2. Google Local Headhunters (Google: <your city> headhunters). A bunch of agencies will pop up. Connect with the top five only!

3. Alumni Central - If you haven't already connected with alumni, you should.

4. The Ladders - $100k+ jobs. You should use this.

5. Google Alerts - You should learn how to use these.

6. Google Jobs (Or just type "Google Jobs" in Google)

7. Freelancer - You can use this to do some high ticket consulting to expand your network. The idea isn't to necessarily switch to freelancing, but to connect with people who you would never be able to meet otherwise.

8. Upwork - Same as Freelancer.

If You Are Very Experienced In Your Career

If you have over 15 years of relevant professional experience, or if you are already a heavy hitter in your industry... 

You should still continue reading this document to make sure that you've got the basics covered. But what you really want is our Break into Management or Executive Ascent programs.

At this point, we are going to assume that you found a specific type of job you are going after - as in you have a clear idea of the kind of titles you'll shoot (i.e. Director of Marketing) for and either know the sector of industry you wish to join (i.e. high end apparel industry), or have a profession in mind (i.e. Digital Marketing & Advertising).

Ideally you want to have a specific company, or a set of companies you'd like to join that offer jobs with these titles, or provide work in these sectors, or employ the type of professional you wish to become (i.e. Ogilvy & Mather for the Director of Marketing role, Prada for working in high end apparel, or Facebook for becoming Digital Marketing & Advertising professional).

But this is indeed easier said than done. And you may need to do a little soul searching. (Worry not, we've got you covered!)

If you don't know where to start, the best place to start is with understanding what the market finds valuable. After all, being in demand gives you options, and options give you not only control over your career but they also engage your imagination.

This is why, learning about The Five Core Skills and Seven High-Value Disciplines can serve as an inspiration, and should really be the first place you start.

You can use the 5/7 to focus on your preferences, and pick domains of work that interest you. And starting from that, you can seek jobs and companies which are hungry for those skill making your job hunt significantly simpler.

That way, you'll not only be heading towards a job where you will enjoy the day-to-day work, but you'll also be going after work that desperately needs people like you.

But... That's only half the battle when you seek a high-value role: You also need to know what your day to day work will be like so that you can long term happiness and fulfilment.

And that depends on the specifics of the job as well as the company.

After all, there is a vast difference between being a sales professional for your local broiler room that sells lottery tickets versus being an account executive one for a firm like SpaceX where you sell commercial space travel!

And it's not just about the product sold...

Remember: there are MANY dimensions to any given job. From work-life-balance to executive access, from creative freedom to travel required, from recognition to prestige - there are mountains of difference between jobs.

And until you experience some of these dimensions and learn your real preferences, you won't really know what will make you truly fulfilled.

For instance, you may get one job where you have a personal office, and a lot of creative freedom in when and how you do your work. But it may also be isolating, where you rarely get to talk with important leaders. And because of that, such a job is not terribly helpful for developing your career.

At another job, you may be sitting with everyone in a shared office. But you that may not be bad if you happen to across the desk from an executive like Mark Zuckerberg.

Sure, you may need to do a little more of "what you are told" and be a little more under your boss' thumb, and also have much less privacy. But you'll get to interact with a self-made billionaire on a daily basis! That is much better for not just rapid career development, but also for learning and picking up success habits.

Or another example... You may work for a prestigious advertising firm, where you wear a suit and tie to work every day, and get a big bonus every year regardless of your performance. That could be a nice job. But... What if it required a ton of travel, and you hated flying?

Taking a less prestigious job at a small direct response marketing firm where you hardly ever travel could be better. Yes, it would mean you won't get to play Mad Men dress-up, but that's not the end of the world. In fact, you may even bring more money home through profit sharing deals and have a much better work-life balance.

Are you seeing the point?

The point is: while you can make some intelligent guesses about what each job will be like, you won't really know it until you've experienced that job, or at the least, a profession in the field first hand.

So... Don't be too rigid. And don't be afraid to switch so called "career tracks" or industries if you feel inclined.

Planning your career using The Five Core Skills and Seven-High Value Disciplines will help with this, because it will help you develop and focus on the most transferable in demand skills. And that makes transitioning from job to job, or industry to industry much easier.

Now... With all that said...

You don't want to spend six months, or a few years at a job, only to realise that it was a mistake.

And the best way to avoid such wrong turns is to research the profession, and more importantly, to research the specific job.

And this brings us to the topic of this segment: You need to research your target companies, inside out.

How To Properly Research Companies

Some people recommend researching firms before the job application. This has some benefits, the least of which is that it helps in creating a better application.

Others prefer researching after the application but before the interview. This works too, and it helps with your interview. (This is especially effective when you outsource the laborious part of your applications to virtual assistants and only engage with companies that reach back to interview you - which is one of our preferred way of seeking jobs. More on that later.)

But either way, before you take the job, you'll need to truly research what you are getting into.

And to do that right, you'll need to learn how to read between the lines and ask the right questions!

After all, just like every candidate, each employer presents their best foot forward. And you don't want to get confused or misdirected.

The Questions You Want Employers To Answer

There are two types of questions you want answered. The first type is to discover and assess the value of the job and the company.

These questions include:

- What's the work-life balance like?

- How much does the job actually pay (including with bonuses, stock options, benefits, exit contracts, etc.)?

- What would you spend 80% of your time actually doing if you took this job? (i.e. get them to list up to 3 specific tasks.)

- On a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being completely autocratic, and 5 being very democratic, how is the company run? (There are benefits and drawbacks to both)

- How long, on average, do people stay at this company?

- How quickly and frequently do people get promoted?- Is the company growing or dying? (Remember: In business, there is no in between. You're either growing or dying.)

- Is the company leading and innovating or simply following the market? (Both can be good depending on what you want to do)- Who is the CEO/President? What's their track record like?

- What's their flag ship product/service? And how has it been selling the past 12 months? Is it growing or dying?

- What's the average level of education for employees? (A company where everyone has a Master's is very different than one filled with high school
grads.)

- Would you be 1 of a 100 or 1 of 10. (i.e. How many people would you share the same title with? Would you have lots of peers or be part of a small group?)

- How is the gender/racial/religious diversity?

- Are there any cultural red flags? (i.e. affiliation with political parties, hysterical policies, racism, sexism, bigotry, etc.)

- Are any of the executives in trouble? (i.e. insider trading, sexual harassment, etc. This is much more common than you think and usually companies do their best to keep you in the dark... Until you're in trouble.)

The second type of questions you want answered relate to getting the job. These will help with your application and interview:

- What are the specific, immediate tasks they want you to be responsible for with this job?

- What type of education or background do they seek for the job?

- If you can find other people with the same title you are after; what is their track record like, and what qualifications and credentials do they have?

- Who is your boss? What's their career history? Can you discover anything personal about them?

- Can you find any interview questions they ask online?

- Can you find some content written by the CEO, your would be boss, or other leaders - especially in their HR department? (This can be very valuable in writing cover letters and managing interviews)

You need to discover the answers to these questions, and luckily, you can find the majority of them through a little bit of intelligent online research. (If you don't know how to do this, contact us - we may even know someone in the company you are interested in. We do this type of research regularly as part of our Fast Track Group)

Sources For Online Research

- Glassdoor: Employees of firms and insiders leave anonymous reviews of the firm.

- Payscale: Helps you discover salaries and compensation.

- LinkedIn: Especially if you pay for an account, you can browse through everyone's profiles and gather some serious intelligence.- Google Finance: Helps you learn about the company, if it's public.

- Google News: Helps you filter for press releases and other news about the firm.

- Google Search: You must, at the least, search the company, the CEO, and your boss.

- Facebook: Useful for learning personal details and reading preferences.

- Twitter: Is great for getting personal and political opinions.

While this intelligence gathering piece has deeper components, the lists above should give you a start.

By the way... If you think this takes a lot of time... Yes. it can and often does.

But that doesn't mean you have to be spending your personal time on it. Again, you can employ administrative or virtual assistants to do the heavy lifting and simply read their reports. (This is practically what all our members do)

In fact, you can outsource a lot of the grunt work for your entire job seeking process, and you can learn about how we do that through our publications and events.

A word of caution though: There are a lot of nuances to managing others to help you find a job successfully, and you don't want to risk your career by winging it. Before you even think about outsourcing, first learn the proper process. And that usually means, completing at one high-value application yourself.

The purpose of a resume is to get you an interview.

Not to win people over. Not to give an account of your work history. Not even to get a job.

It's just meant to get them to call you.

A resume is "marketing material", and you need to remember this when writing yours.

To get you started in creating a compelling resume, we are going to outline five critical rules.

While these rules are powerful, they are not meant to get you the best possible resume. To do that, you'd have to watch Launch Your Career or go through our publications.

After all, if we spilled all our beans in a free document, it wouldn't be fair to the rest of our students...

But more importantly, before getting you your best resume, let's first get it "up to snuff" so that it is at least better than average. Because, chances are, it's not.

Not a worry. You'll get it there by following the five little known rules below:

Rule 1 - Less is More

As we've explained in our article titled Never Put These Words On Your Resume, resumes are not read. They are filtered.

What that means is, nobody reads your resume line by line. They skim it, moving their eyes from spot to spot, until they decide to chuck it or keep it.

And they make that decision within 3-7 seconds!

That's right! They literally just glance at your resume before either throwing it away, or moving it to a pile to "potentially contact".

We want to guarantee that your resume ends up in that potentially contact pile. And for that, it must appear a certain way.

Now... Hold on a second...

I can already hear some of you smarty-pants thinking:

"But we are living in the AI age, people don't read resumes any more do they? Resumes get put in ATSs (applicant tracking systems) and searched for keywords. Or some neural network AI picks resumes without even a single human looking at it. Shouldn't I write resumes to beat that AI rather than thinking about how people read it? It's this old and outdated guidance."

Short answer: No.

Long answer: No. On the contrary, you should write your resume specifically for humans. Trying to beat ATSs or AI resume readers is a losing game.

Let us explain...

First of all, yes while a lot of big companies spent big dollars in building big resume reading AI software - none of them have been able to get it to work to the point where you need to worry about it. In fact, in a recent Reuters article, Amazon revealed that it was going to chuck it's recruiting AI tool, because for some reason, it showed bias against women when reading resumes.[16] (Yes AI can indeed do stupid things like that...)

The point is: Reading resumes, or more specifically, what is known as semantic analysis in natural language processing, is a ridiculously tough problem. And until it's been truly solved, you don't need to worry about pleasing the AI that is reading your resume. And even when it gets solved, it's not going to trickle down to the HR departments of the world, which by and large, still operate in the dark ages. HR mostly solves problems through brute force.

Second, and more importantly, regardless of the computer or even the human filters your resume has to pass in a given company, at the end of the day, it ends up in the hands of a hiring manager. And the hiring manager makes a personal, subjective decision on your resume to either find out more about you (i.e. interview you), or to throw your resume away.

So... You not only want to write your resume to be read by humans, you also want to write it to be read by a specific type of human - the hiring manager.

Nor HR managers. Not recruiters. Not some contract worker overseas who gets paid $3.50 an hour to pick through resumes...

Your resume is not intended for them. It's intended for the hiring manager - the person who has authority to hire you.

Therefore, it is crucial to optimise your resume for success with hiring managers, and deal with HR and other gatekeepers using a variety of other methods such as the warm application process, or networking, or directly contacting the hiring manager (more on all of these later).

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if your resume passes every AI software and every HR recruiter and manager. If it doesn't stimulate the right thoughts in the hiring manager's brain, game over. You lose.

This is why, first and foremost, you need to focus on getting the hiring manager's brain on your side.

And to that end, when writing a resume, you have to start with eliminating any words, phrases or lines that can raise potential red flags. After all, red flags are the easiest excuse a hiring manager's brain looks for to chuck your resume.

They don't even think about it. It's instinctive...

You can read our article for more information about this and use it as a guideline.

And ultimately, remember: when it comes to resumes, less is more!

**Sidenote**: To reiterate, less is more despite what HR people tell you. HR people want you to give them all the information they need so that they can make their decisions with as little work as possible. You, on the other hand, want them to call you. It is much better to "get them curious", "tease them with just the right amount of detail" or "leave them hanging" so that they call you. The right type of curiosity works wonders. And that's what you want your resume to do for you. Your resume's one and only job: get them to call you!

Rule 2 - Deploy The 10% Rule

In her most excellent book "Impossible to Ignore: Creating Memorable Content to Influence Decisions", Dr. Carmen Simon goes through a ton of cutting edge research to teach us how to create content that sticks in the viewer's mind.

And when it comes to resumes, one of the techniques that's worth knowing about is the 10% rule.

The idea is simple. People retain only about 10% of the information that they perceive from any given presentation or piece of communication.

You can't get them to remember more. 10% is ALL they will remember.

But you can pick which 10% they remember.

If you do not plan to highlight what you want them to remember, people will remember a random 10% of your communication.

But if you separate what you want them to recall by using distinct visual cues (i.e. highlights, bold text, etc.), you get to control what they retain.

Here's how you do it:

Think about up to three statements or keywords you want them to remember.

Once you've picked these, highlight them - AND ONLY THEM - using any visual technique that makes sense. (i.e. bold, underline, capitalisation, background highlight, etc...)

The specific technique you use isn't important. What's important is that you limit it to three, or at maximum five elements on the resume.

Remember: if you highlight everything, they'll remember nothing.

But if you highlight what's relevant to them - they will remember you.

Rule 3 - Use White Space

One of the key issues with resumes is that people hate reading them.

And this is a problem.

It's especially a problem when they pick your resume up, and see a whole bunch of cluttered words and dense sentences, and their brain goes: "Let's not do this! Let's do something else... Oh, look here's a text message, this resume can wait!"

Obviously, you don't want that. In fact, you want to prevent that.

In fact... You want the opposite of that!

You want your reader to feel glued to your resume. And you want to make them unwilling to drop your resume.

We do this by getting them to anticipate value. And we do it by making them feel: "This is it! This resume is the last one I have to read, I can be done with all this!".

While we use quite a few techniques to do this, we start with the way your resume looks.

After all, their first gut reaction is not to the content, but to the look of your resume.

This is important...

In his value packed article "How To Create Free Articles, Reports, And Blog Posts That SELL!", Frank Kern (a very successful and somewhat notorious internet marketer) explains this. And he breaks down why simplicity is exceedingly important, especially if you want people to pay attention to what you write.

Moreover, according to Kern, the visual presentation of the content makes a humongous difference.

This is because, when we look at text that has long sentences, big paragraphs and little white space: We instinctively resist it. We feel pain.

But when we see short paragraphs, short sentences and plenty of white space with big visual cues and headlines: We approach it with comfort. We feel at ease.

The point is, you want to make it feel like it's going to be painless to read your resume.

When they take a glance at it, you want them to feel like: "I don't have to think a single thought to process this resume, it's brain dead simple".

While we have very detailed guidelines about how to do this (Launch Your Career), for now, focus on using a lot of white space.

And when we say a lot. We mean A LOT!

Elegant wins the day, and white space makes things look elegant.

Just think about how Apple communicates with their marketing. You want your resume to have the same vibe.

It's the difference between having your resume read and having it deleted.

Rule 4 - Ask Yourself "So What?"

Every line on your resume needs to earn it's place.

In fact, there is no room for BS or Corporate Speak on a resume.

One way to avoid such garbage is to go through every line on your resume and ask: "So what?"

Let's explain:

You say "Excellent communication skills"...

So what? Everyone can claim that. Words are cheap. Where is your proof? What have you accomplished that demonstrates your excellent communication skills?

You write "References available upon request"...

So what? We assume that they will be available when asked for. Don't you have something more important to tell us?

You say "Responsible for multiple projects with tight deadlines"...

So what? That's just like saying you "showed up to work". Everyone's got multiple projects. And every deadline feels tough to someone.

Why not tell us the details of your projects and why they were a big deal.

You get the point?

You want to get critical with your self.

In fact, you want to be as critical with your resume as you can.

Pretend you are a bitter old lady who suffers from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, and you're having a cranky day. You're someone who gets angry when she hears the laughter of children playing across the street. Someone the kids are afraid to approach on Halloween...

What would you think of each line?

Be harsh with yourself. That way, no one else will get to.

Rule 5 - Specialisation Wins the Day

A lot of people create one resume to sell themselves to any job.

But that falls flat on it's face.

How would you feel if a cardiac surgeon, who was assigned to do your surgery, started talking about their interest in studying zoo animals?

Or if they talked about how they were great at repairing cars or writing poetry?

Sure... Perhaps it wouldn't be as bad as discussing an interest in experimental chemistry and talking about inventing new drugs to put patients under...

But... Even learning about a non-related interest such as writing, automobiles or animals would get you wondering: "Why is he telling me all this?"

After all you don't care if your cardiac surgeon has hobbies, or interests.

In fact, you don't even want to hear any of that.

You have a specific, and serious concern on your mind. And you want your surgeon to stay on point.

In other words, you don't want to hear anything but their stellar track record and undying passion for cardiac surgery.

Similarly, on your resume, your potential employer doesn't care about ALL the things you can do.

They only care about the specific bits of things they want you to do for them.

So... You want to focus only on those things.

You also don't really know what they may consider "risky" on your resume.

For instance, if they are hiring a account executive to do sales, but your resume also includes references to team management - they could get scared. Perhaps they would think you'd be a competition for their job. Or they may simply think that you are using the role as a foot-in-the-door, and you'll try to move into management given the first opportunity.

Sure... You may be using it as a foot-in-the-door. But you don't want to tell them that!

You just want to tell them that you love doing sales and you'll be a fantastic account executive for them.

Remember this: You won't really know what they will find risky, or what they will simply see as noise.

This is why, the best thing is to customise your resume for each role you apply for.

Unfortunately, writing a new resume for each job is tremendously time consuming!

This is why, you should have a big, comprehensive resume which contains everything you've done that you are proud of.

But for each job, you should remove the irrelevant lines, and tweak the language so that it's more targeted and focused to the specific job you are after.

Another, even faster technique is to customise each resume with a Positioning Statement and to also use a Summary of Qualifications section.

If you'd like to learn more about doing that, check out our Launch Your Career program.

Bonus - Learn To Use The Language of Value

One of our most potent discoveries is about how professionals communicate.

We like to call this concept "Insider Language", or "The Language of Value" because and it addresses how industry insiders and top professionals talk to one another.

Here's how it works...

There is a very specialised way a game programmer talks about building a video game, compared to a person who has never set foot in a game development company.

There is a specific language stock brokers use when they discuss their business. And professionals outside of that industry have no idea what it actually is.

And there is a complex language that sales people use, which goes completely over the heads of people who've never sold anything.

In other words, every profession has it's own unique lingo.

But this is NOT about buzzwords or using industry terminology. That's only a tiny and insignificant part of it.

The Language of Value has more to do with using language to demonstrate that you belong to the same tribe, be it programming, brokering or sales.

You see... If you can signal to people that you are part of their tribe, it acts on their subconscious, and helps to make them accept you faster.

And if you can manage to do this with your resume, you can get preferential treatment.

We cover Language of Value at length in Launch Your Career.

People live on social media.

We get our news from social media. We keep in touch via social media. We brag about things on social media. We are all spending more and more time on social media.[6]

And that "we" includes employers.

In fact, 91% of US employers report that they visit a candidate's profile on social networks and 69% report that they reject applicants based on what they see.[7]

There have also been reports
of cases where companies were asking for Facebook passwords for potential and current employees! Luckily, Facebook policy prohibits the sharing of passwords, and several states have signed legislation against such obtrusive practices. (Just in case - remember this if it's ever asked of you...)

Nonetheless... Humans have a tendency to wonder, get curious, peek into, and even spy on one another.

And when those humans are paying us to do work, they get even more curious and inquisitive.

As such, employers are not going to ease up. They are going to continue digging deeper and deeper into our lives to gather intelligence so that they can best figure out if we are the candidate they seek.

And we can't blame them. In Part 4, we were recommending that you use social media to learn about employers, and it would be hypocritical for us to say that you can investigate others in that way but they can't investigate you!

In fact, we WANT them to investigate you.

We WANT them to go on your social media pages, look at your LinkedIn profile, watch your YouTube videos, see your Tweets, and read any articles you've posted on Medium - because we'll make sure that you control what they see.

Remember: They are going to look anyway. So, why not turn what they see to your advantage?

But to that end... You are going to need to do three things:

1. Sanitise your social media presence.2. Stake your claim on your professional expertise.3. Work on personal branding on social media.

1. Sanitise Your Social Media Presence

This is fairly intuitive.

You don't want anything on social media that can hurt your chances of employment.

Especially considering the hysterical nature of our world and national discourse, you want to be extremely cautious about what you put online.

Sure... You can say what you want online. And can share what you want online. Freedom of speech reigns supreme...

But don't be surprised if an employer decides to pass on you after reading your comments bashing their product.

And don't complain if HR decides to chuck your resume after seeing your risque pictures in a room filled with drug paraphernalia.

By the way, we are not even discussing the legality of this type of discrimination. This is not something we can enforce against, and therefore, it's not something we can legislate.

Furthermore, in a free market economy, private organisations have the freedom to pick who they employ. Just as you can't force someone into involuntary servitude (i.e. slavery), you can't force a corporation into employing someone.

Moreover, in our current culture, you can't even criticise someone for refusing to hire a "party animal" or a "loudmouth hater" given all their other choices.

This is why, you have to be very cautious about your online presentation.

Let's take for instance "drugs" as an example...

When it comes to drug use, or implications of drug use, you have to be excelling cautious.

While cannabis is legal in some states and countries, in the majority of states it remains completely illegal. And while there is a lot of money being poured into the cannabis industry, federal law, as well as international law is still stacked against it.

In fact, many firms continue to utilise drug screens as part of their employment requirements. And they do this for many reasons, the least of which is that it lowers their health insurance costs.

Furthermore, our culture looks down on drug use.

Think of it this way: while a murder charge won't bar you from getting a college loan, a drug charge will.[15]

And you must never forget this!

While our modern culture has a different relationship with drugs than previous generations, and our social or legal systems have a long way to catch up.

By the way, we're not telling you all this with the assumption that you use drugs or because we support the use of drugs. Neither is the case.

We're telling you all this because, even when you don't use drugs, or are not a party animal or an angry hater, due to the nature of the way people access information through social media, they tend to stereotype and judge. In fact, they over-judge.

And because of this, what you share on social media can have dire consequences...

Sure, a single picture snapped at a house party where you have friend holding a bong on the corner shouldn't get you in legal trouble (note - this is an assumption, not legal advice).

But the same picture could trigger a rejection response from an HR manager or stand in between you and a high-value position.

And it would definitely stand between you and a high-profile position...

Given this reality, you want to think twice about what you put online. Especially because it's becoming easier and easier for anyone to get their hands on EVERYTHING that's tagged with your name on it!

This means: You need to go through your social media profiles and feeds. Double and triple check your pictures. And stay vigilant about your privacy.

And remember: Social media platforms are actually your friends in protecting your privacy. They do, despite all the latest media hype, take your privacy very seriously and give you all the tools you need to control what the world sees about you. But you need to learn to use them and control your privacy settings.

Don't get mad if you let anyone tag you in pictures or if you give complete unadulterated access to everything you post online, and then, you have trouble with getting employers to respond to your applications.

Restrict the way people see you online.

Be smart. Be private.

2. Stake Your Claim On Your Professional Expertise

If you claim to be for everyone, you are attractive to no-one.

But if you claim to be only for some specific people and no one else, you are ridiculously attractive to them.

This means positioning yourself as a specific type of professional with a specific type of expertise.

In other words: you need to pick a niche.

And... Luckily... It doesn't take much to pick your niche.

Are you a software developer who builds websites from start to finish? Then call yourself a Full Stack Web Developer, and plaster that all over the web.

Are you a sales professional who sells high ticket technologies? Then make sure that the first thing someone sees when they check you out is that you are a B2B Sales Expert In Cutting Edge Technologies.

Are you a marketer who can sell water to fish through social media? Make sure that on your social media profile, it says that you are a Digital Marketer Who Turns Advertising into Massive Profits via Social Media.

Are you catching on?

Whatever it is that you want to be employed doing, you want to present yourself as that online - first and foremost.

And if you are unconvinced, think of the reverse: If instead of the above suggestions, an employer's first impression of you online, especially on LinkedIn, was that you were a Software Developer or a Salesperson or a Marketer; do you think it would be as powerful as the earlier suggestions?

Do you think they would instantly see you and think "this is exactly the type of person we want".

Or do you think they would simply look over you and move on to the next candidate.

Make no mistake: Your first impressions fall flat, if you look average online.

After all, they don't want just another average hireling who happens do the work they need done, as well as any and every work they can get their hands on. They want someone who does exactly and only what they need done.

They don't want a candidate from a group of plenty. They want one of the rare few. It's human nature.

So... Remember this...

There are a lot of developers. But a much fewer Full Stack Developers.

There are many marketers. But very few Growth Hackers.

And there are many project managers, but there are very few Project Managers who lead large scale civil engineering projects for municipal g
overnments.

When it comes to finding jobs today... You cannot afford to be a generalist on professional or social media channels. You need to showcase yourself by picking your focus, and being descriptive - in a way that matches the jobs you are after.

This not only IMMEDIATELY builds trust in your ability, but it also becomes what we call a credibility marker.

Remember this when setting up or editing your accounts.

3. Work On Personal Branding On Social Media

Once your social media is socially acceptable by corporate standards, and it pitches you properly with an expertise, you don't want to stop there.

You'll want to take it to the next level...

This means you want to think of everything an employer might see about you as an advertisement - especially during periods of time when you are seeking a job. (Which should be "always" for top professionals - you should always be open to new options so that you can develop leverage, boost your pay grade and get promoted fast.)

What employers see about you online will directly shape their opinion, and craft their first general impression of you.

And you want to completely control that first impression.

Think about how you want to be perceived, and present that professional image as your public persona.

Of course... There are nuances to doing this right...

For instance, if you want to be considered for managerial roles, you need to know how to present yourself as a person who can project and command authority.

Or if you want to be taken seriously as a creative genius, or be thought of as a master of technology, or be seen as the best sales professional in town - whatever it is that you want to project - there are archetypal signals and cues you can use to project that image on social media.

We get deep into this in our Launch Your Career program, along with many other aspects of your personal branding.

And if you are interested in getting employers to notice you and seek you out, even when you are not actively seeking a job, you must learn these techniques.

After all, 68% of employers report that they gave someone a job because of what they saw online about that person.[8]

And that stat doesn't even capture how employers proactively and eagerly go after their ideal candidates using social media!

Once you establish a powerful personal brand, you will get to see how headhunters and HR professionals chase top professionals down.

By getting ourselves chased this way,we are able to directly apply for prime positions, be invited to interviews before anyone sees our resume, and even be offered jobs with a mere phone conversation. It shortcuts the whole process.

Back in the day, this type of aggressive recruiting was limited to person-to-person networking and referrals. Today, with the advent of the Internet, it has spawned into an industry where - literally - call centers can be employed to chase after the best branded professionals.

Remember: When it comes to getting high-value jobs, it's all about who is doing the sales...

Are you selling yourself for the job? Or is an employer selling you their open position?

If you want to leapfrog your career to the top tier, you'll need to switch to the latter. And the Internet at large, and social media specifically, is an excellent tool to make that switch.

A lot of people, especially ignorant professionals, wonder: whats the use of a cover letter?

Why send one? After all, it's obvious that you want a job, and all relevant information is already listed on your resume.

And if an employer wants to learn more, they can check up on social media, or better yet, call you.

So... Why send a cover letter? Why waste time?

Let us explain...

What do most cover letters look like?

Well... They tend to look something like this:

     Dear Sir/Madam,

     I saw your job posting on [insert website] and I'm very interested in joining your great organisation as an [insert job title].

     I would like to start by saying, [insert some flattery].

     As you'll see on my resume, I have [insert qualification] and I have been [insert experience]. I also [insert excuse for wanting role].

     (Optional) [Insert a long and dense paragraph that the employer won't read.]

     Please consider my application and contact me at your convenience.

     Respectfully,[Insert name & contact details]

Now... It's a mystery to us why people who send such cover letters get surprised when they don't hear back!

You see... With such a letter, you're not saying anything other than what's obvious. You want a job and you think you can handle it.

In other words, you're wasting your time, as well as the employer's time, by stating the obvious. And you are doing that due to some cultural formality which you know you'd both prefer to do away with!

That actually says quite a lot about you...

Sure... If they were really desperate, or if your resume was stellar, or if you came to them through a strong referral, you could get an interview DESPITE such a poor cover letter.

But, if they were on the fence, or were looking for an excuse not to read your resume, such a cover letter would easily give them that excuse.

Just think about it: How would you feel if YOU received that cover letter?

Doesn't it strike you as a bit boring? Perhaps stuck up? And maybe even uncomfortably formal?

And, how would you feel if you had to read through fifty such letters all in one sitting, and you knew they were going to cut into your lunch break?

Everyone saying the same things. Everyone making the same claims...

It's more than a bore, it's both mind numbing and frustrating!

And that's exactly what most recruiters and hiring managers experience.

This is a horrible disadvantage to the average applicant. They have to swim upstream and up a waterfall to get their voice heard.

But this is also a tremendous opportunity for the smart applicant, because you can use it to differentiate yourself!

And considering how most cover letters come dripping in corporate speak and are soul crushingly banal, differentiating yourself is not that hard.

But you don't have to stop there. You can even take it a few steps further...

The Highly Effective Cover Letter

A decent cover letter will differentiate you from all other applicants in a positive way.

It's works just like sprinkling a bit of water on someone who is about to fall asleep. A good cover letter gets them to pay attention. And rewards them with them something worth paying attention to.

While the purpose of a resume is to get an interview the purpose of a cover letter is to get them to read your resume ATTENTIVELY.

But the big secret, the big opportunity, the big key to this is making sure they read your cover letter in the right frame of mind.

You see...

A cover letter is an excuse to tell them things about yourself that you cannot put on a resume.

It's there to tell your story. It's there to get them curious. It's there to get them confident that you're the right candidate.

And above all else, it's there to win them over BEFORE they even read your resume.

Keys To A Winning Cover Letter

Just like resumes, cover letters are a big, deep subject.

And it's not possible to teach you everything about how to create the best cover letter in this brief span of words.

For extensive direction on the subject, look at Secrets to Six Figures, where we explain how to write compelling cover letters,  and provide templates based on our research of the best performing sales letters of the century.

And for more hands on instruction, watch our Launch Your Career program.

Writing effective cover letters is a powerful career skill, and it's something you should develop not just for getting new jobs, but also to use in other professional communications, as well as negotiations. The techniques are 100% transferable, and very worthy of study.

To get you started in that study, let us explain the most important objective of a cover letter...

It Has To Do With Emotion

Human beings are incapable of turning off emotion. Everything we perceive, judge and think is always under the influence of our emotions, and more specifically, our state. (State means state of body & mind.)

With emotion in mind, the most important objective of the cover letter is to guide the reader into a frame of mind that is optimal for reading and responding to your resume.

And what is that frame of mind?

Well, it depends on the role. There are nuances... A cover letter written to make you the "VP of Finance" is a very different cover letter than one you write to become an "Entry Level Sales Associate", even if both letters go to the same firm and are read by the same people.

But all other factors being equal... Excitement wins the day.

Think about it...

How does it feel when someone says:

I saw your job posting on Craigslist and I'm very interested in joining your great organisation.

Do you buy it? Does it sound like that person is really excited?

What if instead they were to say something like:

This is my dream job! And I'm determined to win you over...

Sure... Perhaps it's not as "corporate". But it's definitely not corporate speak or stuck-up.

And yes, some super up-tight obnoxious managers would respond negatively to such a line.

But it doesn't matter. You don't want to work for them anyway!

And besides, the only reason they respond negatively is because they don't like it when their emotions get engaged. It makes them feel disempowered and a little out of control.

Because that's exactly what emotions do.

They get under our skin.

And whether they like it or not, the emotions in the cover letter makes them notice.

This is why the most important key to writing a compelling cover letter is to project excitement and enthusiasm about the job.

Besides using common sense and being respectful, that's the only rule you need to worry about.

Of course... There is a right way to do it, and many wrong ways to do it.

And if you want to get good at it, you have two options:

Be very honest and genuine. When you are truly excited, when you truly mean it, it will show.Learn the art and science of writing compelling cover letters.

Writing compelling cover letters is just like riding a bike. Once you master that skill, you won't forget it. And the persuasive skills you develop will transfer, helping you in all forms of professional communication.

Getting You Started With Your Powerful Cover Letter

To get you started in learning this skill, let's engage your imagination...

Imagine that you already mastered the skill of persuasive writing.

Could you see a hiring manager dropping everything else and contacting you as soon as they finish reading your cover letter, because they don't want to lose you to another employer?

So, what would that letter look like?

How would it begin?

What story would it tell?

How would it tell them to contact you?

Think about and imagine that cover letter, because that's a letter worth writing!

Ironically, most people don't try to write that cover letter.

Because most people don't play to win. They play not to lose.

In fact, it's even worse than that!

When it comes to cover letters, most people are completely unaware of the possibility that they can actually write one that inspires action. In other words, they don't even know what winning looks like!

And that's why, instead of writing an effective letter, most people stitch together a few formal words that amount to nothing, and stick it in front of their resumes.

And as a result, they waste their most powerful communication opportunity with a new employer...

It's a shame for them. But an advantage for us.

And now that you know what's possible... You have to chose for yourself which type of cover letter YOU will write.

Will you settle for the mundane average? Or will you go for the win?

THAT is what cover letters are all about.

Employers are always complaining that they cannot find qualified people.

In fact, 90% of recruiters say that the market is candidate driven. Meaning they think that candidates have almost all of the power in picking their jobs.[5]

And when they say this, they don't mean they're having trouble finding interns, or entry level workers, or temp workers.

There are plenty of people competing for those roles.

What they mean is that they have trouble finding qualified individuals who can execute on the High-Value Skills and Disciplines we talked about earlier.

And that lack isn't all imagined...

We have an oversupply of people who went to college to develop old world skills based on an outdated system of lifelong professions. And we also have a lack of people who have cross-discipline on the job skills that employers desperately need in the new world.

But the problem isn't simply a matter of a lack in qualified candidates. A BIG part of the problem has to do with communication.

There are plenty of perfectly capable people, who have trouble communicating their potential as well as their expertise. And because they lack a specific job title or a specific project in their past, employers simply don't notice them.

And, unfortunately, these individuals get overlooked for jobs they would be great at, simply because of the way they have been taught to communicate about themselves. And the irony is, they were taught to communicate this way in the hyper-inflated colleges they attended!

To combat this problem, we created The Language of Value Free Lecture Series. In it, we teach our students a step by step formula, which they use to win employers over. It's designed to prove to employers that you have the relevant experience they seek, regardless of what your previous job or project experience looks like on paper.

This technique solves the core of the communication problem, and if you think you would benefit from it, be sure to watch the entire series.

Given that we have a solution to the communication problem... Let's ignore it for a while, and focus on the other half of the problem - because understanding it will give you an unfair advantage in the job market.

Lack of Qualified Candidates

This complaint is true on multiple levels, and it's worth breaking down.

There is definitely a shortage in the upper end of the employment spectrum. For instance, once you get to the level of a director or an executive, and you have a good track record, you can practically waltz into the firm of your choice. Because you simply don't have very many competitors at that level.

Even when you become a professional with a few good years of experience under your belt, you'll get preferred over most other candidates who are trying to break into a role or switch industries.

And that's all because employers prefer to hire those who've had the same job, or a similar job previously.

It doesn't mean that others couldn't do the job. It's just that they see it as a bigger risk. They know it's more work to figure out if someone is a viable candidate or not if they haven't had the exact job before. And they also want to hire someone who has learned the hard lessons about their profession on someone else's dime.

We could go on and on about the rationale behind the title obsession. But the fact remains: employers go after those who've already done the exact work before and who've had the same or a similar title.

Obviously, the preference for exact title matches has some mathematical implications.

In fact simply due to the nature of the market, candidates with exact previous experience will always be only a fraction of the total talent pool. And because of this, employers will continue to complain about the market being candidate driven, while a few experienced players will continue to get their pick of all the jobs.

It's simply just human nature. It's not malicious. It's just the way people's mind works.

But you have to understand this, because the "must have previous X experience" obsession will also show you how employers judge your applications.

And understanding this will also reveal how they put disproportionate weight on WHERE you are applying from.

We call this judgement Insider Preference. And we are going to show you how to turn it to your advantage...

Taking Advantage of Insider Preference

Because all employers prefer industry insiders, and because the fastest way to find industry insiders is through networking with other insiders, the most effective way to find a job becomes networking.

Everyone knows this. And the numbers support it.

39.9% of hires are made through employee referral programs. Compared to that, only a meagre 14.9% actually come from job boards[9].

In other words, most new hires come from referrals. And not only that, a good chunk of employers prefer referrals over other candidates: 48% of businesses say their quality hires come from employee referrals[10].

Now... Given this reality, what can we do to get referrals? And if we can't, what can we do to make our applications resemble a referral, or engage the same psychology?

To be able to do that, we'll have to first discuss the hierarchy of referrals.

You see... Not every referral is equal. Some have a lot of weight. Others get barely noticed. This has to do with who is doing the referring...

How Referrals Rank

- Executive "Recommendation": This is when someone who either owns or runs the company "suggests" you for a job. It can also be an executive from another firm recommending you, as long as the recommendation is done above the head of HR. If it's a huge firm, it may not be a guaranteed hire, at least not right away. But in most cases, it is.

- Manager Referral: This is usually the best kind of referral a typical professional can get. It happens when a hiring manager or some other leader, who has the power to hire and fire people, recommends you for a role. The manager must be employed by the company you are targeting. If a manager at another firm simply contacts HR to put in a good word for you, it doesn't count.

- Warm Application: This is when you build a relationship with the hiring manager prior to applying to a job. We explain this method extensively in our Launch Your Career program and provide specific communication scripts for you to follow. 

Yes, warm applications take some planning, but they are completely worth it. And for people who don't have an established network, they are not only a life saver, but they are a dire necessity: The corporate game is played played at the level of warm applications or above.

- Headhunters: This is when a professional recruiter recommends you for a firm. The higher up in the company the headhunter can connect with, the better. As in, a headhunter who has executive access is better than one who has access only to managers. But even the one who works with HR can be effective. The benefit of using this method depends on the competence of the headhunter you are working with. Some will simply get your resume seen by the right people. Others will fight tooth and nail to get you in, and then, they will also negotiate a phenomenal compensation package on your behalf. They are worth every penny, if you can get one...

- Rank & File Employee Referrals: This is when a typical employee, without hiring/firing authority, refers you. Almost all of these have to go through HR. They are better than a typical job application, and are much more likely to generate an interview. At the very least, HR will actually pay attention to your application. In many cases, the hiring manager will pay attention as well. Unlike executive or manager referrals, however, this method will not compensate for a lack
in qualifications or experience.

- Cold Applications: This is when you apply through the front door. All of these go through HR. This is the type of application with the 98% rejection rate we talked about earlier.

As you can see, the higher up on the pyramid you can get, the higher your chances of being interviewed and hired.

Now... Let' clarify something.

If you don't have a network, any executive or managerial connections, or even a good line with a headhunter, does it mean that you are hopeless?

Not at all. You've simply got to begin where you are.

Just know you are far from hopeless, in fact...

Success Is Possible Regardless of Where You Start

A lot of highly successful professionals have started from scratch, with zero connections or a network. They were able to break into their industry, and make their way into highly desirable jobs through cold applications.

Yes, it takes a bit more work. Because it has some initial limitations.

And yes, you are going to need to send more applications than someone who has powerful network connections.

And you won't be able to directly apply to some of the most desirable jobs, because most of these live in the hidden job market and will rarely be posted. But that doesn't mean you can't access them.

You see... You can apply to one job, and during the course of the interview, pivot to another role or negotiate a transition or even a transfer. We playfully refer to this technique as the "bait and switch" tactic, and we walk through how to do it within Launch Your Career.

But don't be mislead by then name! This technique is not about playing dirty or manipulating an employer.

Remember: the whole job application process is one of mutual discovery, where both parties are trying to create the optimum professional relationship.

During the course of the interviews, if you discover that you can provide substantial more value to a firm, and that doing do, is the highest and best use of your time - you SHOULD GO FOR IT!

You'd be doing yourself, as well as the company, a great disservice if you held back and thought: "Well, this other job looks like it would be a much better fit, but I didn't apply for it, in fact, I didn't even know about it. So... I shouldn't really ask for it because it would be rude..."

Stop right there! That's flawed thinking!

It wouldn't be rude and it wouldn't be over-reaching.

It would simply be you being honest, by providing an employer with information, that they did not know about, which could benefit their company.

This is part of how you develop...

The Best Attitude For Job Applications

According to Forbes Magazine, the second top mistake candidates make when they hunt for jobs is not knowing their value to employers[11].

And this is critical to finding a high-value job!

Good employees are the lifeblood of modern business. They create a lot more value than they demand in compensation. And they fuel the engine of progress upon which our entire civilisation is built.

Once you see this... And once you realise how important an employee is from an employer's perspective, your behaviour starts to shift.

That shift is the key to unlocking job applications.

You aren't merely applying to a job and selling yourself, desperately going after anything and everything.

You offer a lot of value. And you will continue to offer a lot more value over time.

You are approaching a company, not to take, but to give and exchange a valuable service.

The issue that can stand in the way is communication.

In order to give employers what they want, you have to first understand what it is they actually need from you.

Not what universities tell you they need. Not what your friends and family speculate they need. Not what you imagine they need...

You need to know what employers actually say they need. (i.e. The Five Core Skills And Seven High-Value Disciplines)

And then, you need to know how to communicate the fact that you can provide these needs in an effective way so that they realise your value. (i.e. The Language of Value)

In order to do this, you need to first see the job they need done from their point of view.

What specific problems do they need solved?

What responsibilities do they need you to take over?

What are their actual problems and challenges?

Forget the useless requirements written on their job description - like "7 years of Microsoft XYZ Experience". Instead, figure out what it is they actually want you to do with Microsoft XYZ.

Why are they asking for it? That's what matters.

Once you understand that, and once you figure out how you can satisfy their need, you will discover your actual value in their eyes.

And communicating THAT to an employer is the master key to a successful application.

The rest of it: resumes, cover letters, referrals, LinkedIn, applications, etc... They are mere tools to communicate THAT.

A lot is written about interviews.

From click-bait articles with titles like "7 Sentences That Make or Break Interviews", to long lists of "dos and don'ts" gathered together into thick books, and now the 226 million videos that show up online when you type the keyword "job interview"...

There is a VAST amount of content on this subject online.

In fact, you couldn't go through all that content in an entire lifetime, even if you did nothing else but read and watched material on job interviews!

This is an important point...

You have limited time to learn about these things, and you've got to make it count.

Which means, you need to make sure that you go through the RIGHT material!

You want to learn from the right sources and follow the right advice, so that it actually helps you and gets you high-value jobs.

Following wrong advice in the form of outdated tips and hyped up articles would waste your time at best, and cost you a job, at worst.

To help you learn the right material, and to inoculate you against the wrong ones, we realized that the best thing we can do is to teach you the three core principles behind c
onducting an awesome interview.

When you understand these principles, you'll be able to instantly see what out there is useful, and what is garbage.

And not just that, you'll then be able to prepare for, and navigate, most job interviews to success.

These three principles will be the foundation of your interviewing skills.

That is another important point...

Interviewing is not something you memorise and learn. It's a skill. In fact, it's a performance!

Understanding interviews intellectually is only the start. You also need to practice. In this sense, it's just like sales. The more you do it, the better you get at it.

That's why we highly recommend you conduct prep interviews. In fact, we regularly train our students with mock interviews, especially when they go after high profile roles.

You can investigate this here.

At the very least, you should at least get a friend to ask you a couple of questions before a key job interview.

And if nothing else, you should get in front of the mirror and practice answering questions.

You'll thank us for it!

Also... You'll understand the value of this technique, as soon as we go over the three principles below...

**Sidenote: By the way, these principles apply to phone interviews, video interviews, face to face interviews, panel interviews or any other kind of interview you can imagine. The form of the interview is less important, it's the essence we care about.

Principle 1 - Learn to See The Real Question

Behind every interview question there is a deeper question or a motive.

For instance, when they ask you "Are you a team player", they aren't really asking if you enjoy working with teams or if you play sports.

The deeper question they want answered is "can you get along with people". What they really mean is "Can we tolerate working with you?" or "Are you a trouble maker?" or "Will you do your part and carry your weight?".

Of course, it would not only be blunt, but also ineffective to ask these questions point blank.

This is why industrial psychologists and savvy HR departments have invented all sorts of roundabout ways to ask these questions and discover your true answer.

They ask you to tell stories. They give you behavioural interview questions to assess your values. They make seemingly casual, but well rehearsed, comments while they walk with you to your interview room in order to see how you react. They ask the wait staff at the restaurant where you have your lunch interview to screw up your order, just to see how you handle the situation. They even distract you by playing video games while asking you innocent seeming questions which test your work ethic.

The variations are endless...

And while you should be on your toes and assume that everything you do during the course of the interview is part of the interview, the truth is, there is no way to predict and prepare for all the possible angles a clever interviewer can come up with.

You shouldn't even try!

Unlike most amateurs, who try to prepare for everything by learning all sorts of interview questions and memorising their answers, you don't want to waste your limited time on things that are random and unpredictable. You don't know what questions they are going to ask.

This is why you need to get to the core of the issue: What is it that they are actually trying to find out about you?

That's the root of all their questions. And that's what you want to answer.

Here's how it works:

With technical interviews or questions that require the use or demonstration of a specific skill, it's simple. They are trying to see if you can get the job done.

You either know what you are doing and can answer the question, or you lack the skill and you are out of luck. There is no wiggle room.

However, these straightforward questions are usually only a small portion of your interview.

In fact, in many organisations, by the time you get to the face-to-face interview, they will have already assessed your skills and be feeling confident that you can do the job. At that point, rather than testing your hard skills, they will be more concerned with whether you'll be a good personality fit for the company.

And this is a very important concept to consider when answering questions.

For instance, when they ask you about a past project, do they really want to hear about which skills you used? Or do they instead want to find out if you fold under pressure?

Or do they want to learn how big of a team you led? (Because the job is a managerial job and they are trying to asses your status)

Usually, what they really want is what's most relevant to the job you are applying for, and you should calibrate your answers accordingly.

And in case it's not that clear, pay attention to the way the question is asked. Interviewers will often telegraph what they really want to find out, in the way they ask their questions.

Just think of the difference been asking you "tell me about your last technically challenging project" vs. "describe the last project where you had tough deadlines" vs. "what's the largest project you've led".

Here, for instance...

"Tell me about your last technically challenging project": It's a qualification question. Wants to learn about your technical skills.

"Describe the last project where you had tough deadlines": It's a fit question. Wants to find out your commitment to the team, and your work ethic.

"What's the largest project you've led": It's a status question. Wants to know if you can wear the hat required for the job at hand.

Just like this, with every question, they are always trying to get to something specific. And they telegraph it in the way they ask it.

In fact, usually they don't only do  it with single questions. They do it with every sequence of questions. And if you can pay attention, you can see what they are trying to get at.

Example:

Asking you "tell us about a time where you missed a deadline", following it up with "describe the last project where you had unrealistic requirements", and following that with "tell me about a time where you disagreed with your boss" - these questions all revolve around how you handle conflict with authority. What they really want to know is: "Do you take responsibility or blame others?", "Are you proactive in preventing failure?", "Can you be honest and civil with your boss at all times?" - and ultimately: "Do you know, and can you work with, your place in the pecking order?"

You want to learn how to perceive the deeper question.

Always think about the deeper question behind the question relative to the job requirements and the context of the previous questions.

Ask yourself, "What are they really asking?". And then, answer that.

This not only makes your answers spot on, but it also helps in building rapport.

When people feel understood, and can communicate effectively, they tend to like one another.

And, as our next principle will explain, this is very important!

It is almost as important as giving the right answer. In fact, some would argue, even more so...

Principle 2 - A Picture Says A Thousand Words

As we've mentioned in the part about cover letters, the human mind cannot function separate from emotion.

Emotions influence our perceptions and modify what we pay attention to.

And when it comes to interviews, most minds are not just influenced, but are completely ruled by emotions.

In fact, how an employer "feels" about you is usually the ONLY metric used to gauge whether you are a good fit or not!

Now... While the specific answers you give do make a difference in how employers feel about you, it's only a tiny difference.

In fact, the majority of their opinion is shaped by your non-verbals.

Chances are, you've already heard that only 7% of communication
is verbal, while 93% is non-verbal. And that's exactly what's going on during interviews.

The overwhelming majority of their feelings about you is shaped by your body language and the way you speak.

From your posture and mannerisms, to your voice tone and your eye contact... From the chosen topics of conversation to the type of clothes you wear... All of these give an insight into where you belong.

And employers are desperately curious to find out, if you belong with them...

In fact, that's really what they mean when they talk about "fit". Fit means: "Do you belong with us?".

Or as far as the primate brain is concerned, "fit" means: "Are you a match for our social class, or are you of a lower class who we shouldn't associate with?")

The reality is, these types of thoughts are constantly going through their mind:

"Are you who you say you are?", "Was it a mistake to bring you over?", "Are we smart for calling you?", "Do you deserve to be one of us?"...

These types of concerns are their BIGGEST concerns, and they are as important, if not more important than your ability to do the job.

The trick is: Most of it is unconscious... They wouldn't verbalise it. And if they could, many except the least agreeable people would feel bad about it.

Remember: Most people are not as shallow and condescending. They aren't this ruthless and constantly, consciously obsessed with their social standing. But their primate brains are built that way...

This is why, you need to learn how to deal with them.

And you deal with them primarily using non-verbal signals. After all, the first primates evolved over 50 MILLION years ago, and ever since that day, we've communicated and organised our social structures using body language as our main mode of communication. The earliest evidence for language dates 200,000 years ago, which is essentially a drop in the bucket compared to the vast history of body language.

Meaning: Body language is significantly more powerful in communication, especially when you're dealing with the reflexive thoughts of the primate brain, such as the thoughts that occur when people try to answer questions like "Can I trust this candidate?" or "Can this person actually do the job without causing me too much of a headache?".

Now... To teach you this non-verbal communication, let's demonstrate it with a visual example.

Take a look at the two candidates below. Which one would you rather hire? A or B?

The answer is obvious.

No one in their right mind would go for A.

That slouch. Those downcast fleeing eyes. The bored facial expression.

You can literally see "disdain for work" when you look at him!

Why would anyone hire that guy?

For Candidate A, it doesn't matter what he says. His body language is screaming "I don't want to work". Game over.

Compared to that, Candidate B looks into your eyes, smiles, and projects an aura of confidence and friendliness. It would be easy, in fact natural, to build good rapport with him during an interview.

And his energy reads: "I'm ready for whatever you need!"

Understanding this distinction in how you present yourself is critical to you winning the interview.

You don't want to come across stiff, overly rehearsed or artificial.

But you do want to pay attention to how you are presenting, and think about your non-verbals in an interview.

And as with everything related to developing a skill... Practice makes perfect.

We recommend you conduct a mock interview with a friend, and record the interaction. In fact, that's exactly what we do with our top students.

After it's done, you want to watch the whole thing with the audio turned off.

Pay attention to the way you look.

How does it make you feel? Does this look like a competent professional who is worth our hard earned cash?

Would you trust that person or want to be associated with them?

Standing side by side, would they make you look good or tarnish your reputation?

These are the types of questions which determine how people "feel" about a candidate. That's how they settle on a sense of "good fit".

Don't get distracted by the professional language or the formal presentation that most corporations project.

Beneath the veneer, they are all typical humans with little control over their thoughts or emotions. Primate to their core, they are swayed with an upright posture, a confident gaze and a warm smile...

Principle 3 - One Size Doesn't Fit All

So far we've seen that we have to:

◆ Answer the questions behind their questions. 

◆ Build rapport (by appearing friendly, warm, likeable, etc.).

◆ Project confidence (sit straight, smile, make good eye contact, etc.)

These are the basics.

They apply to all types of interviews. And they work on all types of people.

But that doesn't mean this is ALL there is to interviews. Far from it!

These universal basics we shared with you are akin to breathing - that's where the game starts. And you need to handle these universal basics to get a decent job, maybe even a good job.

But to win a high-value job, just breathing is not enough.

Just like how you have to learn how to properly breathe to run a sprint, to nail an interview for high-value job, you can't be just a good fit. You have to be the best fit.

And how you do that varies from job to job, as well as from interviewer to interviewer.

This is yet another important concept...

You see... Just as all jobs are not the same, all interviewers are not the same.

Some people are very up-tight and they care about attention to detail.

Others are very laid back and they thrive in chaos.

Some want to make sure that you're going to carry your own weight and not cause them more work.

Others are obsessed with competition and want to know that you are not a contender for their next promotion.

Some are very outgoing and they want to see that you can speak your mind easily.

And others are obsessed with social causes and fairness, and will wonder if you'll bring out the best in others.

These, and several other differences like these, are profoundly important when it comes to interviews.

Part of developing the interviewing skill is understanding these varied perspectives, and then, communicating to individuals in the best way they respond to.

By the way, this doesn't mean you have to change your story or twist your answers disingenuously.

It simply means, you cater to the individual in the way you communicate so that they understand you better.

You show them that you consider their perspective, their needs, and their priorities when formulating the answers to their questions.

When you do that, you not only build instant and deep rapport, but you also get the opportunity to outshine your competition as the candidate who "gets it".

That's how you truly crush interviews for high-value positions: They feel that you "get it". And they get excited to have you on board.

Obviously, mapping the personality differences between individuals is a deep and complex subject.

Without teaching you our whole system (which, without a doubt you should learn) the most practical tip we can give you is this:

Put yourself
in their shoes.

Think about what their job is and consider their responsibilities.

This will give you an idea about their priorities and help you see their perspective.

And if you are attentive, it will even allow you to develop some empathy, which goes a long way in communication.

Ultimately, considering their perspective will help you give more effective answers.

That being said, it's only scratching the surface...

We take this concept further, and use a framework to categorise people based on their role in the company as well as their personality type (as described by the Keirsey Temperament Sorter).

This framework allows us to pinpoint the subconscious expectations of each interviewer, and shape our answers in a way that builds maximum rapport.

While the theory behind it is complex, it's a deceptively simple technique to execute - you just have to follow a four step checklist when giving your answers, and it quickly becomes second nature.

If you want to learn about this framework, and see how to communicate with individuals using their personality type, take our Launch Your Career program and look into our videos on Interview Conduct.

Learning this framework is not only great for having stellar interviews, but it's also extremely helpful in communication and leadership. It's a must know technique for top professionals.

The sooner you learn it, the better you'll do...

Job negotiations are straightforward.

You just need to learn a couple of rules, and master a handful of negotiation gambits.

That's because job negotiations are, by and large, very predictable. In fact, all negotiations are predictable.

Roger Dawson hammers on this point in his excellent book "Secrets of Power Negotiating". But here we'll just do it once:

Every negotiation you can imagine, especially every job negotiation you can imagine, is predictable. And if you know the negotiation positions of the parties involved, and understand what you can ask for, and understand their predictable responses to your asks, then you'll know exactly what to say and what to do in order to maximise the probability that you get your way.

In other words, when you know the variables you have to play with, you can hijack and start controlling the negotiation.

Fortunately, when it comes to job negotiations, there really aren't that many variables. But there still are a few interesting things you can ask for. Let's review some options:

More salary. More bonuses and options. Bigger benefits. More vacation. A better title. A few days guaranteed work from home. Relocation expenses. A company car. And at the higher end, you can maybe ask for a few extra things like shares in the firm, a big expense account, an internship for your nephew, IP ownership of your work, and contingency contracts (i.e. golden parachutes).

And that's pretty much it.

This is why, compared to what real negotiators do, like mergers and acquisitions attorneys, or hostage negotiators - job negotiations are child's play!

Unfortunately, the majority of professionals, including the highly paid ones, habitually under-negotiate!

They simply don't ask. And the ones that do hardly ever ask the right way, or for the right things.

Now... We could give you all our negotiations scripts, and even teach you all our negotiation tactics over the course of just a few hours. And that would provide you the perfect thing to say in every position.

But before we can even attempt to do that, we have two very important things to cover first.

We need to get you riled up and into the right mindset, so that when you ask, you ask for more, regardless of your feelings in the moment.We need to teach you the most powerful key to making any ask.

Knowing these two things, you will still be able to negotiate, even if you don't know all the negotiation positions and their scripted responses.

1. The Right Negotiation Mindset

If you are not in the right mindset, you're not going to be able to negotiate right.

And in order to get yourself into the right mindset, you have to engage your imagination...

To understand this, try out the following visualisation...

Really try to step into this, feel how you would really feel if you were in this situation.

It really helps if you picture your co-workers or boss when you think of the following:

OK, you are working in an office, where you have a satisfying job and a title that you are proud of.

You enjoy your work. You use your strengths every day. The problems you work on are interesting problems, and your voice is recognised and respected among your team. The atmosphere is friendly, and most days, you get to the office with a smile on your face.

Your team is supportive. Your boss is friendly. And it's quite relaxed, no one cares if you're late once in a while, or if you have to head out early on occasion.

As long as you get your work done, everyone is getting along swimmingly.

Now... In this job, you happen to be making $65k per year. (Note - if the numbers are too little for what you earn right now, double them...)

And let's say it was the most you ever made as a salary...

How does it feel to have this job? And more specifically, how does it feel to have this pay?

Do you think it's a fair years pay for a fair years work?

Well. To answer that, let's say the industry average for your title was $61k? And you are making about $4k above average.

Does it feel like it's a fair years pay for a fair years work now? Is it a good deal?

Chances are, you would feel like it was a good deal. After all, the average human considers average, or even better, slightly above average to be fair.

Moreover, it's a job that makes you happy, and you enjoy your job. Not bad at all...

However...

What if you learned that the guy who sits next to you - someone who has the same title and same years of experience and does practically the same job as you - was raking in $95k?

Would you still feel like you were getting a good deal?

Or would it start to bother you when you saw him leave early on a Friday to start his weekend ski trip?

Chances are, it WOULD bother you.

Or even worse... What if you accidentally discovered that your boss, someone who oversees only a small team of four people, and who is only a few years more experienced than you, and whose job you know you
could do; what if she was making $365k per year?

Would you still feel like you were getting a good deal?

Again, chances are you would think you were being underpaid.

You see... It doesn't matter why your colleague is making ~50% more than you do, and whether there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for it.

And it doesn't matter if your boss' earnings are perfectly justified due to legal or supply/demand reasons.

As far as our emotions are concerned, when you are putting in X hours of your life, and working just as hard as they are...

Why should your time be less valuable than theirs?

You may be trying to think about this logically, and you may understand the rules of free markets, and the notion of supply and demand, and the concept of hierarchy of productive value; but your brain doesn't care about any of these concepts.

And this is an important thing to understand...

We are wired to refuse what we perceive to be unfair pay.

In fact, we know through substantial research that we have an ingrained sense of fairness, that is so deeply rooted in our evolution that we can even observe it in monkeys.

Yes, even monkeys refuse unequal pay![12]

You see... When you train two monkeys to do a simple task, like picking up a pebble and putting it through a slot, where they are rewarded each time with a cucumber slice, they both happily comply with their tasks and eat their treats.

But when you start giving one of the monkeys a grape (a more desirable treat due to the sugar content), while you continue to give the other one a cucumber, all hell breaks lose!

As soon as the monkey with the cucumber sees the other monkey receiving a grape for the same task, it gets angry. It starts to make aggressive gestures. And it even hurls its cucumber treat back to the scientist in protest.

That is some deep rooted sense of social justice!

And it doesn't matter how self-aware we are or how evolved we claim our consciousness is.

When we are on the bitter end of a pay disparity, we also feel like that monkey and we protest!

So... What does this have to do with your job negotiation?

It has everything to do with it!

You see... To maximise your career, your whole brain needs to be on board with your job.

You can't secretly, or silently, despise your situation and expect to perform.

You also have to be, emotionally speaking, in a good place and feel that you are getting - at least - a fair deal with your employer. That's the only way you can create more value and maximise your potential.

And when it comes to compensation, the best way to guarantee it is to negotiate the best you can, and therefore be paid the maximum the company can afford for your position.

That way, you'll know you are getting much better than a fair deal, and you'll work towards being much better than a fair employee.

2. The Key To Making a Successful Ask

There is a right time and a right way to make every ask.

We explain all the intricacies of what number to ask for, when to ask for it, and what to say when you ask for it in our Launch Your Career program.

If you want to learn how to get the best deal, go through our program.

Alternatively, there are a number of exceptional negotiation books on Amazon written by very talented professional negotiators. We highly recommend reading their works as you develop your career, not just to boost your compensation, but to develop professionally. Even though their focus isn't professional development, they still teach techniques which you can use in job negotiations.

But ultimately, it doesn't matter who you learn from. From sales professionals to top negotiators to our faculty, we all agree on one thing:

You have to learn how to ask the right way.

And one of the most powerful tools in asking the right way comes from Robert Cialdini.

In his famous book Influence, Cialdini explains a study conducted on people waiting in lines in front of copy machines which demonstrates this principle.

The experimenters would approach the line and ask to cut in front, using one of three sentences:

- "Can I cut in front of line?"- "Can I cut in front of line, because I’m running late for a meeting?"- "Can I cut in front of the line, because I need to make some copies?"

What is remarkable is that, while the first question got somewhere around a 30% acceptance rate, the second one got 97% compliance, and the third got an incredible a 93% compliance!

This means that just giving a reason to justify your ask more than triples the compliance rate!

And it only made a 4% difference if the justification made any rational sense.

Think about it...

Does "cutting in front of line because you need to make some copies" sound like a reasonable ask?

No. Not at all! Everyone there needs to make some copies.

This has profound implications in your job negotiations.

When you make an ask, make sure that you follow it up with a reason.

It doesn't matter if the reason is a great one or not. Sure, the better the reason, the better your chances, but only marginally.

You just want to ask.

For instance, don't say "I was expecting this to be more like $70k per year". Instead, say "I was expecting this to be more like $70k per year because I just bought a new house".

Or don't say "I'd like to work two days out of the month from home". Say, "I'd like to work two days out of the month from home because we are having a baby".

Again, it doesn't matter if it's a good reason or not.

What matters is that you are giving their brain an excuse to justify a decision they already want to make.

Remember this: with the majority of job negotiations, it's not their money, their business or their invention.

Most hiring managers are hired guns. They are professionals, not entrepreneurs.

And they just want the same things you want: Less conflict. Amicable relationships with co-workers. Happy employees that don't cause trouble. More social currency acquired by doing favors to people in their network.

This means, they WANT to give you what you want, if they can get away with it and if they can justify it.

OK. So, what about...

a. What if they ask for your salary expectations BEFORE they give you an offer, what should you say?b. What if they say the salary is fixed and there is no room?c. What if the person I'm negotiating with is HR and doesn't really have authority?

These types of details are important. And they each have elegant solutions.

Go through Launch Your Career to find the answers. We cover all of that and much more...

There is a vast difference between a job and a career...

A job is a contract where you are exchanging your time for money. The more time you spend doing a job, the better you get at it (theoretically speaking).

But it doesn’t necessarily give you more career options or open new doors. It just means that you are getting paid - and you have to get paid, after all, you need money to survive. It's not an option.

The issue is, when you exchange your time for money through a job, you're not only exchanging your most valuable and scarce asset (time) for something of relative value (money), but you're also working to help someone else realise their dream at the expense of your own.

That breeds resentment...

In fact, according to a Gallup poll from nearly 200 countries, 85% of workers say - when surveyed anonymously - that they hate their jobs.[16]

What's worse is that, according to the same study, about a third of all workers despised their jobs. Meaning: they hate what they do, hate their co-workers, hate their subordinates, and they actively undermine the corporations they work for!

What's interesting is that, there is a reason for it all.

These people have jobs, not careers.

When you have a job without a career, you feel like an indentured servant. It's just like being a slave.

In fact, by some standards, it's worse than being a slave...

If our great grandfathers were asked to work for wages without any ownership in a firm, they would laugh at you!

And they would say:

You mean you want me to toil for you and work for you. But you won't house me, feed me, take care of my children, take care of me when I can no longer work, and you can let me go anytime you want? That's worse than being a slave! Why would I ever do that?

The problem is... Modern people do it, because they don't have other options. Or at least, they think they don't...

And that's because they don't realise that they can have a career, instead of a job, and free themselves from wage slavery.

Let's break down the difference between a job and a career to make this more clear:

For instance, if someone hires you as a basket weaver, and all you do is weave baskets, you’d have a job.

And if you worked ten years at that job, you’d be great at weaving baskets.

But you probably wouldn’t be good at much else… And even if you were, it wouldn't matter, because you couldn’t easily prove it to new employers.

And that doesn't cut it if you want to build a career.

A career is MUCH more than just a job. When you work in a career, it not only helps your employer achieve their dreams, but it also helps you to achieve your dreams.

When you have a career, you not only have a job, but you also get paid to invest in yourself. Every day you spend in a career makes you more valuable and more employable.

You get to learn new skills, take on new projects and develop new relationships. All of which opens new doors and boosts your pay-grade.

For instance, in your job as a basket weaver, if you also wrote about baskets on social media, sold baskets to customers over the phone, and trained other basket weavers; you’d have a career.

And because you had a career, you wouldn’t be limited to another basket weaving job after that one. You could take your experience anywhere from marketing to sales, from training to executive leadership.

That’s the power of a career. It gives you both flexibility and upward mobility. It makes you an asset.

In order to make sure that your job also becomes a stepping stone in your career, ask yourself the following questions:

Is this going to give me marketable experiences?Is there a promotion path at this firm, or in a related sector of industry?Will this help me develop new relationships or increase my social capital?

In other words: Is this job an investment in my future?

Now... Ideally you should pick roles that have good answers to these questions, and you'll be able to build an enviable career.

But what if your next step is a step you are forced to take due to circumstances?

Or what if your previous experience and track record doesn't really help you in getting a new high-value job or in building a powerful career?

We All Have To Start From Where We Are

Don't let these limitations become excuses for inaction.

From getting a new job with zero prior experience to connecting with high-value employers when you have no network; every career problem you can imagine or anticipate has a solution.

This really is not rocket science! Others have gone through and have overcome these challenges. And they have collected their experience and their expertise into actionable teaching.

There is no reason why you can't learn how others have done it, so that you can do it too.

For instance, when it comes to transforming a job into a stepping stone on your career, we teach a technique that lets you turn your unrelated experiences into a compelling career narrative.

It doesn't matter what your previous titles were or what level of experience you've had.

What matters is HOW you tell that story.

Did you get a job because there was no one else who would hire you? That is be a bad career narrative.

Did you pick a job specifically because you wanted to work with someone? Or because you wanted to learn something? That's a much better career narrative.

The story you tell has a profound impact on the way your professional value gets assessed. After all, humans not only think in and remember stories, but we also relate to stories.

This is why we help our students craft career narratives using archetypal stories. This way, their stories resonate with our subconscious and imply very high-value. And employers respond to it.

You can learn how to do this in our Launch Your Career program, where we walk you through picking and telling the best career story for your goals.

Remember: The jobs you put on your resume must to tell a story. And it needs to be a story that high-value employers want to be a part of.

If you don't craft that story for them, they'll do it for you. And you can bet that their version of your story will serve them, and only them.

But when you craft your story ahead of time, and learn how to deliver it in your applications and conversation, you get to dictate your future.

This is a profoundly powerful technique that not only sets you apart, but it also helps you get honest with yourself and inject meaning into your career.

Here's how you get started...

Wherever you are in your career, think about this:

Are you experiencing the highest and best use of your time?

If not, you've got work to do.

We can help you with the strategy part of it.

We can also teach you powerful career skills so that you can master your professional communications and personal branding.

But you have to take action, raise your standards, and go after high goals.

As we say to our students: The professional world is not only here for your taking, but it's here to be shaped by your design.

Claim your career now, and don't deprive humanity of your gifts.

You have a lot to offer.

Legal Disclaimer

The job titles, salaries and accomplishments we describe are either personal achievements of our instructors or members of our network. Please understand our results are not typical, and we’re not implying you’ll duplicate them. We have the benefit of decades of experience and have an established network. The average person who buys any “how to” information gets little to no results. We’re using all references to success for example and motivational purposes only. Your results will vary and depend on many factors, including but not limited to your experience, background, abilities and most importantly, your work ethic. Professional success demands massive, consistent effort and action. If you’re not up to it, please DO NOT CONSUME OUR CONTENT. Please note that any content on this page, and any other information you can access through this page, is not a part of or affiliated with any website or app that links to this page, or displays advertisements for this page. We are not affiliated with Facebook, Google, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn or any other online platforms, and the information presented on this page, or any other page accessed through this page, should not be interpreted as an endorsement by any such third parties. Career Insiders is dedicated to helping ambitious professionals achieve their career goals, and we do our best to present you with up to date and effective information and guidance. But we take no responsibility for your results, or lack there of, or any other consequences you experience after consuming our content. If you need specific advice, please seek a professional who is licensed or knowledgeable in that area. The information on this website, or any information you can access through this website, is not to be interpreted or construed as therapy or psychiatric, legal, medical, financial, professional, psychological, personal or tax advice. Seek professional advice where appropriate. Consume our content for purely entertainment and motivation purposes. Read our full Terms of Service for more details. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.