How to get
a job.
Most job search advice is either a listicle or the top of a sales funnel. This is the process I’d hand a friend who just lost their job: what to do, in what order, and what to say, with clips from the recruiters, executives and authors who’ve watched thousands of searches from the hiring side.
Written for people who work at desks: tech, product, design, engineering, marketing, operations, finance.
The steps
- 01Laid off? Reset firstOptionalTake a few days before you start. Not a month. The search will run for months, and you want to start it with a clear head.2 to 7 days
- 02Build your point of view and your storyBefore you talk to anyone, work out what your target companies need, and write the true version of your story that makes you the answer.4 hours to 3 days
- 03Make your resume back up the storyYour resume is evidence for the story you just wrote. Most resumes fail in the same few ways. Here they are, each with its own link.Half a day for the base version
- 04Network your way inApplying online is a lottery with unlimited tickets. Conversations are how you actually apply. Here’s how to have a lot of them, and how each one leads to two more.Most of your search
- 05Turn conversations into applicationsBetween a good conversation and an interview sit a handful of small steps people fumble. The referral, the tailored application, the tracker and the recruiter screen.About 30 minutes per application
- 06Interview like you practiced, because you didInterviewing is a learnable test. The people who practice out loud do well again and again. Here’s how to prepare, how to answer, and how to come across.2 to 20+ hours per round
- 07Negotiate the offer, then close the loopThe moment they make an offer, the power shifts to you. Use it calmly: find out what can move, ask once across everything, and leave every company glad they met you.A few days to a week
Guides and templates
The short version
- 01
If you were laid off, take a few days, never more than a week, to reset before you start.
- 02
Before you contact anyone, write down what your target companies need and a one-sentence story about why you’re the answer.
- 03
Rewrite your resume so a stranger skimming for ten seconds knows what you’re for and sees the proof.
- 04
Talk to people, starting with the ones who like you. End every conversation with a specific ask, and make every intro effortless with a forwardable blurb.
- 05
Ask for the referral, tailor each application to what the company needs right now, track everything, and treat the recruiter screen as an audition you have to pass.
- 06
Over-prepare, practice out loud, lead every answer with the result, and leave every interviewer wanting to work with you.
- 07
Once there’s an offer, negotiate warmly but firmly on the phone, make one clear final ask, then thank everyone who helped you get there.
How to use it
Do it in order
Each step makes the next one easier. The most common mistake is jumping straight to networking or applications before you can say, in a sentence, what you’re for.
Watch the clips
Every clip is queued to the moment that matters, usually under two minutes. They come from long-form podcasts, so keep watching if one grabs you.
Link the parts you need
Every section has a permanent link. Hover a heading and click # to copy it, then paste it into a Reddit reply, a Slack DM or a note to a friend.
Give it to your AI
The whole course is one Markdown file. Paste the link into ChatGPT or Claude and ask it to coach you through your own search.
https://howtogetajob.tech/course.mdWho you’ll hear from
Gayle Laakmann McDowell · Mike Curti · Robert Hamilton · Ben Erez · Anneli Scopazzi · Ethan Evans · Phyl Terry · Josh Doody · Aakash Gupta · Lauren Ipsen · Ada Chen Rekhi · Marc Baselga · Eric Posen · Jules Walter · Sam Lessin · Andrew Yeung · Nickey Skarstad · Shobhit Chugh · Alex Rechevskiy · Diego Granados · Bart Jaworski · Chris Lee · Bob Moesta · Deb Liu