is the job description beating you?

I don’t want you to show up to a job description and blend in with everyone else. Here’s what I’d do if I came across a role (and what I’m coaching folks on right now) 👇🏼

Crafting the sword to slay the hiring dragons.

I’m done with folks showing up to job descriptions (JD) and not knowing what route to run. As soon as you’ve read the JD, I want you to craft a beautiful sword to slay every opponent and hiring dragons in which you have to scrabble through to land this role.

So, how do you craft this mythical sword?

#1 - What one piece of the job description lights you on fire? You could rant about this for ten minutes (without a script), already have an idea on how to solve this, and could connect it back to their business?

#2 - Can you get a referral in 48 hours? If so, work that angle. Because you have #1 as your handle now, it’s about getting in front of the right people. If not, apply to the role if it’s been posted for less than 72 hours.

I’ll let you be the judge of the volume the role is getting. You’re not out of the game if you’re 3-5 days late, but it’s a massive dragon you’ll have to slay and people to trample if you want to get back on top.

#3 - If you could package this idea for the role into 2-3 pages (PDF), what would you sell to this hiring team? Here are a few questions to answer (first bullet is most important and where you should be extreme)…

• What I see as your team’s biggest unlock.

• What I’ve built that proves I can help.

• What else I bring to the table that you won’t find on a resume.

#4 - Who can you get this solution to? Go full Sherlock Holmes here… who’s part of the hiring team? Who probably works close to the role? What’s their email? Are they active on LinkedIn? Do they post content? Where could you engage?

Ps… if you don’t see #1, move on. You don’t have the tools to build the sword yet.

And lastly… how will you show them this sword you have? This solution speaks exactly the the role and what the business needs to move forward.

You don’t do this for every single role. You do this occasionally, and if you’re in the later stages of their process, and want to make your mark.

The information you gain from people in the role or at the company is armor to fight off dragons in the search as you go forward.

This armor lets you ask better questions and build a stronger sword.

Questions I’d ask you for each job description…

• What bullet point is a distraction for their team and has been disguised as a priority?

• Who do I know who does this work extremely well? What did I learn from them?

• What if you read the job description like you were always on offense?

#PrescribedByDx

Connect with the job seeker who is in the same lane as you. It pays to have people fighting for the same goal around you. There’s power in friendly competition, and you’ll create a lifelong advocate.

I’m deep in 1:1 coaching with folks looking for these roles right now, let me know if you need support on your mission or want to see the top talent I’m working with!

1. Senior Backend Engineer (Global Hiring Required)

2. Social Media Manager / Digital Communications Director

3. Healthcare Program Manager / Project Management

4. Technical Program Manager (TPM) / Data Scientist

Before you leave…

If you were laid off this week or know someone who was, send this email to them or reach out to me. Happy to spend time with folks and talk best next steps.

Let’s do it. 

Dominic

Ps… didn’t know founders had such messed up tech stacks, I’ll be watching out for this as we grow.

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