All posts

Each week in my newsletter, Jobseeking Is Hard , I break down real resume and LinkedIn strategies that are actually helping clients move forward. Not theory. Not generic advice. Practical changes that lead to interviews, offers, and clearer momentum. As January approaches, a lot of jobseekers feel the urge to start over. New resume. New LinkedIn headline. New strategy. But when you look at what actually helps people land interviews and offers, the changes are usually less ab

I share a lot of resume advice. On LinkedIn. In the newsletter. In client reviews. And all of it comes from the same place: real client work. Nothing below is hypothetical. These are the exact patterns we’ve seen over the past few months when resumes weren’t getting traction, and the specific adjustments that helped clients pivot industries, level up, and start landing interviews again. If your resume feels “fine” but isn’t opening doors, there’s a good chance one or more of

Inspired by a client success story shared in Jobseeking Is Hard, Issue #163 If you’re qualified for the roles you’re applying to but still not getting traction, the problem might not be your background…it might be your presentation. In today’s market, competitive roles attract overwhelming applicant volume. Recruiters aren’t reading every line of your resume. They’re trying to understand your fit within seconds. If your value isn’t immediately visible, it gets lost fast. That

Inspired by a real client success story shared in Jobseeking Is Hard, Issue #162 If your resume isn’t getting you the traction you want, the issue usually isn’t your experience…it’s which parts of your experience you’re choosing to spotlight. A resume’s job is to show your relevance quickly. When it doesn’t do that, even the strongest background gets lost in the noise. A recent resume client came in after leaving a role that completely burned them out. They wanted a healthier

Inspired by a real client success story shared in Jobseeking Is Hard, Issue #160 If you’re aiming for senior-level roles but not hearing back, there’s a good chance the problem isn’t your background…it’s how your resume presents it. Many people who want bigger titles already have the experience. The issue is that their resume doesn’t show their relevance for the roles they want. A resume needs to show how you’ve operated based on the roles you’re targeting, not just what your

Inspired by a real client success story shared in Jobseeking Is Hard, Issue #159 Pivoting into a new industry but not getting interviews? It’s probably the resume, not your background. Most people trying to make a career pivot think their resume should just list their experience and hope the reader “gets it.” Others go the opposite route and use a functional format that focuses on skills instead of experience. Both approaches fall flat. They don’t show value or relevance. A r

Last week, I got a message from someone who’d applied to over 1,000 jobs without luck. They told me they saw one of my posts, reworked their resume using the advice, and finally landed their first job offer, an entry-level role they were excited about. That’s why I share this stuff. It’s not theoretical. Every tip below comes from real client work...the same strategies that turned “no interviews” into job offers, salary bumps, and successful career pivots. These aren’t hypoth

Inspired by a real client success story shared in Jobseeking Is Hard, Issue #157 A resume can have all the right keywords and still get ignored. That’s because keywords don’t prove anything on their own. Recruiters aren’t hiring words. They’re hiring evidence. A lot of resumes are just lists of duties or keywords. The problem is that duties and titles mean different things at different companies. A recruiter might see familiar words but still have no idea whether your experie

Inspired by a real client success story shared in Jobseeking Is Hard, Issue #156 Resumes aren’t job descriptions. A client I worked with had a resume packed with phrases like “managed a program,” “led an initiative,” and “updated processes.” It all sounded busy, but it didn’t actually tell the reader what happened or how. Lines like “led technology transfer discussions” or “developed and managed project plans” looked fine at first, but they didn’t say anything about what that

Inspired by a real client success story shared in Jobseeking Is Hard, Issue #155 When it comes to resumes, content isn’t the only thing that matters...format does too. I worked with a client on a Comprehensive Resume Review, and recently they reached out to say they’re still getting compliments on their resume and have even recommended me to friends. That doesn’t happen by luck. It happens because the resume reads well. When I returned their review, their first response was,

Inspired by a real client success story shared in Jobseeking is Hard, Issue #154 One of the main reasons why people who are highly...

This post is a roundup of the advice I and my company have shared across social media over the last few months. We’ve organized it into...

Inspired by a real client success story shared in Jobseeking is Hard, Issue #153 Most resumes fall flat because they focus only on what...

Inspired by a real client success story shared in Jobseeking is Hard, Issue #152 Your resume needs to flow. Even if you’ve done a lot of...

The rules of jobseeking have shifted. Here’s what recruiters and hiring managers say actually matters right now. The job market is rough...

Inspired by a real client success story shared in Jobseeking is Hard, Issue #151 Most resumes fall into the same trap: they read like job...

Most resumes fail for the same reason: they bury the good stuff.

Resumes aren’t meant to be a career autobiography. They’re marketing documents. That means your goal isn’t to show everything you’ve ever...

Last week, I shared 10 through 6 of my newsletter's most-read Shameless Plugs of the summer. Each one came from real Karpiak Consulting...

Summer’s winding down, and hiring season is about to ramp up. September is one of the busiest times of year for recruiters, which makes...