Avoid this job searching mistake

With the mass layoffs in certain sectors right now, many of my clients and job seekers in my workshops are making bigger shifts than they have at other times in their careers.

Their resumes and their LinkedIn profiles are focused in one sector with progressing titles within that industry.

Yet – they’re looking at job postings for new opportunities within another sector. They’re connecting the dots in their heads, so they’re assuming when they apply (often cold without a contact) others also will.

Sorry, but they won’t.


Applying to job postings on LinkedIn without a contact is ineffective when you’re applying within the same industry you’ve worked in for the last 5+ years.

It’s even worse, dare I say, a total waste of time when you’re applying in a new industry.

Please stop doing that if that’s how you’ve been spending your unemployed days.

So, what should you do instead?

Talk to people and ask for help.

This is the way successful career shifters make it happen.

Get your story down. Build the bridge from your strengths to the role you want.

Set a goal or and ask for the conversation.

Do it again and again.

You will get better and sharper and more dynamic in how you tell your story.

And people want to help you.

Even if you haven’t spoken to them in ten years. Even if you never met them, but they went to the same college or worked at the same company or grew up in the same town.

The biggest job searching mistake people make is keeping the search to themselves. A shameful little secret they don’t want to burden others with.

Another way to see your search is as - a problem or puzzle to solve. An adventure where you can learn something new.

Which way sounds more fun to bring into conversations?


If you’re struggling with how to have these conversations, check out my Elevator Pitch Mini Course. At its core, it gives you the language to go out and start connecting with people…today.

So, get talking and asking – and I’ll be here when you need support.

Rachel GarrettComment
How you can help others right now

This is a moment in time when many of us are feeling helpless. 

Colleagues, friends and workers across the country are losing jobs without notice, without any cushion of even one more day’s pay. 

If you’re like many in my network,  you want to  support these talented employees in critical sectors with deep expertise who are feeling lost and panicked, but you’re not sure how. 

So, guess what. 

I have a way. 

I know something you can do right now that will not take a lot of effort on your part AND will be invaluable in the life of someone else. 

When someone who has lost their job in one of the career tracks decimated by this administration gets up the courage to  reach out to you on LinkedIn–write back. 

Even if you don’t know them. 

Even  if they’re not in your industry. 

Even if you’re not sure how you can help them. 

If you can jump on a 30-min zoom call, that would be great too. 

And if you can make intro’s to others who could open doors for them–that would make them feel like they are not alone. Their careers and their expertise have meant something. And still mean something. 

I’m always blown away by the generosity of my network and how they show up for my clients with informational interviews and coffee chats. I’m so grateful when you share your time, your wisdom and your expertise. 

Yet this ask isn’t about me or my clients per say. It’s about thinking creatively about what you have to offer the people who reach out to you–and what you can proactively do to show them that you’re available to help–even if they may worry about asking. 

I appreciate you being part of this community. 

Rachel GarrettComment
Stop telling kids to choose a career

A few weeks ago, I had a huge parenting win. I received this text from my 13 year old. 

She’s listening!

And she feels the calm trust within herself to explore. To not rush the process. To play and experiment.

To be a kid.

Now I know there are kids who feel like they have a calling. They want to be doctors. Or actors or astronauts. At 9, I said I wanted to be a therapist–and my gut instinct wasn’t too far off.

Yet, even when a kid appears to be heading in a straight line, it benefits all of you to validate that hunger and drive AND also note early and often–there are a lot of things you can be that will give you the thing you’re looking for in being a doctor. It’s a clue, but it doesn’t have to be an answer. Especially not the only answer.

My work with clients and the challenges that show up in our sessions helped me to develop this approach to parenting and career with my kids. It also makes me dig in further as they get older.

Many clients show up stressed that…

They never figured out what they wanted to be when they grew up.

They spent time and money becoming [insert career path] and they don’t want to leave their profession.

They’re bored doing what they’re doing but they can’t picture doing anything else–because they never have.

Their work is tangled up with their identities. Who would they be without it?

We are winning when we teach our kids to focus on their interests, their strengths and their quirky personality traits that make them who they are. With that self-awareness and some gentle guidance from you and other experts who can show them what’s possible, expose them to different career paths and they will find their own answers.

And it may take some shitty jobs, experiencing what they don’t want to get clarity on what they do want. Most of us have had those and we’ve lived to tell the tale.

If we put the pressure on too early, we cut them off from their natural creativity. And they will need this creativity time and time again as their windy career paths unfold.

Careers have many more transitions than they once did, so the tools of reflecting, experimenting with clues and taking risks jumping into new roles–will be MORE important to their careers than the specific paths they choose.

Here for you and your thoughtful kids declining to answer school surveys that limit their futures.

Rachel GarrettComment
Why you’re applying for the wrong roles

Often when people first come to me, they share stories of interviews that felt just ok and rejections that came shortly after those meetings.

My response: Did you want the job?

Well…Long pause.

So, that’s a no. We both smile and agree.

Now, financial needs are real – and sometimes you need to get a new job immediately even if it’s a temporary measure to meet your financial responsibilities.

Yet, I find that people often apply to roles they don’t want – even when they’re not in a rush or in a financial crunch.

Guess what – even if you think you’re putting on a great show during the interview, it still comes through. In body language, in things that aren’t said, in energy. Any emotionally intelligent leader will see through even your best performance.

So why do many apply for the wrong roles?

Impostor syndrome and a fear of change.

And it’s this struggle with worthiness and uncertainty that cuts off their self-awareness at the knees.

They jump straight into the tactical action of doing, skipping the most important inner work steps that require…

Slowing down

Thinking and reflecting

Clarifying priorities and desires

Gathering data on strengths


From this essential work and only from here do the purposeful dots connect, does the energy rise from within and adhere to intentional paths.

The truth feels real in conversations, in interviews because it is real.

And the traction, the momentum, the optimism also becomes real.


This is the work I do with clients in the first month of my 1:1 Coaching Program. So if you’ve been on the hunt for a while and you know you’re applying to roles you don’t want – let’s talk in a complimentary 30-min zoom call.

I can’t wait to show you what it feels like when you actually hope you get it!


March Office Hours: Open to ALL!

This 60-minute session is an opportunity for you to drop in and ask career questions, make connections, or simply say hi. Typically these sessions are reserved for current and former clients, but this session will be open to all.

Rachel GarrettComment
How to Find Companies that Align with Your Career Values + Goals

There comes a time in a job search, where (after gathering some real time data) my clients believe me when I say – proactive networking is a more effective strategy than simply applying to roles on LinkedIn.

Then, some of them can get stuck right here.

So, where do I even look?

How do I find companies (outside of the usual suspects) that would align with what I’m looking for in a corporate culture or will offer opportunities to learn and grow within the organization?

Your two best resources in this hunt for the right-fit company are: your people and AI.

Your people: Your first round of networking will not be about finding “a job”, but more about crowdsourcing companies.

Who are your colleagues and friends in your network who appreciate and respect their organizations?

Who do you know who is well connected in the industry you want to be a part of?

Set a goal to identify 10-15 companies in this first round of networking and then ask your people for introductions within those companies.


AI: ChatGPT and Claude are also formidable thought partners in this exercise. I work with clients on the right prompts that get at their criteria for their "crush companies"…as I like to call them. A few recent prompts…

What are ten well reviewed organizations that are helping high school and college students live better lives?

What are ten companies in the NYC area that hire product management roles and prioritize professional development and work-life balance?

What are ten companies in NYC that don't think we need more masculine energy?


They’re not always perfect results – and they rarely get the joke, but they offer up a place to start your research. Overall – that’s how I’m currently working with AI in this process. I don’t accept the responses wholesale, but they often do get me unstuck and to a next step where I can deepen my understanding.

Let me know how these two approaches or a combination of them works for you in coming up with your list.

Rachel GarrettComment
Job Searchers: what’s not working?

I hear from many job searchers who’ve been at it for a loooong time.

Whether it’s 6 months, a year or longer, this process takes a lot of energy! When the rejections roll in – or worse – when you keep getting ghosted, it can make you want to quit the process altogether.

Then, you’re back where you started. In a toxic workplace. Being passed over the promotion.

Career purgatory.

I see you job searchers.

This process is hard.

Yet – sometimes the challenge you’re facing in the search and what’s preventing you from getting traction is more about making some SMALL tweaks in your approach instead of a complete reinvention of who you are and what you want to do.

That’s where I come in.

After guiding hundreds of job searchers through this process, I can listen to the approach you’ve been taking, the pitch you’ve been using and witness the areas your interviews may be going off the rails.

There’s no shame. No blame. No judgement.

Again – this is hard and you’re putting in the effort. Let’s work together to get you the results.

I’m so excited to have a new way we can work together on this job search diagnostic.

If you:

  • Already know one, two or three paths you want to head down

  • Have a resume that’s getting you some interviews

  • Have been in a process or two where you’ve been one of the final two candidates and still didn’t get the job. (Always a bridesmaid!)


I can help you with my new coaching package - Career Flex.

Career Flex includes three 45-minute 1:1 sessions where we dive into what’s working and what’s not in your search to help you make small shifts that make a BIG difference.

Whether it’s asking your network for help, shifting your pitch to include your strengths and differentiators or learning to pause when you complete an answer in an interview – there are so many different ways we can shift your approach.

Rachel GarrettComment
How to ask for what you want...(with examples!)

Early in my coaching process, I work with clients on their non-negotiables.
​What are the five things they need to make this next role feel meaningful, successful and on their terms?

Defining the kind of organizational culture they’re seeking (ie. collaborative, casual, no assholery) or the level of flexibility they need (ie. hybrid, remote, or simply to be treated like a grownup) often come up on the list.

It’s helpful to have this criteria in your back pocket as you’re evaluating opportunities. And – it’s critical that you vet out for these things in your networking and interviewing.

The question I often get is - How do I ask for these things without sounding like an entitled jerk?

After I stare down our Capitalist, Patriarchal, Hustle Culture with an invitation to fight this round, I take a deep breath.

I understand.

We have been taught to be grateful for what we get and not ask for more. Even when what we are given is not working or not enough.

The good news is that we can be clever and play the game without ever using the words want or need. That marketing background never disappoints.

Here are a couple of phrases you can use that are positive, confident – and also matter of fact.

"I thrive…"

I thrive in organizational cultures where there’s downtime between meetings to do the deep work that is so important in my role. Is that how you would describe the culture here?

Or

I thrive when I can give and receive feedback often so that I can continue to learn quickly in my role. Is that how you would describe your leadership style?

"I am my most…"

I am my most creative when I can brainstorm in a room of colleagues and it feels safe to pull all ideas (even the out there ones) on the table. Is that how you would describe the culture on the team?

Or

I am my most focused and thoughtful when I can work hard during the day and then log off completely to recharge after 6:30. Is that the kind of work day that’s understood and respected here?

I love all of these examples because they imply –

I’ve had this before so I know it’s possible.
If you don’t have it here, I will keep looking until I find it.


Now, just because you have these lines written out doesn’t mean it’s easy to say them. I would practice so you remember hearing them in your voice and perhaps write an abridged version of your questions on a cheat sheet if you have a virtual interview.

You know I love an update so let me know how it goes!

Rachel GarrettComment
Listening and shifting in 2025

This coming March marks the 10 year anniversary of my business. What??? 

It’s truly hard to believe that I’ve been nurturing, imagining–and at times strong-arming this business into what I want it to be for a full decade. 

I continue to learn something new each year. 

I continue to be in awe of  the clients I get to serve. 

And one of my unexpected joys of running the biz is my weekly note to you. Whether you were one of the 100 OG’s who signed up in year one  or a more recent friend, I appreciate you, hang on your every reply and want to do my best to deliver ideas that shift your day, your week–or your career even just a little. 

But–that’s not how I felt at the beginning. 

When a business coach told me that I MUST start a newsletter back  in 2015–for marketing purposes–I had my first new entrepreneur tantrum. You may remember I was leaving a career in marketing, so more marketing was not top of my priority list. 

But–I listened. 

I wrote. From my heart. In my way.

It became my place to put all the pieces together. 

To create art out of work. 

Now, ten years in, I want to keep listening and learning and helping you imagine work that fits with the life you want to be living. 

You are the expert of you and how you want to grow. 

So, what might that be? I’d love to know! Feel free to reply with some career  topics that have resonated in past newsletters or  are of interest to you for your 2025 career moves. 

And speaking of your 2025 career moves, I’m excited to share that I’ll be introducing a couple of new ways we can work together this year. 

It’s clear–some of you have been job searching for a bit already (2025 is your year!) and are seeking shorter packages where we can troubleshoot the areas that are not working in this tricky market. Message received. More information on this to come! 

Thank you for being part of my ten year celebratory listening tour. 

Rachel GarrettComment