Mastering Job Applications

Landing interviews but not turning any into job offers? Try a Value Validation Project (VVP). It’s the closest thing to a silver bullet in the job search. Here’s how it works in 8 simple steps: 1. What Is A Value Validation Project (VVP)? A VVP is a deliverable that illustrates your value on your terms. It shows initiative and enables you to prove your worth beyond a resume and a few interview answers. 2. Start With Research - Scan the company’s website - Listen to interviews with execs - Watch product tutorials - Read customer reviews - Use the product yourself - Analyze the competition Learn as much as you can, then use that to... 3. Identify An Angle Look for a gap in their strategy, a challenge they’re facing, or an opportunity. The key is ensuring it aligns with the role you’re interviewing for. That gives you a chance to showcase your skills in relation to a real business need. 4. Brainstorm Ideas Think of three ideas you could pitch to help the company. I love using ChatGPT for this: - Add the company’s website - Mention the angle you found - Share the research you did - Ask it to brainstorm 10 ways you could add value 5. Package Your Ideas In A Slide Deck Slide #1: Cover slide with a compelling title Slide #2: Quote from the company/executive framing the problem Slide #3: High-level outline of your ideas Slides #4-9: Present a problem/opportunity and your specific solution Slide #10: Quick bio + links to your resume & LinkedIn 6. When To Share Your VVP Ideally, you’d share your VVP ahead of your first interview. But it’s never too late. VVPs can be effective at any point in the process, even after a rejection. The key is to share them as early as you’re able given your situation. 7. When To Create A VVP I do NOT recommend making VVPs for every job you apply to. Instead, use these 3 criteria: 1. You already landed an interview 2. This is a *dream* company you’d do anything to work for 3. You’ve networked with someone who can refer you in (most common) 8. What If They Steal Your Ideas? This can happen. But the downside of it is far outweighed by the benefits of winning an offer at a company that sees the value in the extra effort, has a culture of recognizing people who go above and beyond, and is going to pay you what you’re worth. If you follow the criteria in Step #7 for when to create them, you minimize the risk while maximizing the upside.

References matter more than interviews. Let’s be honest, most interviews are theatre. Rehearsed, practiced, polished. “Tell me a time when…” “What will you achieve in your first 90 days…” “Where will you be in five years' time….” We all know the script, and too often hiring panels mistake interview performance for capability. That’s why references matter. And why they matter more than interviews. It’s also why at Luminary we go “off base” with our reference checking. We don’t just rely upon the hand-picked names candidates put on the CV. We tap into our network. We ask the people who’ve been in the trenches with them. We seek out colleagues, former bosses, customers, even. It’s time-consuming. It takes skill and experience to uncover the truth. Think of LinkedIn for a moment. What does your profile say about you? Deep down you know, it’s not the polished profile that matters; it’s the provenance. It's what you've achieved. Provenance means the origin, the source of truth, the verifiable history of something. In art, it’s what tells you if that painting is the real deal or a fake. In leadership, provenance is the story of your career. Did you have real impact? Did you actually deliver what you claim? And will you be a genuine cultural fit for the next move? I’ll never forget the day a CV landed on my desk for a General Manager role. Flicking through, I stopped cold. The “signature achievements” were projects and client wins I had personally delivered years earlier at a different company. That wasn’t a one-off. I’ve seen it time and again, from Non-Executive Director applications through to C-Suite roles. Inflated, borrowed, or outright fabricated. This is why references matter. Because without provenance, you’re not hiring a leader, you’re hiring a story. And in an AI future where words, profiles, and even video can be faked, manipulated and embedded, provenance is everything. So, here’s the stark reality: if you’re a CEO or HR leader and you’re outsourcing references to a tick-box service, offshoring them, or skipping them altogether, then you’re failing. You are failing your culture. Failing your leaders. And failing your people. Because you’re not getting a verifiable story of a leader’s achievements. You’re buying the painting without checking if it’s authentic. I hear it all the time: “References are worthless…” “No one reads them…” If that’s true, then why does every senior leader stress about who their referees are? Why do they make sure those names are rock-solid? Because deep down, we all know: references matter more than interviews. Don’t get lazy at the end of the hiring process. References aren’t a tick-box, they’re the truth test. Take the time. Dig deeper. Ask harder questions. If you can’t go the extra mile, discreetly, through trusted network, then it’s time to rethink your hiring strategy. And if I’m hiring a leader, you can bet your bottom dollar I’m chasing provenance, over performance.

Stop wasting time applying to LinkedIn jobs where you're competing with 500 other candidates in a black hole application system. Here's the strategy that gets you hired first: - Go to LinkedIn search and type your role plus "hiring" - for example, "product manager, hiring" - Click on "Posts" not "Jobs" - you'll see hiring managers actively posting about their open roles in real-time - Comment on their post with value, not desperation - something like "I've helped companies like X achieve Y result in this exact role" - Send them a direct message within 24 hours: "Saw your post about the [role]. I have X years scaling [relevant experience] and would love to discuss how I can solve your specific challenges" This works because you're reaching decision makers before the role gets flooded with hundreds of applications. You're initiating a conversation rather than submitting a resume into an automated system. Most professionals will never use this approach because it feels too forward or uncomfortable. That's exactly why it's so effective - you're separating yourself from the mass applicant pool. Sign up to my newsletter for more corporate insights and truths here: https://vist.ly/4ascn #jobsearch #linkedin #careeradvice #jobhunting #careerstrategy #executiverecruiter #eliterecruiter #jobmarket2025 #linkedintips #jobsearchstrategy

1,814 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐏𝐌 𝐣𝐨𝐛. A CEO I advise recently posted a product management role. Within days, nearly 950 people had applied for a single spot at a small startup. By the time they made a hire, the number had grown to more than 1,800 applicants. That’s what you’re up against. Hitting “submit” doesn’t guarantee your resume will ever be seen. Many are filtered out by tools or buried under an avalanche of other resumes before a human looks at them. As someone who has led product recruiting at Meta, been a hiring manager for nearly two decades, and screened countless resumes, here are the non-obvious strategies that help candidates break through: 🔹 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞. Referrals and warm connections make sure your resume gets seen. 🔹 𝐀𝐬𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛. Conversations often unlock opportunities you wouldn’t find otherwise. 🔹 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐞𝐬. Shared experiences and passions create connection. 🔹 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 “𝐲𝐨𝐮-𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞.” Highlight the fit only you can fill. Show, don’t just tell. 🔹 𝐒𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬. Your job is to de-risk their decision and make choosing you easy. 🔹 𝐃𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐛. Show you are already invested in their product or success. 🔹 𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. Speak the language of the role and show clearly how you will add value. In the end, it only takes one yes to land the job, so focus on giving them every reason to say it to you.

A recruiter gets 400+ applications on LinkedIn for one role. Here's how they decide who to contact first: LinkedIn shows recruiters exactly which of your skills match their job posting, and they're using this to filter hundreds of applications down to a manageable few. What's happening behind the scenes: ➙ Recruiters can see a "skills match" score for every applicant (5/10 for example would be pretty good) ➙ It tells recruiters exactly which skills match the role and where you used the skill ➙ If a skill isn't attached to a role on your profile it tells the recruiter how long the skill has been listed on your profile ➙ Recruiters can filter applications by skills ➙ No skills match = lower ranking or not showing up in filtered results 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡: You could be the perfect candidate, but if your LinkedIn skills don't mirror the job posting, you're invisible to recruiters. How to fix it (takes 15 minutes or less): ✓ Pull up your top 5 target job postings ✓ Identify the 10-15 most common skills listed ✓ Add these exact skills to your LinkedIn profile skills section ✓ Attach each skill to a position listed on your profile Pro tip: Even a 5/10 skills match is considered "pretty good" because most applicants I've seen don't even have 5 matching skills. #LinkedInTopVoices #JobSearch #Careers

Feeling global, stuck local? Visibility travels better than you think. Thinking of working in another country? You’re not alone. Millions want in. Few know what actually gets results. Buzzwords don’t help. And neither do job boards. Expat job search needs a smarter playbook. Let’s bust the myths holding most people back 👇 𝑴𝒚𝒕𝒉 1: You must already live there to get hired Wrong. Use “Open to” with target cities—recruiters can still find you. 𝑴𝒚𝒕𝒉 2: Only locals get interviews False. International roles value English, soft skills, and mobility. 𝑴𝒚𝒕𝒉 3: Online applications are enough Nope. Most jobs come through referrals, not portals. 𝑴𝒚𝒕𝒉 4: You need a local address to be credible Not true. A virtual number + relocation line builds trust fast. 𝑴𝒚𝒕𝒉 5: Visa support is for unicorns Hardly. Shortage roles + clear value = realistic sponsorship. 𝑴𝒚𝒕𝒉 6: You must meet every requirement No. If you match most, apply. Growth mindset > perfect match. Visibility abroad isn’t luck. It’s layered, learnable, and completely within your control. So here’s how you build presence—before you even move 👇 📌 Switch your location in Open to Work Click “Open to” under your photo. Add up to 5 cities. Recruiters in those areas will see you in searches. 📌 Update headline with relocation intent Example: Product Manager | Relocating to Berlin This boosts local visibility and shows you’re serious. 📌 Add move plans to your About section Include timing + target city in one clear sentence. Example: Relocating to Amsterdam by September 2025. 📌 Use a local or virtual phone number Buy a number for your target country. Add to Contact. Signals commitment and increases reply rates. 📌 Join local LinkedIn groups Search groups by city or sector. Comment on posts to boost local presence. You don’t have to live there to show up there. Which country is on your bucket list?

You see an open role on a job portal. You read the JD and think: “This is literally my resume.” Same industry. Same tools. Same years of experience. You apply with full confidence. One week passes. Two weeks pass. A month passes. No call. So what happened? At 8+ or 10+ years of experience, there is a hierarchy of hiring at lateral levels: IJP (Internal Job Posting) > Referrals > Career pages / trusted consultant > Job portals By the time a role reaches a job portal, three things may already have happened: > An internal candidate is being evaluated. > A referred profile is already in advanced discussion. > A hiring manager has a “known” name in mind. And here’s the key part most candidates miss: Even if the role is posted publicly, it doesn’t mean the hiring starts there. At senior levels, hiring is about risk reduction. > A referral reduces perceived risk. > An internal move reduces onboarding time. > A known consultant reduces screening effort. On the other hand, a cold portal application means uncertainty around all of the above areas. Does this mean you should stop using job portals? NO. Use them to signal to the market that you’re active, understand what roles are opening and for visibility. But if you have 8–15 years of experience and 90% of your applications are through portals, you’re playing at the weakest point of the funnel. At this stage, your strategy should look like this: > Track relevant openings. > Identify who works there. > Reach out thoughtfully. > Ask for a referral. > Build relationships before you need a job. Because the more senior you become, the less transactional, network-driven hiring becomes. A strong networks get you seen. And at senior levels, being seen first is half the game. #jobsearch #careeergrowth

Are you holding back from applying for a job because you don’t meet every single requirement? You’re not alone. Many job seekers self-reject, assuming they need to check every box on a job description. But the truth is most successful candidates don’t meet 100% of the criteria. - Hiring managers know this. Job descriptions are often a wish list, not a checklist. What they’re really looking for is someone who brings unique strengths to the table—qualities that can’t always be captured in a list of qualifications. Think about it: - If you’re new to the industry, you bring fresh perspectives. - If you’ve worked across different fields, you’re adaptable and resourceful. - If you’ve built a side project, you’ve shown initiative and drive. - If you’ve cultivated a strong personal brand, you offer added value to the company’s visibility. - If you thrive under pressure, you’re a natural problem-solver. Your unique experiences and skills are your unfair advantage. They’re what make you stand out. Instead of focusing on what you lack, think about what you bring. Ask yourself: - What skills do I excel at? - What would I do even if I wasn’t paid for it? - What do people often come to me for advice about? These answers will help you identify the qualities that set you apart. And those are the qualities that hiring managers care about most. Next time you see a job that excites you, don’t hesitate just because you don’t meet every requirement. If you’re 75% qualified, go for it. Focus on showcasing your unique strengths and how they align with the role. What’s your unfair advantage? Share it in the comments—I’d love to hear your story.

Job-seekers: Quick myth-bust on “reposted roles.” When a job gets reposted on LinkedIn, it isn’t some automated cosmic event that happens when the stars align or the algorithm gets bored. It’s done manually. By a human. A recruiter, hiring manager, or TA partner clicking a button saying: “Reopen this — we need more candidates.” Why does this matter? Because one of my career-coaching clients messaged me this week confused and a bit deflated. He was mid-process, had a screening call booked, then suddenly the call was cancelled with no explanation and no option to rebook. A day or two later… 💥 The same role reappears on LinkedIn. Freshly posted. Ta-da. No automation. No accident. A deliberate signal that something changed internally — priorities, profile, budget, hiring bar, candidate pipeline, internal feedback, etc. And here’s the uncomfortable truth nobody tells job-seekers: Recruitment processes are messy. They shift. They stall. They reset. And sometimes they quietly hit the “start again” button. Seeing a repost doesn’t mean you did anything wrong… It can mean the brief changed. It can mean hiring forgot to give feedback. It can mean the preferred candidate went cold. It can mean the hiring manager had a nervous breakdown after market mapping returns came back. (Kidding… mostly.) But it’s not random. Takeaway for job-seekers: 1️⃣ Don’t take it personally. Pipelines reset all the time. 2️⃣ If you were in process, always ask for clarity (professionally). 3️⃣ If the role resurfaces, you can re-apply — or even better, message directly. 4️⃣ Treat recruitment as non-linear. Because it is. 5️⃣ Ideally you should have closure on your own application before it’s reposted but sometimes due to volumes or TA Team using legacy systems and processes that doesn’t happen. Not exusing it, just clarifying. Hiring in 2026 isn’t a straight line — it’s more like trying to parallel park in a busy London street: tight timing, limited information, and a dozen people silently judging. Stay resilient. Stay proactive. And don’t build your self-worth off someone else’s process hygiene.

"Hi Mark, we received this CV 5 times this week." This scenario never fails to bemuse me. Let's set aside terms of business for a moment—whether retained, exclusive, or contingent—because this issue cuts across all recruitment models. Here’s the heart of the problem: We’re dealing with multiple factors that create this mess: 1️⃣ Candidate Behavior: Some candidates apply through multiple channels for the same role without disclosing their prior applications. Transparency matters here—if you’ve already applied, just say so! 2️⃣ Rogue Agencies: Certain agencies mass-send CVs with attached terms, often locking candidates out of the process entirely. Worse still, this can leave companies caught up in avoidable disputes and duplicate charges. Misrepresenting a candidate isn’t just unethical—it’s illegal. 3️⃣ Too Many Cooks: Engaging too many agencies for one role leads to chaotic processes where it’s all about "first past the post." Spoiler alert: this never ends well. 4️⃣ Stale Roles: When roles stay open for months, candidates get re-submitted over time, creating confusion. The same candidates think it’s a different job and apply again, perpetuating the cycle. 5️⃣ The "Magic Mystery": Here’s one that will blow your mind. I’ve seen agencies resend the same candidates’ CVs every 6 months as terms expire, then claim a fee when one of those candidates gets hired—without the candidate even knowing! Shockingly, some companies have lost in court over this tactic. 🚨 Duplication is the silent killer of recruitment efficiency. Finding the right candidate can take 30-60 days, only to discover duplication derails the process. So, what’s the fix? There is a solution, but it requires action from all parties: ✅ Candidates: Protect your CV. Always ask where your details are being sent and give explicit consent before representation. Work with recruiters who discuss roles in depth and are clear about where they’ll submit your profile. ✅ Companies/HR/Hiring Managers: Streamline your agency pool. Limit the number of agencies per role—2-3 specialized agencies should suffice. Have a “B-list” for backup - But if you insist on using multiple agencies - Get an ATS system to upload candidates too, which will alert the recruiter ASAP. There are few out there, some not that expensive. ✅ Agencies: Retained or exclusive search is often the way to go. Retained ensures focus, while exclusive keeps it simpler and less intense - but as long as the process is good, will yield a fair result. Both approaches reduce duplication headaches. But if you open a role up to another agency, ask yourself why. what is happening? Finally, choose wisely. Don’t default to “first past the post.” Insist on proof of representation—signed or emailed consent from the candidate. Quality recruitment is about partnership, not speed. Let’s stop duplication from undermining the process and elevate recruitment to the professional standard it deserves. What are your thoughts?