Emily Worden • Next Act Career

Dear job seeker,

You find a job that looks PERFECT for you.

You've got the experience. You've got the skills. You meet nearly every requirement in the job description.

You spend an hour tailoring your resume, write a thoughtful application, hit submit, and...

NOTHING.

No interview. No explanation. Sometimes not even a rejection email.

WHAT THE HELL?

I hear this from job seekers every single day. And I know how frustrating it is to look at a job description and think, "I could absolutely do this job," only to get rejected or completely ignored.

So tomorrow, we're doing something a little different.

Deb and I are bringing an actual recruiter to our LinkedIn Live, and YOU get to ask the questions.

Our guest is Brett Kunsch, an executive recruiter specializing in nonprofit, education, and social impact organizations. He's worked directly with hiring teams on senior-level searches and spent more than a decade in leadership roles with NYC Public Schools.

We're going to ask him what happens behind the scenes in hiring, why qualified candidates get overlooked, whether referrals really help, and what actually gets a recruiter's attention.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22 | 12 PM ET

We Brought a Recruiter. You Bring the Questions.

It's free, and if you can't join live, register anyway to get the instant replay: 

REGISTER FOR THURSDAY'S LIVE

Now, while we're talking about qualified candidates getting overlooked, here's something I want you to think about.

When you apply for a job, don't just ask yourself, "Am I qualified?"

Ask yourself these two questions:

1. Am I making my qualifications obvious?

Start by identifying the three to five most important qualifications in the job description. Pay attention to what the employer emphasizes, especially the skills and experience that come up repeatedly.

Now look at your resume.

Are those qualifications easy to find in your headline, summary, and skills section?

If the employer wants someone with experience in cross-functional leadership, change management, and process improvement, and you've done all three, USE THOSE TERMS.

But don't just sprinkle keywords throughout your resume and call it a day.

Show how you've actually used those skills.

Your Experience section should back up the claims you're making at the top of your resume.

And here's a tip I wish more people followed: Reorder your accomplishment bullets based on what the employer cares about most.

If project leadership is a major requirement, don't bury your strongest project leadership example in bullet number six.

Move it up!

And when you find a job you're excited about, apply promptly. You don't need to spend three days perfecting every comma, but you DO need to make a compelling case for why they should interview you.

2. Am I showing what I've accomplished, or just listing my responsibilities?

I see SO many resumes full of bullets that could belong to practically anyone who held that job.

"Responsible for managing cross-functional projects and coordinating stakeholders."

Okay. That tells me what your job involved.

But what did you actually DO? And what happened because of it?

Try turning that responsibility into a little case study:

"Led a 12-person cross-functional team to redesign customer onboarding, replacing manual handoffs with a standardized process that reduced implementation time by 30%."

Now I know what you did, how you did it, and the result.

That's what a strong accomplishment bullet should communicate: the action you took, the context, and the impact of your work.

And no, every bullet doesn't need a percentage or a dollar sign. You can demonstrate impact through a problem you solved, a process you improved, or a difficult project you successfully delivered.

Just make sure you're providing evidence, not simply describing your job.

Now, here's the frustrating part: You can do both of these things really well and STILL not get an interview.

Maybe there's an internal candidate. Maybe the role has changed. Maybe the hiring team is overwhelmed with applications. Or maybe there's something about the hiring process you simply can't see from the outside.

And THAT'S why I want you to join us tomorrow.

Tomorrow at noon ET, we're getting some answers.

Deb and I are bringing Brett into the conversation to talk about what actually happens during hiring.

Why do qualified candidates get passed over? Do referrals really make a difference? Should you contact recruiters directly? And what the hell is going on with all the ghosting?

It's free, it's tomorrow, and you can ask your questions live.

REGISTER FOR THURSDAY'S LIVE

Can't join us live? Register anyway and you'll get access to the recording afterward.

I'm rooting for you. 👊

Emily

Emily Worden