Jellyman Education

The biggest mistake is waiting. Don’t rely on a resume alone—call the company, message people on the team, and make your presence known. Showcase early with a one-pager, mini demo, or short video.

Follow up politely every few days, take the lead, and make it easy for a recruiter to see you’re engaged, informed, and ready. In short: run your own race—shock and amaze.

Most applicants knock themselves out with sloppy details; only a fraction gets a serious look. Screeners build a shortlist and start calling—many candidates don’t pick up or arrive unprepared.

The ones who advance have researched the company, understand the role’s problems to solve, and can speak to the team, product, and context. Go above and beyond with warm introductions, tailored materials, and clear proof of value to separate yourself fast.

Depending on what you do, you can dramatically increase your chances—often exponentially—with targeted tweaks:

• Shorter, condensed, direct resume
• Match the resume to the job criteria
• Place key items at the top
• Improve legibility and text size for easy reading
• Add the Job ID at the beginning
• Call the employer to ask about the real problem
• Ask why they’re hiring in the first place
• Investigate the team you’ll join
• Research the interviewers to build rapport
• Reach out on LinkedIn for insider information
• Follow up by phone to show engagement
• Create a role-specific portfolio to showcase your skills

I often hear, “The economy is bad; there are no jobs.” That’s not the full story. There are no jobs for those unwilling to do the work—but there are always jobs for those chasing opportunities and putting in the time.

Call this Day 1. Step back, look after yourself, then refocus on constructive questions: What can I improve this week? Who can I speak with? What new action can I take today?

When setting your goal, defining success as “I got the job” and failure as “I didn’t” isn’t helpful. Think of getting a job like baking a cake—nobody perfects it on the first try. The real goal is to get further than your last attempt. You’re perfecting a craft. Job hunting is a skill set, much like sales; if you simply “wing it,” you’re going to struggle.

Think of employers like customers in a restaurant. The fastest way to know if they liked the meal isn’t guessing from body language—it’s to ask. Treat every stage as a feedback loop: politely request feedback on what would’ve made you a better fit.

When you advance, note what worked and repeat it. When you’re rejected at any stage, ask why—the fix is often simple (clearer role match, missing example, weak story, timing). Use that input to refine your resume, tune your portfolio, and adjust outreach before the next application. Iterate deliberately and your odds rise with every attempt.

Detach your identity from the result—you reached the interview stage, which is real progress. Send a same-day thank-you that clarifies any misses and adds a small value add (refined insight, brief artifact), then restate fit and your readiness for next steps.

Ask the recruiter for specific feedback and offer a short addendum addressing it. Update your prep: tighten stories/demos, log questions you stumbled on, and rehearse fixes. Keep the relationship warm—connect, share one useful follow-up, and check back after stated timelines. Today’s “no” often becomes tomorrow’s referral or second shot when you stay constructive.