1

0.0 Foreword: Intro and Background 5

0.1 Switch to your ideal industries 5
0.2 Change to better roles 5
0.3 Get a raise of 20-250% 5
CH 1 Define Your Goals 7
1.1 Non-negotiables & Ideals 7
1.2 Ideals or Negotiables 8
1.3 Industry 9
1.4 Job role 11
1.5 Location 12
1.6 Timeline 12
2.0 Prep Your Skills and Strengths 13
2.1 List your strengths in your own words 14
2.2 List your weaknesses 14
2.3 Research keywords for your role 15
2.4 List your strengths in your new industry’s terms 15
2.5 Action plan for your weaknesses 16
2.6 ***Here is my obligatory insert about Resumes*** 18
CH 3 Network 20
3.1 Optimize your LinkedIn profile 20
3.11 Profile Pic 22
3.12 Banner 22
3.13 Tagline 23
3.14 The rest of your profile 23
3.15 Start posting 24
3.2 Warm outreach to current network 25
3.3 Cold outreach plan 26
3.31 Stalk the top 20 companies in your industry 26
3.32 Identify 30 people in each company 27
3.33 Cold email/DM 27
3.34 Nurture relationship 28
3.35 Referrals and recommendations 29
 3

CH 4 Apply Strategically 29
4.1 Find 5 roles at your top 20 companies 30
4.2 Apply 1 per week per company 31
4.3 Listen for feedback 31
4.4 Follow 80/20 rule 31
4.5 Iterate 32
5.0 Ace Your Interview 33
5.1 Interviewer identification 33
5.11 Phone screen with HR/recruiter 34
5.12 Hiring manager 35
5.13 Peers of you 36
5.14 Peers of manager 36
5.15 2nd level manager 37
5.2 Types of interviews 37
5.3 SMART 38
5.4 SELL 39
5.5 Common interview questions with examples 40
5.6 Practice 41
6.0 Negotiate Your Worth 42
6.1 Review your goals for compensation 43
6.2 Common items to negotiate 44
6.3 Negotiation strategy 45
6.4 Common deflection template 46
6.5 Counter-offering 46
6.6 Counter-offer template 47
CH 7 Accept! Now what? 48
7.1 Pick your start date 48
7.2 Gather your items 49
7.3 Resign gracefully 49
7.4 Stay in contact 49
7.5 Keep constant communication with Hiring Manager/HR 50
7.6 Enjoy the time! 50
 4

CH 8 Closing 51
Remember: 53
○ 8.1 Follow this to get your freedom 53
○ 8.2 Remember that job search has tons of rejection 53
○ 8.3 Stay positive 53
○ 8.4 Need more help? Reach out to Nick! 53
○ 8.5 Feedback welcomed! 53
 5

The Free Agent Mindset

0.0 Foreword: Intro and Background

I’m going to brainwash you to think like a free agent. Everything you do will be

done with loyalty to one thing: yourself.

If you follow this proven playbook you will be able to accomplish 3 things:

0.1 Switch to your ideal industries

0.2 Change to better roles

0.3 Get a raise of 20-250%

How do I know this framework will work for your unique situation? Because I’ve

seen it work on anyone, anywhere, anytime. The details might change your

approach slightly or change your timeline, but it won’t stop you from deploying

this playbook in expanded detail.

A little background on myself to help set the stage of where my head is at. I’ve

been working in corporate and industrial America for 10+ years. I started out as

a controls engineer at Caterpillar and wove my way across 10+ jobs, 6 industries,

100s of interviews, and plenty of offer letters. I’ve led teams as large as 200
 6

people, been in engineering, operations, project management, you name it.

Worked in Big Industry, Big Chemicals, Big Auto, Big Medical, and now Big Tech.

Feel free to check out my LinkedIn profile.

But you’re not here for me, you’re here because you’re fed up with your job or

where your career’s headed.

You may have started your job search and got sick of being ghosted and

doubting yourself. Maybe you have no clue where to start and you’re wondering

how to begin.

Whatever your skill level or experience, you can take this framework and

apply it to your situation.

So in order to switch industries, you need to narrow it down to which one or ones

you want to be in. This won’t work if you chase 20 industries.

I suggest picking one or two. To switch roles and transition into something else,

the same thing applies. Pick one or AT MOST TWO. If you pick 2 roles across 2

industries, you already have 4 applications streams going. Shiz can get

complicated quickly.
 7

We want to simplify this process so you can get that HUGE raise and the career

freedom you’ve always wanted.

Alright, ready to get started??? Read on my free agent minion.

CH 1 Define Your Goals

This here is the defining moment of your journey. There will be plenty of highs

and lows, but defining your goals is the 1st step to having a perfect outcome.

Only you know what makes you happy and satisfied.

So let’s start with a list with 2 columns:

1) Non-negotiables

2) Ideals or Negotiables

1.1 Non-negotiables & Ideals

The items in this column are truly items that are deal-breakers for you. Perhaps

you have young children and you can only travel once per quarter. Or you have

a sick parent and need to work remotely to care for them. Maybe you are just
 8

sick of getting underpaid and want to hit a certain number. WHATEVER it is, you

need to define these at the start.

Now if you pick something unrealistic like being a remote dentist who makes

$430k/yr then you are screwed. So these have to be realistic things you won’t

settle for.

All items in this column are things you would not give up no matter what else is

being offered. So honestly the list should be 3-5 things.

Here was mine the last time I job searched:

1) remote

2) above market salary

3) tech or tech adjacent industry.

That’s it, everything else could be negotiated. But if I didn’t have those 3 things, I

was not going to be happy.

1.2 Ideals or Negotiables

This list is easier - this is everything else you care about deeply. Common items

are vacation, benefits, 401k, work location, team size, job title, company size,
 9

stock options, etc. And with each of these items, you have an ideal version of

them. This is what you’ll be targeting.

My rule of thumb for getting these is that your dream job should have at least

75% of these items. I’ve taken jobs with 25%. I wasn’t happy.

But I needed a stepping stone to get where I wanted to go. (We’ll talk more

about stepping stones in the next section). At my current job after using this

framework, I got every single item on my list. It’s possible.

1.3 Industry

Next thing on your goals should be your industry. Remember I said you need to

pick ideally one, or at most two.

I’ve tried the pray and spray technique with my resume across many sectors - it’s

never worked.

If you generalize your approach, you’ll never seem good enough for any

particular industry.
 10

Now here’s where stepping stone jobs may be necessary. I realized years ago I

wanted to work in tech. But I was a first time manager working in the automotive

industry. It wasn’t a clear jump from that to tech.

Do people do it? Sure, all the time.

But I’m a realist and instead of shooting for that 1 in a million, I went the stepping

stone route.

Been through Big Industrial at CAT, Big Chem at DOW, and Big Auto at ITW.

So I naturally took a job in Medical packaging. HUH? How does that get me to

Tech?

Packaging is a respected industry and Medical is highly regulated. This means

that people know I faced many challenges both on the technical side and with the

regulations.

2 years later moved into Med Device, another step up the technical chain. At

that point, I had proven my grit across multiple highly challenging and highly
 11

regulated industries. There was no doubt to outside viewers that I was prepared

to handle anything tech could throw at me.

I’m talking about myself here a lot because SO MANY PEOPLE WANT TO JUMP

TO TECH. But if you are a cashier at Target, you’re not going to be a product

manager for Microsoft - at least not in the first jump.

So pick your industry that is new and exciting but still achievable. Now that you

have that picked out along with your top items you will/won’t negotiate, you’re

ready to talk timeline.

1.4 Job role

What are you actually looking to do in your next role? Here are some ways to

narrow down the process by considering these items:

● Job titles mean different things in different industries

● Do you want to stay an individual contributor (IC) or manager? Or you

looking to change that?

● If you’re experienced, maybe having “Sr.”, “Staff”, etc. is important to you

and the title you’re researching.

 12

The only way you can optimize your job search further is by picking the role in

the industry you desire. If you must, pick 2 that are similar to have the most

overlap with your efforts.

1.5 Location

This one is the easiest to define. Do you want in-office, hybrid, or fully remote. If

hybrid or in-office, what is your commutable range? If remote, what travel are

you open to? That’s it!

1.6 Timeline

A typical and realistic job search will take 3 months (execs might double that).

Your first few weeks will be sending out apps and networking.

Because your networking hasn’t taken roots, your apps will likely fall flat. More

on this in the next chapter. But depending on your goals, you might need to

buckle up for a 6 or 12 month ride. If you have extremely narrow, niche goals it

might be hard to find the volume or applications needed to beat the odds.

There’s nothing wrong with taking 12 months to find the right job.
 13

I did once, as I turned down 10 offers along the way. I was looking for that

perfect fit for my goals.

The main thing doing any timeline is stay focused and not settle on your

non-negotiables.

2.0 Prep Your Skills and Strengths

Congrats on getting through chapter 1 and defining your goals. In this chapter

we’re going to start prepping your skills and strengths. We’ll be prepping them to

give you the best chance to reach your goals you outlined in chapter 1.

Each chapter builds on the next and without one another the whole process falls

apart.

Now we’re going to be all about getting an action plan to SELL yourself. You

have experience, you have skills, you have a unique brand (whether you know it

or not).

A company wants this but only if they know about it! You have to SELL yourself

so they see it and believe it.

 14

We’re going to list your strengths and weaknesses, translate those to language

used in your ideal role, and define an action plan to do so while addressing your

weaknesses.

Sounds easy right? Let’s get to it.

2.1 List your strengths in your own words

The first step is listing your strengths out on paper. Put them all down. You can’t

get too specific with this exercise. You may very well end up with 50-60 skills.

Or maybe you’ll have 10. Whatever your experience, don’t leave anything off.

This is key as we move forward to ensure you tailor your resume to your ideal

role/industry.

2.2 List your weaknesses

Do the same thing as above but for your weaknesses. This one is also important

to list everything. 30-40 might be the top range (it’s always harder to find faults

for successful people).

 15

2.3 Research keywords for your role

Next step is to research keywords for your industry. This is important because we

are going to tie those keywords to your skills. If they tie to weaknesses, we’ll

come up with an action plan to overcome your issues.

For this, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND getting a LinkedIn premium subscription.

When you have LI premium it automatically gives you the keywords you need

when you look at the jobs. Look at 20 or so jobs in your preferred area and write

down 30ish keywords.

If you don’t have LI premium, you will have to do this task manually.

2.4 List your strengths in your new industry’s terms

Here is where we are going to translate your skills. For every keyword you

found, assign it to a strength or weakness. For a keyword that does not have a

good fit, list it under the weakness side.

 16

Here’s some examples:

● Current skill: Lean Manufacturing Keyword: Ability to optimize processes

● Current skill: Project management Keyword: Program management

● Current skill: Maintenance manager Keyword: led diverse teams

See what I’m doing here? It doesn’t have to be a 100% fit but as long as you can

talk your way through these keywords with actual experience, then you have

these skills!

Start updating your resume to replace the old skills and keywords with the new

ones you just identified.

This will help your resume stick out to potential recruiters and hiring managers.

If there’s confusion about your skills, recruiters will simply reject your application.

Or worse yet, the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) will get you first.

2.5 Action plan for your weaknesses

The critical part of this chapter is what to do with your identified weaknesses.

You want to use 80/20 as a guideline. If you have 80% of the skills/keywords you

mentioned then your resume will stand out.

 17

So if there’s more than 20% keywords missing or if your weaknesses are too

many, you will need to create an action plan.

This action plan will be used to upskill you to get you to the level you need to be.

For each weakness you identify that needs improvement (how many you choose

is up to you but remember the 80/20 rule!) figure out what needs to change.

Let’s say you are lacking in Agile Scrum knowledge when you’re applying to a

Saas company in engineering. That is a major weakness and will be hard to

overcome.

Best way to overcome this quickly is to get certified or take a class in Agile

Scrum. But remember, don’t just take some bogus cert class, you will have to

pick something that is well understood in the industry. Think of large, well-known

certification bodies, universities, etc.

You want to make sure whatever cert you are getting is going to be clearly

understood and respected. If not, it’s worthless.

 18

Your experience won’t show you have Agile Scrum knowledge so the cert has to

be clear. Clear?

Other ways to upskill yourself:

● research and write about it on LinkedIn

● Reach out to coaches and mentors for training/advice

● Audit classes or trainings

● Stepping stone job (explained more in Chapter 1.2)

So now you’ve

1. translated your skills to your new role

2. identified any critical weaknesses with an action plan to address them

3. Got your action plan complete

4. Ready to move onto the meat of the process.

2.6 ***Here is my obligatory insert about Resumes***

We’ve already talked about resumes briefly but feel obligated to devote a section

to them.
 19

Many recruiters and career coaches offer resume reviews, critiques, and writing

as services. I’ll do yours for free. Reason is not because I’m a bargain but

because it’s such a low value proposition.

As long as you have an OK resume, you’ll do great if you follow the rest of

this playbook.

Now if you ignore half this book, even a kick-ass resume won’t get you by. That

said a kick-ass resume can come in so many shapes, sizes, looks, formats, etc.

The key things are to use those keywords we curated and litter your resume with

them where applicable.

You don’t want to overdo it but keep it real. Hiring managers all have their own

opinions on what defines a great resume (1 page vs multiple, colors vs. all black,

pictures vs. standard, etc.), but they all agree upon the keywords and

experiences they want - because they already put that in the application!

All you have to do is rewrite the application posting using your experiences and

strengths. Don’t stress the format, go with what is natural for you.
 20

If unsure, google examples. You’ll be more comfortable talking about it in your

interviews and that will be a bigger win than some random resume service on LI.

The other thing is job titles. Your “official” job titles are probably vague and super

corporate-y like “Engineer II” or “Senior Associate Production Support Engineer”.

BARF!

Put what you actually did in 3 words or less and include your main profession.

Here’s some examples:

Engineer II = Senior Engineer

Senior Associate Production Support Engineer = Senior Production Engineer

EHS Delivery Leader = EHS Manager or EHS Program Manager

When it comes to job titles, you don’t want to lie, but you want to make it clear

what you actually did. Vague corporate HR titles don’t do that.

CH 3 Network

This is the chapter I’ve struggled the most with in my own job searches. It’s not

something that ever came natural to me.

 21

I got bogged down with the monotony and rejection. But if you want to

accelerate your search, this chapter is key.

I saw that 80% of jobs come from a connection of some sorts. So do you want to

be in the 80% or the 20%? Read on free agent minions.

3.1 Optimize your LinkedIn profile

This is one of the best ways to grow your network. There’s TONS of content on

LI, youtube, twitter, etc. about improving your LinkedIn brand.

All you need to know for your job search is right here. Remember that.

But optimizing your profile and posting strategy is key (I mention the word “key”

29 times in this eBook. That’s a ton of keys!).

So here’s how you start. EVERY SINGLE recruiter or hiring manager (HM) will

check out your LI profile before interviewing you.

If they haven’t, they are old school and probably not a good fit for you.
 22

After all, you are using LI to get resources like this and so are hundreds of

millions of people. If your HM is not using LI to gather info on candidates, you

probably aren’t great mutual fits.

So when they search your name and view your profile they will look at your

profile in this order:

1. Profile Pic

2. Banner

3. Tag/Head line

4. (and if still interested) your About and Work sections

Don’t believe me, go to a random person’s page and learn more about them.

Track where your eyes go naturally. I’m right.

3.11 Profile Pic

So make sure you have a professional headshot - paid professional is best. But

quick options are using a well cropped wedding photo or have a friend snap one

of you against a plain background with good lighting.

Not everyone has to look like Justin Welsh or Sahil Bloom, but if you look like

Nick Korwin you’ll be good.

 23

3.12 Banner

This one is more an open ended requirement. It’s good to just have something

here. As a professional coach, it’s imperative I tell you what I do, what I offer,

and how it helps you.

For you as a job searcher, it’s your opportunity to do the same. Many put

pictures of nature or themselves in some public setting (usually speaking). That’s

fine. But it’s a great opportunity to make an impression - don’t waste it.

3.13 Tagline

For taglines, please don’t put “Engineering Manager at XXX”. God how boring!

Everyone and their grandma has this sort of tagline. Use it to sell your top skills

for the top roles.

Better example would be “Data Analytics | Lean Manufacturing | Operations

Expert | Engineering Excellence”. Use the “|” symbol to separate your

skills/thoughts. It’s simple and effective, just like your tagline.

 24

3.14 The rest of your profile

Even though this is the 4th thing a HM will look at, it’s no less important. You

must devote at least as much time to these sections as you did for the first 3.

The work experience section is your chance to shine. Resumes should be 1

page for 5-8yr pro’s and 2 pages after that. But your LI can be unlimited.

Now don’t go write the King James version of your work experience. But add

extra context, stats, deliverables, metrics where you can!

Same goes for your about section. Elaborate on what makes you tick and why a

company should DESIRE your abilities and skills.

Some other areas of your profile include recommendations, interests, skills, etc.

The more you fill out your resume, the more the LI gods reward your profile when

recruiters are searching for candidates.

Follow the LI recommendations for sections to fill out and you’ll be set.
 25

3.15 Start posting

People have made whole businesses on this one section alone. No joke. I’m not

going to elaborate much here due to the abundance of knowledge (I’d be happy

to share more later if needed) available on LI.

But the main point is that if you start posting about your career passions even

just 2-3 times a week, you’ll get thousands of people to see your content.

And by seeing your content, they’ll see your name, profile pic, and tagline. You

will drive some curiosity out of that and people will click into your profile. So just

by posting a few times a week you’ll be driving tons of traffic to your online

resume.

Great way to get noticed!

Now that your profile is optimized and you’ve begun posting, your online

presence is ready for you to start outreaching.

3.2 Warm outreach to current network

This is the most comfortable, easy, and straightforward section in the book. You

know what sort of jobs and companies you are looking for. So take a look at your
 26

connections both on LinkedIn and other areas (FB, IG, real life, etc.) to see who

might be able to help.

We’re looking for connections that backgrounds fit any one of these:

○ Ideal industry

○ Ideal role or adjacent to it (i.e. if you want product manager roles, a

technical program manager would have good insight)

○ A person known to look out for you and find people willing to help

you

○ Mentors, recruiters, and coaches

These people know you to some level otherwise you wouldn’t have their

contacts. So reach out, warm them up if necessary, and when appropriate ask

for guidance.

You don’t want to ask for a job or referral straight up, you want to ask something

like “It’s been great catching up. I’ve been actually looking for a new role X in

Industry Y. Would you be willing to talk with me more about it to learn? Or

perhaps you have someone in mind that would be a great resource?”.

 27

Coming straight out and asking for a favor won’t land you any favors… Which

leads me to Cold Outreach.

3.3 Cold outreach plan

Here’s where the fun starts.

3.31 Stalk the top 20 companies in your industry

How you define Top 20 is up to you. Perhaps you want size so you pick revenue

or market share. Maybe it’s your top 20 brands in an arena. Whatever it is, it’s up

to you. The key is to stay in your lane as far as roles and industry go.

Now what do I mean by stalking? I mean get to know everything about that

company. Some common ways to stalk:

● Last 6 months press releases

● Last 6 months news articles

● Top initiatives

● Understand their website in and out

● What is their social media footprint look like

You’ll want to know as much information as possible to help you with crafting a

thoughtful resume and application.

 28

This will also make asking great questions a breeze in the interview process.

3.32 Identify 30 people in each company

You should target in order:

1) hiring managers

2) recruiters

3) TA/HR professionals.

Search those roles at your 20 companies. Look for the purple “now hiring”

banner around their headshot that LI allows you to put.

3.33 Cold email/DM

Now here is where the fun starts. You need a way to find an “in” where they don’t

think you’re a strange creeper when you send a connection request or message.

The best way is to find active posters and provide value to their posts. Add

thoughtful comments and color to whatever they are passionate about. After a

couple weeks of doing this, they will know your profile.

 29

That leads you right into sending a request to connect. Make sure to personalize

it based on what they are talking about, or their profile uniqueness, etc.

From there, IF THEY RESPOND, you can follow the warm outreach playbook.

Because you’ve already warmed them up!

3.34 Nurture relationship

Now that you’ve warmed up your connections, and made a true relationship.

Keep them engaged and your name in their thoughts.

Keep posting on their content or send them helpful value-added DM’s every week

or so. Offer up help where appropriate.

3.35 Referrals and recommendations

That last step is ultimately your goal in any relationship you develop. It’s about

choosing the right time to get a referral/recommendation. Ideally you do not have

to ask for one but instead it comes up organically.

If you ask too early, you will put off this newly developed relationship. If you ask

too late, you lose time, but the relationship is still intact.
 30

Think about if you met someone off the street, and asked them to get you a job.

They would think you’re nuts right?! It’s the same way with outreach.

You may get lucky and find that one uber-empathetic person willing to give a

complete stranger a favor. But chances are you will not get that lucky.

Focus on building a relationship like you would with that stranger on the

street.

CH 4 Apply Strategically

We’re nearing the halfway point of the book here. Feeling good???

Now the fun part begins. This is where you actually get to apply to your dream

jobs!

What, you thought this would come sooner?

If you skipped ahead to this part, that’s certainly a path you can choose. Just let

me warn you that this will not be as successful if you skip the first 3 chapters.
 31

OK, let’s have fun.

4.1 Find 5 roles at your top 20 companies

Take those 20 companies you picked in chapter 3 and find 5 roles that match

your dream description. Pick 5 that have been posted in the last 24 hours ideally,

1 week at most.

The reason is that most coveted jobs get hundreds of applications in the first

days. You want to stand out from the rest.

4.2 Apply 1 per week per company

Now only take ONE role from each company and apply. Do this for one week

and you’ll have 20 applications.

If you match 80% of the experience and skills required you will be a top

candidate. I’ve applied for and gotten calls when I was closer to 60%. It’s a

stretch, I’ll tell you.

Now you may think that matching 100% is the way to go. Wrong!
 32

Match 100% and you’ll be bored out of your socks and overqualified! You always

want room to grow (and get a pay bump!).

4.3 Listen for feedback

This will admittedly be not much. But look for emails from real people, any

interviews or screens, etc.

You’re looking for any signs that your skills and experiences are drawing

attention. No responses to any of your apps is also a data point - not a good one

though.

4.4 Follow 80/20 rule

Do this for 4 weeks in a row. The fifth week will be a rest week. You won’t want

to get burned out, trust me.

Your applications and interviews will suffer. You’ll now have 80 apps and

hopefully some feedback.

4.5 Iterate

Take that feedback and identify trends.

 33

Modify your approach as needed.

And begin the process again.

If you are interviewing with companies, it’s not a bad idea to pause applying so

you can fully focus on the interview process. But you also don’t want to put all

your eggs in the same basket.

It’s a fine balance that only you can determine what’s best. I was in the final

stages with a company when I went from application to job offer in the same time

as the first company got through its final stage. Anything can happen in a couple

weeks.

If you’re struggling after a couple rounds of iterating with little to no feedback

coming your way, it may be time to reach out to a coach for help.

5.0 Ace Your Interview

So now you’ve applied to a zillion applications and you’ve gotten some requests

to interview. Great!
 34

This can be the toughest part to get to. So many clients I see really struggle for

months before they get here. This is unfortunately normal when you’re going at it

alone.

Now is your chance to really shine and show the hiring team why they

made a good decision to pluck your resume off the pile.

5.1 Interviewer identification

The first step in interview prep is to know who you’re going to be talking to.

Organized companies will give you an agenda with the person’s name, role, and

even their LI profile link. If you’re missing the basic info, make sure and ask

ahead of time.

Here are the different people in the process you may talk to and how you should

target your approach. You don’t want to change what you’re saying, you want to

be consistent, but you need to change HOW you say it.

Talking to HR is different than talking to a VP is different than an engineering

manager… you get the point.

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5.11 Phone screen with HR/recruiter

This is all about making sure you sound energetic and NORMAL.

The recruiter already likes you otherwise they wouldn’t be calling.

The phone screen is set up to do just that, screen out weirdos or people who are

lying about their resume.

They will have some basic questions about the role and your personality that you

will need to answer. You don’t want to get lost into technical details with your

answers.

Just enough to show competency. It’s even OK to stop and ask if you should

explain something further. You don’t want to patronize, but checking for

understanding is polite.

KEY: don’t lie. Don’t fumble around. Be honest. If this is going to be worth your

time, you want to start off on the right foot by being authentic.
 36

5.12 Hiring manager

This is the most important interview for obvious reasons. I’ve talked to many

HM’s that heard from the interview board that they had terrible experiences and

yet they hired the candidate anyway because the HM liked them!

The HM holds all the cards.

When you’re stalking them ahead of time on LI make sure to get a sense for how

technical they are. It’s the same concept as the HR call, you don’t want them to

get glossed over. But also, inversely, if they had this role or a similar one in the

past, you’ll want to impress them with your knowledge.

5.13 Peers of you

This one is pretty straightforward. If they are going to be a peer of you if you

were hired, you want to talk to them just like that.

Think of your peers in your current gig. You talk to them slightly more informal,

you might get to the point quicker, you can easily relate to your boss.

Use that as an advantage.

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5.14 Peers of manager

This is not as common but sometimes you will cross this path. The main thing

peers of the HM are doing are looking for red flags.

They are doing a more advanced screening. They want to make sure the HM has

a second or third set of eyes on the high level stuff.

Key things to focus here are how this role interacts with their groups. You want

to be able to relate to them quickly.

5.15 2nd level manager

You won’t always meet with the skip level boss, but if you do, it’s your chance to

shine.

You won’t get this far unless you’re doing good. So it’s your job to screw up at

this point - no pressure!

Same rules apply as before about technical aptitude and interaction of the role.

The HM likes you at this point and is looking for the stamp of approval or a

tie-breaker vote. It’s your job to swing the votes your way!
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5.2 Types of interviews

Not too crazy of concepts here but you’ll come across a variety of interviews the

longer you do it. There’s phone, zoom, and in-person. You got tours involved in

some cases.

Some companies prefer 1v1, 2v1, or a panel style interview team. Sometimes

it’s 30 min interviews back-to-back or could be 1-hr ones staggered across days

or weeks. Maybe they’ll bring you onsite for a full or half day.

All of this is so company and industry dependent. COVID changed the game

obviously. I was hired completely virtually for example in my current role. Never

would have happened before COVID for this role.

The goal with any of these scenarios is to think about how you’ll be interacting

with the interviewers.

If it’s virtual, you’ll want to audit your environment, your wifi, your roommates, etc.

to ensure you have everything in order. I’ve posted previously about my 10 step

checklist to ensure a zoom interview goes great!

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For phone calls, you’ll want to have your notes all setup and ready to jot down

things to use for later interviews. Onsite interviews you’ll want to prep your look.

Maybe bring some extra resumes or get a portfolio ready.

You just don’t want to go to an interview without thinking about location or

interviewer setup.

5.3 SMART

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time. If you haven’t heard of this by

now, then start googling already man!

Even if a company doesn’t care about SMART questions or answers, it’s always

a good idea to remember when framing your answer.

In simpler terms, what are you talking about, how did you change it, what did

YOU actually do, how does it relate to the question, and in what timeframe did

you do this amazing thing.

The best answers flow naturally and incorporate this into their story. It’s an art

and takes tons of practice.

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5.4 SELL

SELL YOURSELF because no one else will do it for you.

Now you don’t want to come off “salesy” or desperate, needy, or corny. But you

do need to sell your skills and experiences. Use “I” instead of “we” when talking

about projects.

Don’t lie. But make sure to not be humble. That’s right, there’s a time for being

humble, but not when you’re trying to convince someone you’re the right person.

The time for being humble is between the questions, during the small talk. Or

when they ask about servant leadership. But when the interviewer asks you a

question about what you did to improve a process, don’t sell yourself short.

Everytime you talk, it’s an opportunity to sell your accomplishments. You just

have to do so without sounding like you're bragging. Easy peasy.

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5.5 Common interview questions with examples

Here’s the 5 most common ?’s I get asked about that you might face and some

answer examples (note: your answers should be longer than this, these are just

teasers to give you ideas).

○ What is your biggest weakness?

■ Perfectionist. There’s times where I’m trying to make

something perfect when really 90% is good enough to get the

job done when facing a tight timeline.

○ What is your greatest strength?

■ Ability to see the forest for the trees. Keeping the big picture

strategy in mind while leading my team through the tactical.

○ Tell me about a time when……..

■ These are easy answers!!! If the interviewer asks you about a

“time when” you already have tons of examples from previous

projects to use during your prep. Just pick one you haven’t

talked about and get rapping.

○ Why are you the best candidate for the job?

■ I’m dedicated, hard-working, a servant leader who solves

tough problems using any/all available resources. I fit

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qualifications ABCD and my unique background/perspective

will make me more valuable than others.

○ This is a fast paced environment where we work hard, play hard.

We might have to work some long nights or weekends every now

and then. Are you afraid to roll up your sleeves and go to battle with

us?

■ RUNNNNNNN!!!!!!

5.6 Practice

Look up more interview questions online and get a friend, family member, or

trusted peer to help your practice. The more practice and actual interviews you

take the more your story will feel natural and the confidence will OOZE out of

you.

You want to be so comfortable that anyone can ask you anything and you have a

go-to answer. It’s OK to pause and compose thoughts during the interview.

Don’t put yourself into this imaginary box where you think you need to answer

immediately.

Take a second, a deep breath, talk it out loud if you need to. Then answer

confidently once you’ve composed.

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The point of practicing is to make it effortless to answer questions but not to

sound like a rigid machine. Make sure to add color where appropriate!

6.0 Negotiate Your Worth

Some may only think they need to read this section after they’ve gotten an offer -

they would be mistaken!

Negotiation starts the second a company reaches out to you.

A recruiter will always ask what salary range you are pursuing during the phone

screen. They will continue to ask each stage until you give them something.

If you answer wrongly during the early stages, you may lose the recruiter’s trust.

If you lose the recruiter, you lose the job.

Each stage of discussions with a company will yield opportunities to negotiate

your worth or at least at a minimum you can continue to posture your position.
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So take a look at this chapter in depth and understand it front and back to ensure

your entire search is optimized.

6.1 Review your goals for compensation

Go back to your negotiables and non-negotiables you wrote down in chapter 1.

This is how you can prioritize what you want to negotiate.

You want to keep the non-negotiable items especially in mind throughout the

process. If one comes up that is not in your favor, you know you have to stay

true to yourself.

I don’t mean backing out, I mean using it as an opportunity to negotiate.

Negotiation is the toughest part of the whole job search process. Because it’s not

straightforward, there’s not clear signals when you should do it, and it’s all

predicated on which party has the leverage.

6.2 Common items to negotiate

Title

RSU's

Salary
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Vacation

Start date

Paid leave

Work location

Stock options

Working hours

Some benefits

Parental leave

# of direct reports

Travel requirements

Signing bonus amount

Signing bonus retention

Signing bonus structure

I could keep going on. The old adage that anything is negotiable (outside of

medical/401k benefits), is true. Don’t let a fear of asking hold you back from

going after what you want.

6.3 Negotiation strategy

Negotiation is all about leverage. Whoever has the most to lose is one who will

fold first.
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Notice it’s not the one who has the most to gain. Human psychology is all about

avoiding pain and suffering. So the focus is always on what is most at stake.

Early on in the process the leverage is held by the company. But by the end that

is COMPLETELY flip flopped - YOU hold all the leverage.

Many people think that a company might strip your offer if you counter/negotiate

at all. The truth is that as long as you use common sense, are respectful, and

negotiate in good faith, the company does not want to lose you.

Think about it. The company has already invested weeks (or months) and many

interview hours into you and have picked you as the top candidate.

They don’t want to give that up and start the multi-week/month process all over

again just because you asked for more vacation.

6.4 Common deflection template

The biggest area people get hung up is how to answer the recruiter question at

the first and second contact points. When the recruiter first asks you what $$$

you are looking for in a role here’s what I say “Well I know what I’m worth, and
 47

I’m at the top of my range in the market. I prefer to have more in depth

discussions around compensation after the HM and I have spoken to make sure

it’s value added for both parties”.

This will kick the can down the road until the HM interview. It also postures you

as an expensive candidate … THIS IS A GOOD THING. Think about which you

value more for a phone call: a new iPhone or a burner phone you buy at a gas

station? Both can make a call just fine, but you’d trust the iPhone over the

burner all day. It’s all because of price. Same goes for you and your worth.

6.5 Counter-offering

I suggest always countering the first offer. ALWAYS!

Who doesn’t want more of something: more money, more vacation, more

bonuses, etc. Don’t be nice, be a shark man!

But never counter more than twice. After that, make a decision because you will

just start to look difficult and you risk losing the offer. Politely decline if you have

to, always stay true to yourself.

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6.6 Counter-offer template

You get an offer for a mid-level engineering manager job in manufacturing for

130k, 5k sign-on, 2 weeks of vacation, and no vacation for the first 3 months.

Here’s how I’d counter:

“First off X, I really appreciate the offer that you and company Y have offered me.

It’s very generous and I enjoyed taking the time over the past few weeks to get to

know the team and the role better.

That said, I would like to counter your offer with 150k, 12k sign-on, and 3 weeks

of vacation accrued upon hire. My reason for the counter is that I already make

135k right now. As I mentioned earlier in the process I’m looking for 160-180k

base and am trying to meet you in the middle by lowering my base requirements

while upping my sign-on. The 3 weeks of vacation is what I get now and hope to

keep that.

I look forward to hearing your response! Can’t wait to join the team!”
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You don’t have to be that wordy, but that is how I talk when I’m in the process.

The key is to explain your reasoning. You don’t just want to sound flaky or

frivolous.

CH 7 Accept! Now what?

CONGRATULATIONS! You are very close to getting to post the boring exciting

“I’m pleased to announce I’ve accepted” on your LI page. But not so fast yet,

these next few weeks could be very important.

7.1 Pick your start date

Seems pretty straightforward. Most people go with 2 weeks. You should

consider a gap week if you can afford it.

Resign with 2 weeks notice, but start your new job 3 weeks out. I’ve started

doing this and the mental health break alone makes it worth it.

The main thing here is to not do something unexpected. If you have been telling

the recruiter that 2 weeks will be your standard, then don’t request 2 months.
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7.2 Gather your items

Do this BEFORE you resign! As you get more serious in the process, you should

have already been organizing your possessions.

Getting documents organized, personal effects brought home, and getting key

details of previous projects to update your LI and resume. You never know if

you’ll be walked out once you give the news.

7.3 Resign gracefully

Do not burn the bridges. Repeat after me: do not burn the bridges.

I don’t care how toxic the environment was, the business world is a small place.

You never know who you’ll cross paths with someday again.

7.4 Stay in contact

When you give your notice and the word starts to get out, make a list of people

you want to stay in contact with professionally or personally. Make sure to get

their contact info written down somewhere so you’ll have it.

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Giving out your personal email or link to your LI page is a common way to be

proactive as well.

Remember the last section where I mention that the business world is tiny?

Remember that here.

Even if you don’t think there’s much value, start connecting with coworkers on LI

if you haven’t already. You just never know.

7.5 Keep constant communication with Hiring Manager/HR

This one should hopefully be done by your HM and not have to be done by you.

But in reality the HM is too busy or disorganized to keep in touch with you.

You’ll want to keep them posted about drug tests, official resignations, any

relocation efforts you’re pursuing, etc. The more communication upfront you do,

the better impression you’ll have walking in day 1.

7.6 Enjoy the time!

This last one is so important. You have spent thousands of words reading this

eBook, perhaps hundreds of applications, hours and hours of interviewing, all to

get to this point.

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ENJOY the moment.

Bask in it.

Realize your accomplishment is rare and deserves to be celebrated.

Too many people I’ve seen don’t take their time during this process and they get

burned out sooner than later. Have fun, enjoy the new change, and embrace a

calm peacefulness during this transition period.

CH 8 Closing

Remember that if you follow this guide you will get your freedom your career

deserves. It is not easy, but it is simple.

It’s all laid out right here for you.

The job search process has TONS of negativity and rejection to it. Whether it’s

apps getting denied by an automated email or recruiters ghosting calls they set

up in the first place, there is negativity everywhere.

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The key is to remember that this is absolutely 100% normal. It is extremely

rare to strike gold on the first blow, remember this. So stay positive, keep looking

back at your goals and visualizing the outcome.

Don’t compromise.

Still struggling around some of the finer points? Want some extra feedback or

help? Reach out to me on LinkedIn and I’d love to help you through it.

FEEDBACK REQUIRED!

Just kidding, but seriously, I’d love to hear what you think of the eBook. It took

me 10+ years to have enough experience to write this but less than an hour for

you to read it. Let me know what you think, good or bad. What would you add or

change?

Send me a DM or an email (info.nick.korwin@gmail.com).

Can’t wait to read what you think!!

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Remember:

○ 8.1 Follow this to get your freedom

○ 8.2 Remember that job search has tons of rejection

○ 8.3 Stay positive

○ 8.4 Need more help? Reach out to Nick!

○ 8.5 Feedback welcomed!