JOB SEARCH LAUNCH GUIDE

Find a Job You LOVE by Learning How to

Prioritize Your Time, Energy, & Effort
Dr. Kyle Elliott | CaffeinatedKyle.com
 Hello!
If you’re like most job seekers, you struggle to decide where
to focus your time, energy, and effort.

This can be particularly challenging if it’s been 5, 10, or 20+

years since you last looked for a new role.

I’m Dr. Kyle Elliott, the career and interview coach behind CaffeinatedKyle.com. I’ve
worked one-to-one with 1,000+ senior managers and executives to land jobs they LOVE.

I developed the following Job Search Launch Guide to help you learn where to focus your
time, energy, and effort to find a role faster and with more confidence.

Because the job search can quickly become overwhelming, I’ve broken this down into an
easy-to-follow, 5-step process to help you get started:

1. Clarify Your Target Companies

2. Identify & Own Your Fabulousness
3. Articulate Your Career Accomplishments
4. Update & Optimize Your Career Documents
5. Caffeinate Your Job Search®

Important: My single rule when working with coaching clients is they can’t respond with,
“I don’t know,” so get vulnerable, be honest, and have some fun as you prepare for a
successful job search. You’ve got this!

Let’s get started…

1. Clarify Your Target Companies
To begin, you’ll want to get clear on your target companies. Most often, I advise
developing a list of several dozen organizations you’re interested in targeting. Then,
you’ll want to bookmark or save their Career pages. Finally, you’ll want to check their
Careers page each week for openings that align with your requirements.

COMPANY CAREERS PAGE URL

The Walt Disney Company www.jobs.disneycareers.com
Starbucks www.starbucks.com/careers

Now, how do you build out target companies for your list? Good question. Here are a few
of my favorite lists and job boards for finding target companies.

• Built In’s Best Places to Work

• Inc.'s 5,000 Fastest-Growing Companies
• Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work
• LinkedIn Top Companies

Speaking of LinkedIn, the platform is powerful for finding target companies, too, as you
can use the "People also viewed" section of the company page to pinpoint similar ones.

You can also ask friends and family, “What companies can you see me working at?” and
notice any trends that emerge.
2. Identify & Own Your
Fabulousness
So, what’s going to help you stand out once you’re ready to apply at these target
companies? Simply put, your fabulousness (AKA your Unique Value Proposition).

Nearly every job seeker I’ve spoken with struggles to articulate what sets them apart
from other job seekers.

Thankfully, I’ve developed a quick, proven, three-step process to empower you to

identify what makes you fabulous:

STEP 1: INTERNAL REFLECTION

Reflect on what brought you joy as a child. In the words of Carl Jung, “What did you do as
a child that made the hours pass like minutes?”

STEP 2: EXTERNAL REVIEW

Survey how other people see you today. Text 3+ people and ask, “What makes me
fabulous?”

STEP 3: FABULOUSNESS OVERLAP

Find the overlap between your internal reflection and your external review, then ask
yourself, “What sets me apart from people who share these qualities?”

Repeat at least 10 times.

3. Articulate Your Career
Accomplishments
Building upon your fabulousness, it’s time to reflect on your career accomplishments.

Remember the Careers pages you identified in step 1? We’re going to visit one now and
find a target role. Then, we're going to place the duties from the job posting in the left-
hand column, followed by your relevant career accomplishments in the right-hand
column. Below is an example.

JOB POSTING LANGUAGE YOUR RELEVANT CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Manage the company’s Implemented inaugural Facebook, Instagram, and
social media strategy and TikTok social media strategies that drove $275K in
growth. incremental revenue in first 12 months.

If you’re struggling to identify your accomplishments, the following questions may

help you begin brainstorming.

• What was the impact of your work?

• How did you add value to your organization?
• Where did you save your company time and money?

You can also use past performance evaluations, letters of recommendation, and LinkedIn
reviews to guide you in discovering your greatest accomplishments.
4. Update & Optimize Your
Career Documents
Now, how do you leverage these accomplishments to find a job you LOVE? You will want
to strategically and intentionally insert them into your resume, as well as your cover
letter and LinkedIn profile

However, each of these career documents serves a unique purpose. In other words, you
don’t want to simply copy and paste the content from your resume into your LinkedIn
profile or cover letter.

Below is a high-level overview of the distinctions between each career document, as well
as how they can support you in landing a job you LOVE.

LINKEDIN PROFILE

• Capture the attention of prospective employers with an SEO-friendly profile.

• Leave the recruiter wanting more (your cover letter and resume).

COVER LETTER

• Communicate your interest in the company and position with a concise intro letter.
• Quickly articulate what sets you apart from other applicants (AKA your fabulousness).

RESUME

• Connect the dots between the job opening and your accomplishments.
• Provide additional proof that you’re distinctly qualified compared to other applicants.
5. Caffeinate Your Job Search®
Finally, since the average job search takes five to six months, you’ll want a strategy in
place to help you stay motivated when the going gets tough. Consider setting a few
metrics to help you stay on track, that you can use to measure your progress.
Importantly, you’ll want to focus on items within your control, such as:

• WITHIN Your Control: How many roles you apply to and which people you network
with.
• BEYOND Your Control: How many job interviews you land and offers you receive.

Here are several questions to guide you in developing your job search strategy and
accompanying metrics:

• How much time will you carve out for your job search?
• What will your job search schedule look like?
• How many roles will you apply to each week?
• Who will hold you accountable? A trusted friend, mentor, or career coach?

The following is a sample job search strategy to serve as inspiration.

I will dedicate 45 minutes per evening, Monday through Thursday, and 2 hours every
Sunday, to my job search. I will apply to 3+ new roles per week with a customized
resume and cover letter. I will also reach out to 5+ employees at each target company.

I will send a daily text message update to my friend, Doug, and a weekly email update to
my mentor, Lizzo, letting them know how I’m doing. I’ll also meet with my coach, Kyle,
every other week to discuss roadblocks, strategies, and upcoming interviews.

Remember that you’re not alone as you search for a job you LOVE. I’m here for you.
You’ve got this!