"What I Did Differently to Finally Get the Job" - A Story about My Client, Hera

Hera was stuck.

For months, she had been doing everything the "experts" say to do.

She applied to dozens of leadership roles, meticulously tailoring her resume for each one. She updated her LinkedIn, attended networking events, and even reached out to recruiters. She networked like crazy. She did coffee chats with dozens.

But every time she hit "submit" on an application, the same thing happened - nothing.

No callbacks. No interviews. Just silence.

She started questioning herself. "Am I not as qualified as I think? Is something wrong with my experience?"

Meanwhile, she watched colleagues land roles she knew she was more than capable of doing. She felt stuck and frustrated.

Something had to change. And that’s when she came to me.

Within a few weeks, she landed a big job offer! How? She stopped playing by the old job search rules.

Here’s what we did differently

• We repositioned her from "qualified" to "must-have candidate." Her resume wasn’t the problem - her positioning was. We reframed her experience to highlight business impact, leadership wins, and strategic problem-solving. Her resume was no longer a list of things that she did, there was a cohesive story that showed her expertise. Suddenly, decision-makers saw her as a leader who can solve problems, not just one candidate in a sea of others.
• She stopped chasing recruiters and got in front of hiring managers. Instead of waiting for responses, we used a targeted system to bypass the ATS and get straight to the people who mattered. Within weeks, she was having conversations with key decision-makers—not just applying into the void.
• She took control of interviews - owning her story and the conversation! Hera knew her value and she projected a peaceful confidence that wasn't there before. She knew the secrets behind showing exactly how she would solve the organization's hairy problems.
• She negotiated. The offer came in lower than she expected. But instead of accepting, she used the strategy we mapped out to push back confidently.

She landed a senior director role in a top company, a salary jump (a $40K increase and a severance clause!), and the confidence that she controlled her career - not the market.

Why Fixing Just One Piece Won’t Get You Hired

Most job seekers misdiagnose the real issue. They assume that if they’re not landing interviews, their resume must be the critical problem.

So, they tweak, edit, and rewrite endlessly—agonizing over word choices, rearranging bullet points, and obsessing over formatting, hoping that this time their application will finally stand out.

But after submitting yet another version? The same result. Silence.

Question to consider - What if the resume wasn’t the problem at all?

What we did differently

The real problem isn’t always what you think. That’s why my approach starts with diagnosis.

Maybe you’re stuck tweaking bullet points on your resume when what really needs to change is:

• Your positioning – You’re presenting yourself as a “qualified candidate” instead of the solution to the company’s biggest problems. Decision-makers don’t hire people who meet requirements, instead they hire people who deliver results.
• Your visibility – You’re relying on cold applications instead of getting in front of the right people. If the only ones seeing your resume are ATS systems and junior recruiters, you’re already losing.
• Your interview strategy – You’re answering questions instead of owning the conversation. High-achievers don’t convince companies to hire them; they position themselves as the obvious choice.
• Your negotiation approach – You get the offer but you’re unsure how to ask for more without risking the deal. So you aim for smaller incremental improvements. Or worse, accept the offer as is!

Bottom line is that it’s all about fixing the real issue! That's what we did with Hera. We focused on what truly mattered - her positioning, visibility, and strategy. That shift turned her from just another candidate into the candidate decision-makers couldn’t ignore. And then we had all the leverage in the world to get her the compensation she deserves!

What this means for you!

If you’re tired of applying and hearing crickets, ask yourself if you need to your approach. Hera did and it changed everything.

To accelerate your job search, join me for the FREE WORKSHOP, The Most Powerful Tool In Job Searching Right Now! Wed, Feb 12, 2025, 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM

Dorothy Mashburn is on a mission to empower women of color (and allies!) to steer their career journey and confidently negotiate their value. She can be reached here.

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Get the secrets to commanding top offers with my book, Executive Edge - Finding Golden Nuggets. Discover how to tap into hidden insights, position yourself as the must-have candidate, and secure the offers you deserve. Get your copy now!!!