Hannah Morgan

Showing job seekers ways to proactively uncover new opportunities and get discovered! Job Search Strategist, Speaker & Trainer 🏆 LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers.

Do you have a plan you are following to find a new job? Without the right to-do list it can take a long time to secure a new job. 

I help job seekers understand how to look for work more effectively and land a job faster. 

What I do is equip people who are serious about managing their careers with the strategies and tools to market themselves during job search (and forever). It's about creating a reputation of excellence and connecting with people you need to know in person or virtually! 

In today’s world, it’s too easy to get overlooked when you just apply for jobs online. I want you to get the attention you deserve. But it isn’t easy. It requires consistent effort and stepping outside of your comfort zone. 

Develop a plan to find your next job faster!

RESOURCES I OFFER:

Do you get my Sunday Career Essentials newsletter? It's curated content by experts in the job search, recruiting and careers fields you need to know! Subscribe here https://career-essentials.beehiiv.com/join

Do you know about my Motivation Monday Job Search Accountability Group? It's a intimate group of job seekers that meet weekly to push through the process, collaborate, and get support and accountability. Learn more here: https://careersherpa.net/need-help/motivation-monday-job-search-accountability-group/

Interested in learning more about my services? See this page: https://careersherpa.net/products-services/

Career Sherpa.net serves as the umbrella for all the things I love doing: training (virtually and in person), speaking, and writing. Visit my website to get the latest on job search trends and tips to improve your online visibility ⇨ 
https://careersherpa.net

 ► Speaker/Trainer ◄ 
Delivering presentations and workshops is my passion.  I love educating and the personal satisfaction that comes from seeing the "a-ha" moments of participants. 


 ► Author/Blogger ◄ 
I’ve been recognized at one of LinkedIn's Top Voices in Job Search and Career in 2019. I've also been featured in USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, Aol Jobs, LifeHacker, The Muse,  Business Insider and many other media outlets. 

I've written two books: "The Infographic Resume" and co-authored “Social Networking for Business Success: How To Turn Your Ideas Into Income”.

Job Search Strategist

Here's exactly what you should do to prepare for an interview. 

Be prepared.
Be confident. 
Focus on listening, not worrying about what you'll be asked!

Interview preparation for confidence

STOP BRINGING YOUR RESUME TO NETWORKING MEETINGS

If you're job hunting, you might think you need a polished resume before you can start networking.

You don't.

You don't need a completed resume to start having meaningful career conversations. Once you understand why, you'll never feel the need to bring it to a networking meeting again.

WOULD YOU SHARE YOUR RESUME IF YOU ALREADY HAD A JOB?

Imagine you're happily employed and someone asks to meet for coffee. 

Would you bring your resume?

Of course not.

So why do you feel like you need one just because you're job searching? What you actually need is a purpose for the meeting, a few good questions, and a willingness to listen and learn.

NETWORKING IS NOT ABOUT LANDING A JOB. IT'S ABOUT LEARNING.

The best networking conversations aren't job pitches. They're mutual exchanges of insights, experiences, and ideas.

When you lead with "I'm job hunting," you risk shifting the focus off information gathering to "do you know of any jobs?" (This is not likely to help you).

THINK OF NETWORKING AS GETTING SOME FRESH AIR

→ Advice on career moves, job search strategies, or changing direction 
→ Information about companies, industry trends, or future opportunities 
→ Recommendations for people to meet, groups to join, or skills to develop

The best networkers don't wait until they need something to start showing up. They build relationships consistently so when opportunities arise, they're already in the room.

COME PREPARED WITH SMART QUESTIONS

Thoughtful questions signal curiosity and make conversations memorable. Try these:
→ "What challenges are you seeing in [industry] right now?" 
→ "Have you or your team tried any new approaches lately?" 
→ "What trends do you think will have the biggest impact this year?"

These open the door to real dialogue rather than a one-sided pitch.

YOU HAVE VALUE TO OFFER, TOO

You've gained insights, experiences, and lessons worth sharing.

Think about who you've already met on your networking journey. What stories or tips could you pass along? When you show up as a connector and a resource, you become someone people genuinely want to stay in touch with.

WHAT IF SOMEONE ASKS FOR YOUR RESUME?

That's usually a sign that the purpose of your meeting wasn't clear from the start.

Get ahead of it by sharing your LinkedIn profile in your meeting request and being upfront that you're there to learn, not to pitch yourself.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Networking is about building relationships and uncovering opportunities long before a job posting goes live.

Show up curious, prepared, and confident. No paper required.

❓ What is holding you back from having conversations/networking? Drop a comment below.

Here's a challenge for every job seeker this week: 

🤯 Instead of obsessing over how to use AI to customize your resume, why not use it to help you identify target companies? 

🤯 Instead of learning AI to improve your resume bullets, why not create a prompt to find related roles/job titles you may be a good fit for?

🤯 Instead of investing time finding job boards and recruiters, invest in reaching out to people you worked with, volunteer with, went to school with, did business with, or know.

🎯 Focus on human-to-human interactions. 

Learning AI skills isn't wrong or bad...
but 
is it distracting you from building relationships and connecting with people?  

There are tools you can test for free to help with your resume customization. Have you tried either of these? 

Huntr (huntr . co)
Teal     (tealhq . com)

And practice AI interview tools also exist. 

Teal
Yoodli AI Roleplays

Rather than build your own, save time and use tools that already exist!

Stop Letting Procrastination Steal Your Job Search Success!

PLUS: 15 scams to watch out for, a job search checklist you need, rules for networking, LinkedIn profile settings that are making you invisible, and more!

Yesterday's Career Essentials featured these posts: 

📌 The All-In Job Search Checklist - Adrienne Tom
📌 15 Ways You Can Easily Stop Job Scams Today - Mark Anthony Dyson
📌 Quickest Way To Lose Your Audience When Networking? - Erica Reckamp
📌 Why Good Candidates Stay Invisible on LinkedIn - Jan Tegze 
📌 Top 10 LinkedIn Premium Benefits for Job Seekers - Sabrina Woods
📌 Have You Verified Your Linkedin Profile? - Linda Brubaker, PhD

Plus more! 

If these are the types of articles you need to help with your job search, subscribe today! 

https://lnkd.in/epP33pJi

Happy March 1st! And here's Career Essentials issue hot off the presses today! 

🔥 7 Things You Can Do To Attract Your Next Opportunity
🔥 How To Find Recruiters - Sarah Johnston
🔥 9 Best Job Sites - Sam Wright of Huntr
🔥 How To Ask For An Informational Interview - Jenny Foss
🔥 6 Ways To Be More Visible To Recruiters on LinkedIn - Mary Southern
🔥 LinkedIn Skills On The Rise - LinkedIn
🔥 Develop the Skills Employers Actually Need - Lightcast

And more news you can use to accelerate your job search! 

https://lnkd.in/eapWMMDa

Stop Asking AI to Fix Your Resume was the subject line of yesterday's Career Essentials newsletter. 

Every Sunday, I curate recent and interesting job search-related articles written by experts and people whose opinions I value. 

These are some of the articles featured yesterday:

💪 Commenting Is The New Posting - LIAM DARMODY

💪 Curiosity And Learning Agility (To Beat AI) - Lars Schmidt

💪 Generative AI Is Eroding Trust - Kelli Hrivnak

💪 Your LLM Resume Isn’t Helping - Steve Levy 🌊 

💪6 Things You Can Do - That Are In Your Control - To Increase Your Chances Of Landing An Interview - Sarah Baker Andrus

Here's the link and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an issue
https://lnkd.in/ej9WC2gc

#SkillsOnTheRise

It doesn't matter what industry you're in... these skills are on the rise. 

This is how LinkedIn compiled the list: 
"LinkedIn measures the year-over-year growth of skills based on two pillars: skill acquisition and hiring success. Skill acquisition measures the growth of a given skill being added to member profiles. Hiring success measures the growth of a given skill possessed by members who have been hired in the past year."

Open article: LinkedIn Skills on the Rise 2026: The fastest-growing skills in the U.S. by LinkedIn News • 5 min read

LinkedIn Skills on the Rise 2026: The fastest-growing skills in the U.S.

Shelley Piedmont, SPHR, SHRM-SCP

You've spent years building real expertise. You've solved many problems and delivered great results.
 
But when it comes time to talk about what you do, whether you're considering a career change or sitting in an interview, you can't quite put your finger on what makes you valuable. You know you're good at what you do, but you can't clearly explain why or how that matters to someone else.You're struggling because you've never stepped back to truly understand what your experience adds up to and how to talk about it in a way that makes sense to someone else.

I was a recruiter for 20 years, which means I've interviewed thousands of leaders. I've also coached 400+ mid-career professionals through career transitions and interview prep.What I've learned is this: most people know what they're good at. They don't know how to talk about it.

I work with people in two situations:

1) You're thinking about a career change.You know you need something different, but you're stuck. You're worried your experience won't translate. You're scared of starting over or taking a pay cut. You don't know how to explore options without blowing up your current stability.

I help you figure out what actually makes sense for you, then show you how to talk about your background so it sounds like an asset, not a liability.

2) You have interviews coming up, and you're not ready. When you try to explain what you do, it either comes out as a rambling career history or three vague sentences. You leave interviews kicking yourself because you forgot to mention half your accomplishments.I teach you how to tell your story in a way that's clear, confident, and actually lands. The organization has a strategy; you should, too.

Here's what's different about working with me: I've been on the other side of the table. I know what hiring managers are actually listening for. I know why some answers work and others fall flat.

For example, everyone says they're a "strategic thinker," but almost no one shows how they think strategically or what results that thinking produces. That's the difference between an answer that sounds good and one that gets you hired.

"I was feeling very lost when we started. Shelley helped me organize my plan, understand my strengths, and put an actionable plan together. I now feel ready to move forward with purpose."

"Shelley gave me different ways of looking at how I answer interview questions, which will help tremendously."

Book a free consultation, and I'll show you what's getting lost in translation. Check out the link in my contact information.

Interview the Right Way Coach

Shelley Piedmont

I can tell many of you do not know the difference between a persona descriptor and a performance descriptor.

Recruiters do, and this could be one of the reasons you are not getting interviews.

A persona describes a character or trait. On a resume, this is often a self-described title, such as "I am a creative visionary." 

The problem: Often, it is an unsubstantiated claim. Because you say it doesn't mean it is true.

Now, performance descriptors are different. They describe what you have done. Your accomplishments. You are providing proof.

Which do recruiters and hiring managers care more about? Yes, the latter.

Effective job seekers take a persona descriptor and ask themselves, "What did I do that makes me say I have this trait?"

Team Player (Used ad nauseum on resumes) → Aligned sales and product teams to hit an aggressive launch deadline.

Innovative (Subjective) → Architected a new billing workflow that saved 10 hours weekly.

Hard-working (Baseline requirement) → Exceeded quarterly KPIs by 15% for three consecutive years.

Problem Solver (Aren't most people?) → Negotiated a $20k vendor credit after a service disruption.

Your homework: Go through your resume and LinkedIn About section. Highlight your persona descriptors. Swap them out for a metric or a specific action.

Now see if that doesn't draw more interest.

-----
I'm Shelley. I used to hire for companies, but now I advocate for YOU. My goal? Helping you find work that energizes instead of exhausts you.
♻️ Resonated with you? Your repost could help someone else, too
🔔 Follow + ring the bell for weekly career reality checks
🟪 Questions about your next move? I'm here to help. Ask below or DM me

Shelley Piedmont🧭

Clarity↣Strategy↣Hired For Managers to VPs • Job Search Strategist & Interview Coach • Career Coach, Job Change Advisor & Resume + LinkedIn Strategist

"That was so exhausting."

If you’re an introvert, you’ve likely felt this after a networking event.

You feel the job search is an extrovert's game. 
You feel like you're "selling" yourself, which feels fake.
You feel you need to be someone you are not in the room to get noticed. 

But to be clear: Introverts are hired every day.

Some of the most effective CEOs and leaders are introverts. They are successful because of what they do, their value. They got their positions by showing this.

As a career coach, I see too many talented people burn out by trying to be extroverted.

Stop doing that.

Instead, I’m breaking down how to navigate the job search on your own terms, including:

Strategic networking: Why 1:1 conversations are your safe place.

Depth over breadth: Why one meaningful connection beats 25 elevator pitches.

The power of preparation: Using your reflective nature to research and strategize better than the competition.

Energy management: How to build routines that allow you to recharge after social interactions.

Think of your introversion as a competitive advantage. You just have to know how to use it.

Check this out to find out how your introversion can work for you.

📤👥If you're an extrovert, share it with those introverts you know struggling in this situation.

I have a YouTube channel. My latest video is about how to overcome being "overqualified" in an interview: https://lnkd.in/eUjkTGfb

I write about this and other job-search topics in my biweekly newsletter. Please subscribe: https://lnkd.in/er6DT_8P

If you have an upcoming interview and need help to prepare, I have a one-session Rapid Readiness interview prep service: https://lnkd.in/erMzc3Si

Introvert Job Search Strategy

When I was in HR, 3-3.5% raises, across the board, were the standard. Some years there may be more, some years, a bit less, but most everyone got something.

Those days might be over. 

My Monday Number is 75%. That is the number of companies that gave raises to at least 80% of employees. 

This year, that number may be significantly lower. Many are rethinking "peanut butter" raises (where salary increases get spread across everyone like, well, peanut butter on bread). 

Instead of giving everyone a little, more firms are considering giving top performers a lot and everyone else little to nothing. 

The total raise pool isn't shrinking (it's still about 3.5%), but how it's distributed may change.

The job market is terrible for white-collar workers. With fewer openings and limited options to leave, employers have less incentive to spread raises around. Raised are going to those they want to keep. Everyone else? Well, if you are unhappy and go, they're also betting that automation and AI can fill any gaps from departures.

What this could mean:

Top performers: You might see 6-8% or higher instead of 3%.

Average performers: You might see nada. The money that used to be spread around now goes exclusively to those seen as valuable.

Those with in-demand skills: Skills scarcity could work in your favor even if you're not top-ranked.

Adding insult to injury: Jobs are no longer secure, and doing your job well may no longer earn you a raise. You need to be doing it better than your peers or bringing skills that are hard to replace.  This also means you need to document your wins, build valuable skills, and make sure your manager knows your contributions. That way, you can be put in a group they are eager to reward and retain.

Source: Korn Ferry Insights, February 11, 2026

Monday Number episode featuring Shelley Piedmont with hand cupped to ear in listening gesture on purple background. The number 75% is displayed. This episode reveals that 75% of companies gave raises to at least 80% of employees last year, but many are now abandoning 'peanut butter' raises in favor of giving larger increases only to top performers. Website: www.mycareergps.com

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The Battle

Hannah Morgan

Shelley Piedmont

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Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Hannah Morgan's LinkedIn Performance

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