Career Success Coach | Driving Career Growth for 6-Figure Professionals | Higher Pay | Better Opportunities | Greater Job Fulfillment | sWorks! Signature Series |

A Global Technology SVP walks into a wealth management firm as their new CIO. 

A Director of Analytics moves from MarTech into a VP role in Higher Education.   

A Director of Sales in Financial Services lands Senior Director at a $200M SaaS company.   

A Corporate Controller launches a Fractional CFO practice serving Series B startups.      

Same experience. Different leverage.      

That's The YES Factor™.      

Senior leaders don't lose opportunities because they lack experience.     

They lose them because the people making the decision can't see where that experience takes the business next. 

The narrative is historical. The decision is about the future. That gap is where strong candidacies stall and where external moves quietly fall apart.      

We build what closes that gap.   

The leverage that makes the decision easy for the people who need to say yes.      

I work with Senior Managers, Directors, VPs, and CxOs to build the narrative that hands the decision-maker exactly what they need to say yes and sell it internally.     

Corp-to-corp. Corporate-to-advisory. Expanded scope, new industry, or building a fractional practice from the ground up. 

The path doesn't matter. The leverage you walk in with does.      

I bring something most coaches don't. 

I've sat on the side of both sides of the table where risk is weighed, scope is defined, and one direction is chosen over another. 

I know what decision-makers need to see. 

I know what makes it take to move forward and what makes them hesitate.     

That perspective shapes every piece of work I do.      

I've recruited across Fortune 100 boardrooms and early-stage startups. 

I've built enterprise sales practices from the ground up. I've been the one in the room deciding who moves forward and why.  

That's not background. That's the lens I bring to every leader I work with.      

400+ corporate leaders supported.   
15+ years on the decision side of hiring.   $50M+ in enterprise B2B sales.      

What this looks like in practice:    

One focused Advisory Session. 

90 minutes plus a written strategic deliverable you can use immediately.      

An ongoing Retainer for leaders who are actively in motion and need a strategist in their corner as the moves get bigger.      

When decision-makers can see what changes because of you, the yes follows.      

The next move starts with a conversation. 

DM me or book a call directly from my profile.      

📍 The YES Factor™ 📧 melissa@sworkable.com

Melissa Hodgins

People don’t actually choose the best option.

They choose the one that feels easiest to back.

The human brain is remarkably capable.

It built civilisations.  
It invented aeroplanes.

It also quietly avoids anything that feels mentally expensive.

Because uncertainty creates tension.

Certainty creates relief.

Have you ever watched a room look at two strong candidates and move toward the one that simply felt easier to place?

Not better.

Easier.

That is how many senior decisions actually get made.

Not through spreadsheets.

Through emotional relief.

A large part of my work is making sure that when someone’s experience is evaluated, it doesn’t create friction the room has to work to resolve.

Because when something is effortless to understand, trust builds quickly.

And when trust builds quickly…

Momentum usually follows.

📍 The YES Factor

The Corporate Leader’s Career Transition Coach | The YES Factor™ | When Decision-Makers See What Changes Because of You, The Yes Follows

She didn’t know why.

That’s what she told me when she reached out.

Over 20 years of experience.
Real results.
The right roles.
The right industries.

Doing everything right.
Still not getting chosen.

And that’s the part nobody talks about.

It’s not the leaders who are coasting that struggle.

It’s the ones doing everything right who quietly start wondering what
the market is seeing that they’re not.

Here’s what I saw the moment I opened her resume.

She was telling decision-makers everything she’d done.

Not one word about what their business gets next.

She didn’t have a visibility problem.

Her value was invisible.

There’s a difference.

We fixed that inside The YES Factor.

She walked into a CFO’s office talking about his problem.

She got the VP role.

📍 If everything looks right on paper but the decision keeps going
another way, it’s rarely about experience. It’s about what the room can
immediately see.

📍 The YES Factor

Most senior leaders don’t aim too high.

They aim at what they can see.

And what they can see is usually what they’ve done.

Not what it’s actually worth to the business.  
Not what changes when they walk in the door.  
Not what the organization gets next.

Just the history of it.

So they pursue roles that match that history.

Roles they’re credible for.  
Roles they can defend.  
Roles that make sense on paper.

And they get them.

Which is exactly the problem.

Because capable and correctly placed are not the same thing.

I had a client who was convinced her title was holding her back.

We didn’t change the title.

We changed what she could clearly see about what moved in the business because she was there.

She stopped aiming at roles the market thought she deserved.

She started moving at the level she had already reached.

The shift was significant.

📍 When the business value is easy to see, the level conversation changes quickly.

📍 The YES Factor

Every board conversation mentions AI.
Every investor deck includes it.
Every strategic hiring discussion is looking for leaders who actually get it.

And when decision-makers look at your background
resume, LinkedIn, pitch, narrative
the AI piece is completely missing.

Not because you're not using it.

You're using AI. You're driving results with it.

But you're not making it visible as part of the business outcome.

The M&A integration you led that closed 40% faster
AI powered the due diligence.

The retention spike
AI identified the churn pattern no one was seeing.

The operational efficiency gain
AI removed the bottleneck that had been there for years.

You know this.

Decision-makers don't.

Because it's not in your narrative.

And right now, that gap is costing you opportunities.

The corp-to-corp role that goes to someone who made AI capability obvious in the room.
The strategic seat where they are looking for AI fluency and you did not show it.
The advisory client who needs someone forward-thinking and your narrative still reads like 2019.

From inside your own story, this gap is almost impossible to see.

But it is exactly what decision-makers are reacting to.

And it is costing strong leaders conversations they should already be in.

If you know your track record is stronger than what the market is giving back right now, we should talk.

📍 The YES Factor™

You left corporate to build something of your own.

No more approvals. No more getting your calendar hijacked. No more
brilliant ideas that die in committee.

Finally, your expertise. Your terms. Your future.

Except now you are three months in and the calls are not coming the way
you thought they would.

You are available for strategic advisory work.
You are open to fractional leadership opportunities.
You are leveraging years of experience.

And it sounds impressive. Credible. Senior.

It is also completely forgettable.

Because when someone has a problem that is keeping them up at night,
they do not search for strategic advisor.

They think: Who do I know who has solved this exact thing before?

That is the gap.

You left corporate with a title, a network, and a belief that the
expertise would speak for itself.

And now there is a realization no one knows what to call you for.

Not because the expertise is not strong.

Because the market does not know the one thing you solve decisively.

You are known for being capable of many things.

And general does not get the call.

Here is what shifts it.

Stop describing what you can do. Start owning what you are known for.

Not scope. Not capabilities. Not range.

The problem people called you for when you were still in the seat.

You are the one who makes acquisitions close without imploding.
You are the person pulled in when retention is bleeding and nobody knows
why.
You are who gets called when compliance is about to kill the deal.

That sentence, the exact thing you were known for, is the business.

And the moment that becomes clear, the calls change.

Because people do not buy fractional VPs.

They buy the person who solves the problem that is costing them right
now.

Here is where most leaders get stuck.

From inside a long corporate career, the title is loud.

The reason people pulled you in is quieter.

And that is what the market buys.

That is the work inside The YES Factor™.

📍 The YES Factor | Become the Expert They Hire | Become the Expert They
Buy |

Rooms make decisions before anyone speaks.

That’s not cynicism.

That’s just how evaluation actually works.

By the time someone is sitting across the table, the conclusion is
already forming quietly in the background.

And if something feels uncertain, unclear, or hard to place —

the brain doesn’t work harder to understand it.

It looks for an easier option.

Charlotte (not her real name) wanted VP. Then C-suite.

When we looked at her next move, tech was the right path.

Not because it was obvious.

Because when I looked at what she’d actually built — her results, her
markets, her growth story — it was exactly what a serious tech firm
needs.

But there was a risk.

The room was likely to see: not SaaS.

And once that conclusion forms, strong leaders rarely get the chance to
correct it.

So before she ever walked in, we made that conclusion impossible to
reach.

We didn’t change her experience.

We changed what the business could quickly understand about it.

Her language. Her framing. Her focus.

All of it translated into the vocabulary of their world.

By the time she sat down, the room wasn’t working against her.

It was already moving toward her.

Five rounds. A full case study built around their sales challenges.

She won every one.

📍 The room isn’t waiting for someone to explain their background. The
YES Factor ensures the right conclusion forms early.

I once sat across from the CIO of one of Canada’s largest companies.

He was my client.

I didn’t spend that conversation establishing credentials.
I didn’t walk him through my background.
I didn’t try to convince him I was worth listening to.

We talked about the business.

About the customer.
About what was possible next.

And that conversation reinforced something I see over and over again.

Authority isn’t built by explaining yourself.

It’s built when the room can quickly see what changes because you are
there.

Here is what many senior leaders do when they are preparing for a move.

They explain themselves.

Their background.
Their experience.
Their track record.

All of it logical.
All of it quietly working against them.
And in senior rooms, that is usually where the evaluation quietly
changes.

Because authority isn’t what gets declared in the room.

It is what decision-makers conclude when they can clearly see the impact
of choosing you.

And the moment the conversation turns into proving, the evaluation has
already shifted.

The leaders who get trusted quickly aren’t the ones with the most
impressive answer.

They are the ones who can hold the business problem in front of the room
and move it forward.

That is the shift behind The YES Factor.

📍 The YES Factor

You have been rehearsing the same answer for three days and it still sounds wrong.

"I know I have not worked in this industry, but let me show you how my experience translates."

Every time you say it out loud, you hear it. You are asking them to overlook something.

And the interview is next Thursday.

Here is what is happening in that room that you are not saying out loud.

They are not deciding if you are close enough. They are deciding what their business looks like if they choose you. And if you make them do the work of connecting your background to their problem, they will not do it.

Most people walk into that room explaining their past and hoping someone sees the fit.

You do not have that kind of time.

I had a client in round 3 this week. Director role. SaaS company. 15 years of exactly what they needed. Zero SaaS experience.

She was carrying the same sentence you are carrying right now.

We eliminated it. We did not manage the gap. We made it the reason.

She walked in Tuesday showing them what becomes possible because she is a builder and they have never had one. Not her history. Their future.

Two hours of focused work.  
We changed how she would be evaluated in that room.

She is not hoping they overlook something anymore.

If you have a conversation next week that decides your next year and you are still rehearsing the wrong answer, you are out of time to figure this out alone.

DM me.

📍 The YES Factor™ | Become the Expert They Hire | Become the Expert They Buy |

You already know what the next level looks like.

You’ve been in those rooms.  
You’ve led those conversations.  
You’ve solved the problems that were keeping the business up at night.

And somewhere in the last few months, something started to feel off.

Not doubt. You’re past doubt.

Something quieter than that.

A growing impatience with a process that keeps measuring the wrong thing.  
That keeps asking you to prove what you’ve already proven.  
That keeps putting you in rooms where you have to over-explain what experienced leaders recognise quickly.

That gap — between who you are in the room and how the market is reading you — is one of the most frustrating places to sit.

Because you’re not starting over.  
You’re not figuring it out.  
You’re already operating at the level you’re aiming for.

But the market isn’t reading you that way yet.

And you’re no longer waiting for the market to catch up.

That’s the work inside The YES Factor™.

Making what already moves because of you unmistakable the moment the room starts forming a view.

📍 The YES Factor

On a Mission to Help 10,000 Motivated Koreans Get Life-Changing International Jobs 🌎 | Internationally Published Author 📚 | Top 1% Business English/Career Coach | 250+ Client Success Stories All Over the World 💙

𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙆𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙨 🇰🇷?

Great question! While living in 강남 from 2016–2018, I discovered 👇

🙌 How motivated, talented, and hardworking Koreans truly are.

The best part of my time in Korea was the people.

...but I also saw how many deserve 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 in their careers.

💔 Many are overworked and underpaid, stuck in long hours and 회식 culture. Others dream of global careers but worry about English or don’t know how to job search internationally.

𝗦𝗼, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝘁 학원 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁:

❌ Free talking, grammar, and vocabulary tips from English 학원 
❌ Generic interview advice and basic resume templates from career coaching 학원

Helpful? Maybe a little.

But not enough to create 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 career success.

Your career matters, and you deserve better.

That’s why I created something different.

💙 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽:

1️⃣ 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀: 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀

You don’t have to give me a single penny (or won!).

I share practical, detailed strategies on: 
✅ Business English communication 
✅ LinkedIn profile & networking 
✅ Presentations & public speaking 
✅ International job searching
𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟰𝟯,𝟬𝟬𝟬+ 𝗞𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 across LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.

𝗠𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀: 
• Share free content that’s better than what you pay for at most 학원
• Make it fun! Learning high-value career growth strategies doesn't have to be boring

2️⃣ 𝟭:𝟭 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀

If you’re serious about: 
• Becoming the best version of yourself 
• Building a career you truly love

My personalized, step-by-step 1:1 coaching programs for Business English & International Job Searching will be the single 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 🌎.

100s of success stories across 15 countries — and growing every month.

Visit 🔗 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗯𝘆𝗲.𝗰𝗼𝗺 (𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦)
to start 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 success story today.

𝗠𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂 🤝

Whether you become a long-term client, are a fellow entrepreneur, or just stay a LinkedIn connection — I want to benefit your life in some way.

I hope every program, course, and piece of content I create gives you valuable insight, inspires you to take action, and helps you build a life and career you love.

Because you deserve to wake up Monday morning excited to go to a job that values you 💙

Grant Sundbye

We’ve all been to lectures where:
❌ You get 10 minutes of value in a 90-minute speech
❌ The speaker reads from slides the whole time
❌ Half the talk turns into a pitch for whatever they’re selling

I don’t believe in any of that.

If people give you their time, you owe them something 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿, and 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴.

My goals for every presentation I give:

✅ The audience to walks away with real-world insight they can 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆,

✅ They feel encouraged, like their time was genuinely respected.


𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁:

1️⃣ 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 

I tell students what I 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦 before I graduated and entered the real job market.


2️⃣ 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗞𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀

You all have an incredible amount of talent and value. The challenge is learning how to communicate that value effectively.

That’s where I help.

There’s a lot of bad information out there. I only share what truly works.

3️⃣ 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀, 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀, 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 

More than anything else, learning how to sell changed my career.
It’s a skill every team can benefit from improving. 


4️⃣ 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 

Communication is more than vocabulary or grammar. It’s about building trust and clarity. Especially when teams work across cultures and time zones.

𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀.

Every presentation is tailored to that audience
their goals, their knowledge level, and their real challenges.

If your organization wants to learn more about any of these topics, here's how I can help 🤝
https://lnkd.in/gyGeQYJw

Helping 10,000 Koreans 🇰🇷 Build Global Careers They Love 💙 | 1:1 Business English & International Career Coaching | Top 1% Career Coach on LinkedIn (SSI) | Author 📚 | 300+ Client Success Stories in 15 Countries 🌎

(한국어 아래 ⬇️) Recently had a conversation with someone who just left a very toxic work environment.
 
Reading her message reminded me a lot of my previous job in 2018.
 
At that time, I was the #1 instructor at a business English academy in Gangnam.
  
Because my classes were popular, my schedule was filled with so many classes that:
• I barely had time to eat 
• I had to work unpaid overtime every night preparing the lessons for the next day.

It was very frustrating, but now I'm glad I experienced it. 

It gave me a lot of empathy and motivation to help the Koreans I coach. 

I really want to help them because I know what it's like.

If I never experienced that, I doubt I ever would have started this business. 
   
Remember the bad times.
 
Remember the unreasonable bosses, colleagues, and workplace policies

Remember how they made you feel.
 
So that when you’re in a position of power one day…
 
𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 🤝.
 
-----

최근 한 분과 대화를 나눴습니다.  그분은 매우 독한 직장 환경을 떠난 직후였습니다.
 
그분의 메시지를 읽으면서, 2018년의 제 모습이 많이 떠올랐습니다.
 
그때 저는 강남의 한 비즈니스 영어 학원에서 #1 강사였습니다.
 
수업이 인기가 많다 보니, 제 일정은 점점 더 빽빽해졌습니다.
 
• 밥 먹을 시간도 거의 없었고  • 다음 날 수업 준비를 위해 매일 밤 무급 야근을 해야 했습니다
 
그 당시에는 많이 답답하고 힘들었습니다.
 
하지만 지금 돌아보면, 그 경험이 있었던 것이 오히려 다행이라고 생각합니다.
 
그 시간 덕분에 저는 더 큰 공감 능력을 갖게 되었고,  제가 코칭하는 한국인 분들을 더 진심으로 돕고 싶다는 동기가 생겼습니다.
 
저는 그 기분이 어떤지 알기 때문에,  정말로 그들을 돕고 싶습니다.
 
만약 그 경험이 없었다면,  아마 이 사업을 시작하지도 않았을 것 같습니다.
 
힘들었던 시간을 기억하세요.
 
이해하기 어려웠던 상사들, 동료들,  그리고 사람을 배려하지 않았던 조직 문화를 기억하세요.
 
그때 느꼈던 감정을 기억하세요.
 
그래서 언젠가 여러분이 권한을 가진 위치에 서게 된다면…
 
그와는 반대로 행동하세요 🤝

“𝗜 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝘀.”
A client said this to me recently.
She just turned 30.
 
She’s smart. Capable. Hardworking.
 
But she’s bounced between roles. 

Switched industries. 

Still figuring out what she wants long-term.
 
And deep down, she feels guilty about her career so far.

But she has something A LOT of people would trade any amount of career success for: 

𝗔 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆, 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗲. 

Success in life can be an impressive job/career. 

It can also be: 
• Raising healthy, happy children
• Having freedom to travel
• Growing in your faith/religion
• Hobbies you love

There is more than one metric for a meaningful life.
 
You are more than your job title 🤝

----

“저는 제 20대에 아무것도 이룬 게 없는 것 같아요.”
 
최근 한 고객이 저에게 이렇게 말했습니다.  그녀는 막 서른이 되었습니다.
 
똑똑하고, 능력 있고, 성실한 사람입니다.
 
하지만 여러 직장을 옮겨 다녔고,  산업도 바꾸었으며,  아직 장기적으로 무엇을 원하는지 계속 고민하고 있습니다.
 
그리고 마음 깊은 곳에서는 지금까지의 커리어에 대해 죄책감을 느끼고 있습니다.
 
하지만 그녀에게는 많은 사람들이 어떤 커리어 성공과도 바꾸고 싶어 할 만큼 소중한 것이 있습니다.
 
𝗔 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆, 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗲.
 
인생에서의 성공은 인상적인 직업이나 커리어일 수도 있습니다.
 
하지만 다음과 같은 것일 수도 있습니다:
 
• 건강하고 행복한 아이들을 키우는 것  • 자유롭게 여행할 수 있는 삶  • 자신의 신앙과 가치관 안에서 성장하는 것  • 진심으로 즐길 수 있는 취미를 가지는 것
 
의미 있는 삶을 측정하는 기준은 하나가 아닙니다.
 
당신은 직함 그 이상입니다 🤝

(한국어 아래 ⬇️) This awesome client just earned a job that actually has a lower salary than what she made before. 𝗕𝘂𝘁, 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱: ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ 

She spent most of 2025 feeling pretty lost. 

Working in an industry she didn’t enjoy.  

In a role she couldn’t see herself in long term.

Now, she'll have a slightly smaller paycheck each month, but: 

💙 For the first time in years, she actually feels excited about her career

🔥 She's passionate about the work she'll do and her new company's mission

🤝 The culture is a perfect fit for her
 
📈 This role puts her on a path to where she actually wants to go long-term

😌 The stress, uncertainty, and dread she felt about her past job/career are gone
 
𝗧𝗼 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁: 
Love getting to help you find clarity and make this pivot happen. 

You made a brave, strategic decision that's going to pay off long term.

Can't wait to hear about your first week there. 

Congratulations 🌎👏

---

이 멋진 고객분은 이전보다 연봉이 조금 낮은 새로운 직장을 얻게 되었습니다.  𝗕𝘂𝘁, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 ⬇️⬇️⬇️
 
그녀는 2025년 대부분을 다소 방황하는 기분으로 보냈습니다.
 
즐겁지 않은 산업에서 일하며,
 
장기적으로 자신을 그려볼 수 없는 역할을 맡고 있었습니다.
 
이제 당분간은 매달 받는 급여가 조금 줄어들 수 있습니다. 하지만:
 
💙 몇 년 만에 처음으로 자신의 커리어에 진심으로 설레고 있습니다.
 
🔥 앞으로 하게 될 일과 새로운 회사의 미션에 큰 열정을 느끼고 있습니다.
 
🤝 조직 문화도 그녀와 완벽하게 잘 맞습니다.
 
📈 그리고 이번 역할은 그녀가 진정으로 가고 싶었던 방향으로 나아가는 길 위에 올려놓았습니다.
 
😌 이전 직장에서 느꼈던 스트레스와 불확실함, 막막함은 이제 사라졌습니다.
 
𝗧𝗼 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁:
 
이번 커리어 전환에서 방향을 찾고, 그 변화를 현실로 만드는 과정을 함께할 수 있어 정말 기뻤습니다.
 
용기 있고 전략적인 결정을 내렸고, 그 선택은 장기적으로 분명 큰 보상으로 돌아올 것입니다.
 
새로운 직장에서의 첫 주 이야기도 기대하겠습니다.
 
진심으로 축하드립니다 🌎👏

This awesome client earned a 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆-𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻 🇬🇧 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲 (yes, you can get a global job without years of experience)

Here's one thing we did to make that happen 🤝

If you want the full 5-Step Strategy we used, check the resources in the comments 🌎 



이 멋진 고객은 대학교 졸업 후 불과 몇 주 만에  영국 런던 🇬🇧에 있는 전면 원격 근무 직무를 얻었습니다.
 
(네, 오랜 경력이 없어도 글로벌 취업은 가능합니다.)
 
이 결과를 만들기 위해 우리가 실행한 한 가지 핵심 전략을 확인해 보세요 🤝
 
우리가 사용한 전체 5단계 전략이 궁금하다면  댓글에 있는 자료를 확인해 보세요 🌎

𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗟𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀! 🧧
When I lived in Seoul, this is what I spent most Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays doing ⬇️  

Enjoying the day off of work and playing guitar for 6+ hours 😎👌🎸

Haein earned 3 global job offers 🌎 while still in Korea.  
(한국어 아래 ⬇️)
One of the biggest reasons for her success ⬇️

We created a professional work portfolio of her very best projects as a digital marketing manager.   

She included it in every application (with a nice LinkedIn DM to the hiring manager) 

Most marketers do NOT include a portfolio in their applications.   

✅ By taking this extra step, she immediately stood out

Amazing work, Haein :) 

You're an awesome marketer, and I loved getting to help you earn your first international role 🌎 🤝

PS: Check out tomorrow's post for the 3 biggest mistakes to avoid in your portfolio! 12PM KST~

---

Haein 님은 한국에 있으면서도 글로벌 오퍼 𝟯개 🌎를 받았습니다.
 
그 성공의 가장 큰 이유 중 하나는 ⬇️
 
디지털 마케팅 매니저로서 자신의 최고의 프로젝트들을 정리한 전문 포트폴리오를 만들었기 때문입니다.
 
그리고 모든 지원서에 그 포트폴리오를 포함했습니다  (채용 담당자에게 LinkedIn DM도 함께 보냈습니다)
 
대부분의 마케터들은 지원할 때 포트폴리오를 포함하지 않습니다.
 
✅ 이 한 가지 추가적인 노력으로, Haein 님은 바로 눈에 띄는 지원자가 되었습니다.
 
정말 대단한 결과입니다, Haein 님 :)
 
훌륭한 마케터이시고, 첫 국제 마케팅 포지션을 얻는 과정에 함께할 수 있어서 정말 기뻤습니다 🌎🤝
 
PS: 내일 12PM KST에 포트폴리오에서 꼭 피해야 할 3가지 실수를 공유합니다!

This awesome client is looking for her first ever role in Europe. Things were moving slow. She was starting to get worried. Then ⬇️


She suddenly earned 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝟰 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 🇳🇱
 
All at the same time.

All companies she'd love to work at. 

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼:
• learn a better job search strategy
• get help from an expert
• promote yourself in a better way

But when you're already doing those things, the most important thing is:
 
𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝗽.

𝗧𝗼 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁: Awesome work securing these interviews! All the work will be worth it when you have have an offer you love that changes the rest of your career~
 
PS: Next post I’ll explain 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻.
𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝟭𝟮𝗽𝗺 𝗞𝗦𝗧 🤝

(𝟮/𝟮) After helping Koreans get jobs in 15 countries 🌎, here are 𝟱 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 & 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 ⬇️
  
❌ Koreans who struggle in the global job market  

✅ Koreans who are earning life-changing job offers

⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️

❌ 𝗪𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽
✅ 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲

This can be: 
• Looking for interview coaching when your interview is 3 days away
• Spending months job searching alone and only changing your strategy when you're desperate

I promise: you'll be a lot more successful and a lot less stressed if you get help early.

The strongest candidates treat preparation as a long-term investment, not a last-minute emergency.

❌ 𝗘𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗹𝘆 '𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴' 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
✅ 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗳 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲)

“I need to improve my English first.”  
“Now isn't a good time."
"I need to study <industry topic> more."
 
Preparation is important.
 
But sometimes “more preparation” is just fear.

Fear of getting out of your comfort zone and actually 'doing' something
 
You'll never be '100% ready' or '100% confident'. 

Be brave and try anyway. 

❌ 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳
✅ 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹

This can be thinking too low OR too high of yourelf. 

👎 Some professionals beat themselves down and assume no global company would hire them.
 
👎 Others assume they are already “good enough” and do not need to improve.

Both mindsets are dangerous.
 
The strongest candidates:
• Know the market is tough right now
• Maybe aren't 100% confident in everything
• But do believe they have some value to offer
• Put their 'best' selves forward

❌ 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 '𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂'
✅ 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵

This seems small.
 
It is not.
 
People remember who says thank you.  
People remember who follows their advice.  
People remember who respects their time.
 
Your qualifications can get you an interview, but your attitude will get you hired.

❌ 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆
✅ 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 (𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 😆)

One ignored message.  One rejection.  One failed interview.
 
That does not mean you are not qualified.
 
The global market is competitive.
 
You only need one 'yes'. 

And when you get that 'yes', all your effort will be 1000% worth it 🤝

After helping Koreans get jobs in 𝟭𝟱 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 🌎, here are the 3 main portfolio mistakes I see & how to fix them. (𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 🤝) ⬇️ 

1️⃣ 𝗧𝗢𝗢 𝗠𝗨𝗖𝗛 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧

Your portfolio should be your 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗹.
 
Not a record of every project you have ever worked on.
 
𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:  
• You include 8+ projects  

• Only 2 are perfect for the job you applied to

• The portfolio is so long that the hiring team never studies those 2 closely

• The portfolio doesn't help you stand out from other candidates
 
𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:  
✅ Limit your portfolio to 3–4 of your strongest, most relevant projects  
OR  
✅ Clearly mention which projects to review in your application or LinkedIn message

2️⃣ 𝗡𝗢 𝗕𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗧

(especially designers and engineers) Sometimes professionals focus heavily on: 
• Process  
• Tools  
• Tech Stack
 
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 & 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁.
 
Hiring managers care about outcomes.
 
𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:   
1: At the top of each project, state a clear business result

“𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 $1.3𝘔 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘯 (𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘺 20%)”
 
2: Include 'Result KPIs' wherever possible
 
Revenue. Growth. Conversion rate. Cost savings.
 
Make your impact measurable.

3️⃣ 𝗜𝗠𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗦 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗫𝗧

Images, charts, and videos are great to include in your portfolio!
 
But without explanation, they can be confusing to someone not familiar with your work.

𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:  
Add 1–2 sentences to each image/video explaining:  
• What the viewer is looking at  
• Why it mattered
• What result it created
 
Never assume the hiring team will “just understand.”

📌 𝗣𝗦: 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼.
 
It is one of the biggest reasons my clients’ portfolios have helped them earn so many international roles.
 
DM me the word “𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼” and I’ll share it with you 🤝.

This awesome client has never worked abroad before, is not a fluent English speaker, and only has a few years of work experience in Korea. But ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
 
Just a few weeks after starting her global job search, she earned 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝟰 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲. 🇳🇱
 
𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻.
 
1️⃣ 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼.
 
Most candidates simply click “𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆” and wait.
 
Others try sending DMs, but the messages usually don’t work.
 
They are often:
 
❌ 𝗪𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴  (Don’t send a multi-paragraph summary of your entire career.)
 
❌ 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵  (Don’t ask “Do you have any good jobs for me?” and expect them to job search for you.)
 
❌ 𝗢𝗯𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱  (No “Dear Sir” or “To whom it may concern…”)
 
Instead, we used a strategy I learned from an 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝟯𝟬 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.
 
It’s a short, easy-to-read LinkedIn message that immediately stands out.
 
Only 5–6 sentences, but it has helped this client and dozens of others earn interviews around the world.
 
𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱:
• Perfect English  
• 5+ years of experience  
• A SKY university diploma
 
To earn a life-changing international job.
 
You need 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 and the courage to take action 🤝

(𝟭/𝟮) 𝗚𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧 𝗗𝗠 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 💡. After helping Koreans get jobs in 15 countries, I've definitely noticed differences. 𝟱 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲  ⬇️
  
❌ Koreans who struggle in the global job market  

✅ Koreans who are earning life-changing job offers

⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️

❌ 𝗨𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 '𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 & 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲' 𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀
✅ 𝗨𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀

Companies care a lot more about what you've accomplished than how long you've done something.

Fill your resume, LI profile, and interview responses with measurable results and business impact.

❌ 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 '𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲' 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 
✅ 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 

(ESPECIALLY in interviews)

Companies do not expect your English to be perfect. 

But...they expect you to share why you're the right fit for that job. 

You can give an error-free answer, but if it doesn't prove you can add value to their team/company, it's still a bad answer. 

❌ 𝗣𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲
✅ 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲, 𝗟𝗜 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲, 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀

Especially when applying abroad, ya gotta do more than just sending in your resume. 

❌ 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴
✅ 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻

If your only strategy is submitting applications, you will blend in with hundreds (or thousands) of others.
 
Building even 1 relationship will put you ahead of ~90% of your competition.

❌ 𝗔𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 '𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲?' 
✅ 𝗔𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁!)

People are MUCH more likely to introduce and recommend you for roles when you're genuinely trying to learn and improve.

NEVER expect (or ask) for someone to just hand you a job opportunity

💡 𝗣𝗦: 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 '𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗢𝗻𝗲' 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 💡

These were focused on actions/strategy. 

But there's another area with major differences:

Mindset & Attitude

Tomorrow, I'll share 5 major mindset & attitude differences. 

12PM KST 🤝

One of my awesome Designer clients just got 2 interviews at US companies 🇺🇸 without sending a single application. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 ⬇️

𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱:
She moved from Korea to New York to study abroad during university.

She did several internships in 2023 and 2024 before graduating. 

𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆:
1️⃣ Instead of starting her job search from 0, we looked back at all the people she had already interacted with:
• Internship managers
• Previous interviewers
• People she spoke with during past recruiting processes

We found all of the interviewers here on LinkedIn

2️⃣ We checked if any open roles at the interviewer's companies 

3️⃣ Then, we sent all of them LinkedIn DMs:

• Sharing what she has achieved since they last interviewed

• (if the company had a good open role) Sharing the exact role my client's now interested in

• (if no open role) Sharing the types of roles my client is looking for now

• With her updated, optimized resume and design portfolio attached
     
𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀.
 
Former colleagues, classmates, and even people who interviewed you before are often the 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁.

𝗣𝗦: 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗗𝗠 𝘄𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱? Message me the phrase 'application message' I'll share it + how you can do the same to start getting interviews this week 🤝

Hyunkyung Song is a fantastic engineer and one of my favorite people I’ve met in 2026. Highly, highly recommend her for any mid to senior level Software Engineer, Developer, or Solutions Architect roles 🤝

🚀 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 

📍Over the past 2 years, I’ve worked as a 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿 & 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗗&𝗖 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆, contributing to every stage of the product lifecycle, from system architecture design and backend development to product launches and management. 

I’m now exploring opportunities to expand my engineering expertise in Europe, drawn by its rapidly evolving landscapes in fintech, energy trading, and healthcare.

💼 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀

• 8+ years building enterprise-grade platforms across 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵, 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆

• Led end-to-end development of 10+ B2C/B2B projects totaling €𝟭𝟭.𝟴𝗠+ in revenue

• Secured €𝟮𝟲𝟱,𝟱𝟬𝟬 𝗶𝗻 𝗥&𝗗 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 by leading the full lifecycle development of an AI-based medical diagnosis system 

• Developed a high-performance cryptocurrency exchange matching engine capable of processing 𝟭𝟬𝗞 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 with 100% trade integrity
 
🔍 𝗜’𝗺 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿, 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿, 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻:

• Translate complex business requirements into robust, scalable technical architectures

• Take full ownership of projects with a strong sense of accountability and long-term impact

• Mentor junior engineers and foster a culture of technical excellence and collaboration

💡 𝗜’𝗺 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻:
• Event-driven microservices
• AI-powered platforms
• FinTech / Energy / HealthTech infrastructure

🙏 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂: 
• Think I could be a strong addition to your team 
• Have insights about the European or global job market 
• Are open to connecting

I’d love to connect and exchange ideas.

#OpenToWork

View the open to work details of Hyunkyung

Looking for Software Engineer, Back End Developer, Full Stack Engineer, Blockchain Developer and Mobile Engineer roles

LinkedIn Friends: quick market research question 👇
 
I’m curious how many professionals in my network are using ChatGPT (free or premium)
 
Appreciate your help! 🤝

The author can see how you vote. Learn more

taplio

The Battle

Melissa Hodgins

Grant Sundbye

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreMelissa Hodgins's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreGrant Sundbye's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Melissa Hodgins

Grant Sundbye

Followers

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);}Melissa Hodgins's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreGrant Sundbye's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreMelissa Hodgins's LinkedIn Performance