Brian Ouellette

AskMyAdvisor®

The AskMyAdvisor® OS, built exclusively for established accountants, attorneys, consultants, financial advisors, realtors and other trusted advisors, automates the referral onboarding process with OneAdvisorLink™.

Founder

🎙The AskMyAdvisor® Show

Podcast Host

ProAthleteDirect™

Founder at ProAthleteDirect | Helping Professional Athletes Achieve Financial Stability

ProAthleteDirect was born after an NBA sports agent buddy shared a pivotal Sports Illustrated article titled "How & Why Athletes Go Broke." 

The article revealed that up to 80% of professional athletes face severe financial difficulties within 2 to 5 years of retirement.

As a retired financial advisor with experience at PaineWebber, UBS, and Oppenheimer & Co., I was deeply moved by these statistics. 

Moved by the severe gap in this industry, I invested 30 days in intensive research and development before founding ProAthleteDirect.

Our mission is to connect accredited investor clients with top-tier advisors, including accountants, attorneys, financial advisors, and realtors, to address and prevent what Sports Illustrated described as a "financial pandemic." Clearly, existing advisory services were failing many athletes, and ProAthleteDirect is committed to reversing this trend by providing the financial guidance and support athletes need to secure their futures.

Shoewallet Active Gear LLC

Our primary business is manufacturing private label shoewallets for brands (corporate, non-profit, military) & events (running, walking, trade-shows, product launches, etc.) like the Boston Marathon, Race for the Cure. 

Private label customers include: The Department of Defense (DOD), Skechers, Southwest Airlines, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Dunkin' Donuts, The United States Air Force (USAF), Susan G. Komen Foundation, and 100's of others of brands around the US & Canada.

We sell direct to the end users only (no distributors).  

We also offer the retail Shoewallet™ for $11.99 at shoewallet.com and Amazon. 

With our streamlined platform, we are able to offer our high profile promotional product, giveaway or point of purchase item to end users looking to expand their brand, message or product launch.

Each Shoewallet is packed with a Free ID card as a stand for our Safer Roads & Trails Campaign, Be Smart. Be Safe. Carry ID.™  This enables brands to stand for something for the greater good--personal safety (statistics show that over 75% of runners, walkers, traveler carry 0 ID when they leave their house, apartment or hotel) when providing this promotional product, giveaway or point of purchase item.  

We are always interested in discussing joint partnership opportunities, ideas or quote requests.  Contact Brian Ouellette direct or email custom@shoewallet.com.

MIT Enterprise Forum of the Northwest

MIT Enterprise Forum is the global voice of entrepreneurship, affiliated with MIT NS headquartered with MIT Technology Review in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

On a local level, MIT Enterprise Forum Northwest produces events to connect, inspire and educate our region's entrepreneurs, business leaders, angel investors, venture capitalists, MIT alumni, researchers and technology enthusiasts.

Board Member

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

He worked within the private client group & with the alternative investment group of OPCO with clients throughout 9 US states.

Private Client Financial Advisor

KCPQ-TV Q13 FOX

While a financial advisor, Brian was the Money Guy, providing live market updates 2 to +5 times a day from the studio built inside his Oppenheimer & Co. office.  

Brian is credited with over 3,000 live TV appearances to the 12 largest media market in the US. He appeared daily from Seattle to as far as Washington DC.

Market Commentator on FOX NEWS This Morning

Worked with the syndicate group and the private client group with clients throughout 9 US states.

Rodman & Renshaw

Commodity trader runner, Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT)

Tequila Roadhouse

Bouncer

9:07 AM Tuesday. Two advisors. Same message from a top client: “Told a friend about you.” One had an ODP™ link. One did not. 1:18 PM Friday. One closed dream client. The other? Crickets. Why’d one win?👇Click below

"The best clients come from referrals, without exception."

Brian Ouellette, a University of Washington graduate, began his career at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) before returning to Seattle to build his private client practice. In 2000, he became the Market Commentator for Q13 FOX News This Morning, reporting live daily for over 3 ½ years and making more than 3,000 appearances during one of the most significant boom-and-bust cycles in stock market history.

In 2004, he sold his financial business and founded Shoewallet Active Gear, a product featured on NBC's Today Show, CNN, NY1, and over 250 radio stations, as well as in publications like Shape and Runner's World. Shoewallet produced private label versions for global brands such as Boeing, the Department of Defense, Skechers, and more across the U.S. and Canada.

In 2010, after a conversation with an NBA sports agent and reading Sports Illustrated’s "How & Why Athletes Go Broke," Brian recognized the urgent need for athletes to have better advisors. This led him to create Pro Athlete Direct™, an education-based marketing service that connected trusted advisors with sports agents to help athletes manage their finances, taxes, legal matters, and real estate needs. His experience helped him develop a system that allowed advisors to build strong connections with sports agents and their athlete clients, guiding them in making strategic financial decisions.

Brian has coached a range of trusted advisors across the U.S. and internationally, including former pro athletes, Barron's Top 100 advisors, Forbes Top Wealth Advisors, and top-producing realtors.

After over 20,000 hours of coaching and R&D, the AskMyAdvisor® referral app was born. This software provides trusted advisors—financial advisors, attorneys, realtors—with a simple way for their top clients to connect them with the people in their lives, making recurring referrals effortless.

“Let’s get straight to the point. After a career as a financial advisor and a coach to the industry’s best, I turned to software for one reason: I discovered how to increase referrals by 800%. The secret? Strip away the complexities that kill referrals. Focus on one thing—a single, exclusive pathway for referrals, accessible only by the top 20% of your client and COI relationships. This approach isn’t just a shift from the old way; it’s revolutionary. And it led directly to the creation of the AskMyAdvisor® Method & OS. Once you see it, you won’t just use it—you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.” – Brian Ouellette

Learn more at tip.askmyadvisor.co/webinar

After 10 years & +20,000 hours of R&D, we have built the first Q&A app for you (accountants, attorneys, financial advisors, realtors) to share with your top 25 clients to strengthen those relationships & tap into new ones, quickly. 

How does it work? AskMyAdvisor Referral Method Software provides client-facing accountants, attorneys, financial advisors, realtors, venture capitalists, and other trusted advisors with a frictionless method of retaining and growing their best clients. By using the software, they can avoid tech overwhelm, resulting in 5-10 times more referrals on a recurring basis, while working only with clients they love.

It's a simple solution to the problem, "Oh, you've got to call my guy!" Or,  "My financial advisor's great, email her." 

Instead you just share your dedicated URL (format follows: askmyadvisor.app/YOURNAMEOFCHOICE) as a dedicated channel to Q&A where your top clients & the people in their lives can easily ask their questions, get second opinions, etc. 

Members also receive the Phone App (for instant notifications allowing our members to reply to questions within minutes) & get access to The Network. 

This is our private community of our advisor members, who are elite accountants, attorneys, financial advisors, realtors from the US & abroad, to come together. 

This is a private think tank.

Think of it as a Facebook Group  on steroids (BTW, it's our community built from the ground up, so no FB login).

“Referrals beat every path to new clients combined. There is no exception.” 

Advisors who are accountants, attorneys, consultants, financial advisors, realtors and other trusted advisors all have different areas of expertise, but…

They all want more relationships with each other. Why? It’s obvious… they want to increase their COI reach to be referred and refer. 

This is the core path to adding clients (we’ve formalized this process as the AskMyAdvisor® Advisor to Advisor Connect). 

But… There’s a big issue in doing this. It’s causing a bottleneck in advisor COI building that 5.6M US advisors all (99%) miss. Can you guess what it is?

To help set the stage… 
As we coach with our 9010 Factor (90% of clients would refer, only 10% do)…

Per the 9010 factor… The #1 reason 80% of clients are not referring comes down to that that dirty 🤬D word… Delay. 

The #1 killer of referrals is delay (2nd place isn’t even close, yet 5.6M are unaware of this and are still trying to fix the wrong thing at +$9k/yr on avg per advisor. Ok, rant over…)

Guess what? That dirty🤬 d word easily blocks 80% of advisor to advisor referrals just the same. Why?

Whether a client or advisor…
If it’s not intuitive, simple and quick to refer you, delay creeps in. This delays good referrals weeks, months all the way to never. Delay is the killer. 

I talk about in this vid. The good news is it’s easy to fix. I share the 10 min blueprint fix (diy or dfy, grab blueprint in my LI bio or message me if we’re LI buds). 
 
BTW… To the advisors we help learn this delay fix early… you’re going to crush your competition still rolling around in a horse and buggy. AskMyAdvisor® is here to make sure you do. LFG.


P.S. Some bright minds ones I’m guessing who can attest to this…
Stephen Sinwell   Bill Cates, Unlocking Exponential Growth  James Pollard Nathan Latka Oren Klaff Ken Hardison, Esq. Nate Short Andrew Gazdecki Dennis Yu Jeremy Jones Lindsay Rucker Dan Redwine Jason Mesnick  

============
⚙️About the AskMyAdvisor® Method
Creator of B2A™ (Business to Advisor), the aOS™ (Advisor Operating System), the ODP™ (One Direct Path), and the AdvisorOneLink™ (the front door for referrals). All four connect the category, the system, the path, and the front door into one flywheel running 24/7 on autopilot. 

“This is the first of its kind in the advisor world. First mover advisors will win. Laggards will lose. Ready to crush the L’s? We’re here for you! LFG!!👊

Founder, AskMyAdvisor® (SaaS). Ex-financial advisor. Uncovered the real referral killer 5.6M US advisors missed: the “who does what next?” delay. Built a 10-min software fix. DIY free or DFY. Onboards referrals 24/7/365.

Getting used to the LinkedIn newsletter format. A little clunky but works. Check this out.

View newsletter: The AskMyAdvisor® Newsletter

Netflix and Uber killed delay in their worlds. Brian shows what happens when you kill referral delay. 🤫 Referral Secret: There are 5.6M+ advisors in 

Open article: Founder and Billionaire Peter Thiel Meets Brian Ouellette for a “Zero to One” Test of AskMyAdvisor® by Brian Ouellette • 12 min read

Founder and Billionaire Peter Thiel Meets Brian Ouellette for a “Zero to One” Test of AskMyAdvisor®

Just posted this on substack. Will be uploading in my LinkedIn newsletter momentarily. Inner Circle Secret of the Elite Trusted Advisor (Newsletter)

Open article: Founder and Billionaire Peter Thiel Meets Founder Brian Ouellette for a “Zero to One” Test of AskMyAdvisor® by open.substack.com

Founder and Billionaire Peter Thiel Meets Founder Brian Ouellette for a “Zero to One” Test of AskMyAdvisor®

Re: Referrals. Can you guess one referral fact that 99.9% of the 5.6M accountants, attorneys, financial advisors, realtors, and other trusted advisors in the US still are totally unaware of?

I break it down in my latest newsletter. (Substack link goes live in ten minutes @ askmyadvisor.)

Want to stand apart from the millions of sheep advisors wasting money on referral gimmicks that do not work, read this and share this (catch the P.S.).

Funny fact: The avg. advisor burns +$9k/year on hacks that never fix the real problem.

Not one of those hacks touches the real number #1 killer of referrals.
In my latest newsletter post I show you what actually kills referrals, why it happens in, and how to remove it for good in 10 minute (I share the DIY and DFY way, they both work).

No more gimmicks. So...
🐑If you want to remain part of the 5.6M DO NOT read this. 

🔥If you want to be one of the few? Read it, share it (plus, get the free gift🎁).


P.S. What happens when you share this with a colleague or top advisor?
Worst case. You make their day showing you were thinking of them!
Better case. You are the one who introduced them to the B2A™ Category and the aOS™ that AskMyAdvisor® has created before anyone else. 
Speed to market matters and we are just getting started.
We are not stopping. 
You can be a pioneer or get run over by the ones who are. 
In the advisor world, early adopters crush the field. LFG! 
Let's crush. Read/share this post.

Confusion creates delay. Delay kills referrals, dead. And 5.6 million trusted advisors are trying to fix the wrong problem. Want to avoid the millions

Open article: The Shocking Reason 80% of Clients Do Not Refer Their Advisor by Brian Ouellette • 6 min read

The Shocking Reason 80% of Clients Do Not Refer Their Advisor

You ever refer other advisors to your clients? Of course you do.

You ever think about the amount of referrals you're losing from these advisors?

You should. 

BTW, you're not losing them because they don't want to send them. Not because they forgot about you. Not because they don't love you.

It's the dreaded dirty 🤬 D word I post about frequently.

It's delay.

The same thing that kills client referrals? It kills advisor-to-advisor referrals too.

Here's what I mean...

Another advisor wants to connect someone with you (aka refer you). 

What do they do?

Text your cell? Email? LinkedIn DM? 
Who contacts who? Should you reach out? Should they?All of the above?

That confusion = delay. And delay = dead referral.

Advisors with solid COI relationships (accountants, attorneys, consultants, realtors) who should be getting consistent introductions... but aren't.

Why? Too many paths. Too much friction.

Your top 20% of advisor relationships drive 80% of your advisor referrals.

So why are we making it complicated for them?

🧠 The fix: OneDirectPath ODP™

One clear path for your VIP advisors to send referrals. No guessing. No delay.

See those questions I noted above. What happens when they are removed?

Delay goes bye bye.

When your VIP advisors know exactly how to reach you, everything moves faster.

No confusion asking "What's the best way to get this person to you?"

No friction wondering if you got their message.

Just clean, consistent introductions that strengthen relationships and increase referral flow.

Without you having to ask.

Your advisor buddies want to send you business. 

Make it stupid simple for them to do it.

One path. No delay. More referrals.

That's it.

Comment ODP if you want the one page way stop set this up in 10 minutes (DIY or DFY, they both work)

No alternative text description for this image

🚨 Just the tip of the day
𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐲. 𝐖𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞.

In getting results (of any kind), this is irrefutable.

Try it out:
Delay is the killer of ___________ (fill-in-the-blank).

"Doing that new thing."
"Going to that new place."
"Reaching out to that person."

Initially, I applied this to referrals 
(Re: referral hand-off delay is the #1 referral killer, blocking up to 80% of referrals).

As our delay story develops, it's showing up everywhere.

I've yet to find an error in this filter.

This leads to the obvious question: How do you fix it?

Catch where it's appearing. Remove it.

Use the delay finder question:

If it takes 5 steps to get ___________ (result)...
How can the result happen in 4 steps? Or 3? Or 1?

Each step removed reduces the delay death trap.

What happens then?

The result gap closes.
Results happen faster.

Guess what?

This is a rare tip that no one can argue against.

It is not possible to add steps and accelerate results at the same time. They cannot coexist.

Want faster results in anything?

Reduce the steps.
Reduce the delay gap.
Win more.

LFG!

P.S. Someone come to mind this would perk up their ears? Share it with them. Worse case. They learn you were thinking of them (sometimes that alone makes someones day). Better case you help them. Win. Win.

Heard of the Diffusion of Innovation bell curve?

I came across this concept years ago, and it recently came to mind when I was thinking about the internet becoming mainstream. Looking back at how email used to be treated really puts things in perspective.

When I was at PaineWebber, you wanted to email a client? Here's what that looked like: Draft it. Send it to compliance. Get it back. Make edits. Send to compliance again. When the final draft was ready, you could finally hit send. 

That was tedious, to say the least.

But there was an adoption curve. Now everyone and their mother uses email without a second thought.

It seems like a similar thing is going on with AI. The difference? Speed. What took years with the internet is now happening in months, sometimes weeks.

This keeps taking me back to that bell curve over and over. Human nature hasn't changed much since the caveman era, after all.

One thing I've realized: the way this curve works out, it's actually a protection vehicle for humanity.

What do I mean? If we were all early adopters, it would take just one mistake and poof, we're gone. If we were all laggards? We'd still be living in caves.

On the 0 to 10 scale in the image, where you at? Mark in the comments.

In the U.S., there are over 5.6 million advisors.

For producers, referrals are King, but they are all chasing the wrong fix.

This comes at a cost of over $50 billion per year and over $9,000 per year each (on average) chasing gimmicks, tricks, and gadgets.

The real referral killer?

It's the gap that occurs at referral handoff.

Brian's approach takes friction out of the equation.

"As they often say on The Mandalorian, This is the way."
Deloitte Vice Chairman (retired), Stephen Sinwell

We agree with Steve.

We found the number one referral killer and the remover.

It's the foundation of the AskMyAdvisor method.
#1 Client Builder: Referrals.
#1 Referral Killer: Delay.
#1 Delay Killer: Speed.

Think about it.

When someone refers you, what happens next?

Usually, there's a text. An email. A phone call. Maybe a business card passed along.

Then... nothing. Or worse, a long wait.

The momentum dies. The trust fades. The referral goes cold.

That gap between the referral moment and the actual connection is where most opportunities disappear.

Speed isn't just important. It's everything.

The AskMyAdvisor method eliminates that gap entirely.

One path. No delay. More referrals.

No complicated systems. No expensive gadgets. No tricks.

Just a simple, proven way to capture referrals at the moment they happen.

Stop wasting money on things that don't work.

Start focusing on what actually kills your referrals: delay.

Want to fix it in about 10 minutes.

We'll show you here ($0 cost) askmyadvisor.pro/blueprint

That is all.

*Advisors who are accountants, attorneys, consultants, financial advisors, realtors, and other trusted advisors.

(There's a reason) "This will sound ridiculous at first: Uber, Netflix, McDonald’s, and what kills advisor referrals. Stay with me."

Open article: Uber Beat It. Netflix Beat It. McDonald’s Beat It. 5.6M U.S. Advisors Still Fight It Blind by open.substack.com

Uber Beat It. Netflix Beat It. McDonald’s Beat It. 5.6M U.S. Advisors Still Fight It Blind

CRO @ Ronin Consulting | Connecting leaders in the tech space to their next opportunity | Former Senior-Level Tech Executive

I’m a career coach for tech professionals ready to lead what’s next, whether that means landing in the C-suite or pivoting out of it.

With 30+ years in tech and leadership, I’ve made hires, made career moves, and made sense of reinvention more than once. Now I help others do the same.

I coach mid-to-senior leaders through:
✔️ Executive leadership search strategy
✔️ Career pivots & clarity 
✔️ Networking with confidence
✔️ Aligning you with opportunities that resonate
✔️ Job search strategy that works
✔️ Offer negotiation with confidence

I've led teams, launched companies, and sat in executive rooms and I know what it takes to get there and what it takes to walk away.

Titles I proudly answer to:
Wife. Mom to two early-career engineers. Thrift-store treasure hunter. Home-reno junkie. Lake life lover. Real estate investor. Encourager.

Ready for what’s next? Check out my featured section or send me a note.

Ruth Smith

I’ve lived between two extremes: a sister whose life ended at 44… and a father-in-law marching toward 98 and still going. That contrast changes you.

One of my biggest takeaways of 2025 is this: we are guaranteed nothing.

None of us knows how much time we have. 
None of us knows how many seasons we get. 
And this year forced me to live like I finally believed it.

2025 lit a fire in me to make the most of every moment. 

I started living a week at a time, holding my time loosely, my people tightly, and my priorities with open hands.

I’ve been more present than I’ve been in years. 
I’ve said yes more. I’ve cleared my calendar. 
I’ve chased simple joys with a kind of freedom I didn’t realize I was missing.

I designed a career around my life instead of fitting my life around my career.

I became a digital nomad and worked from multiple places I used to only dream of. 

I prioritized friendships I let drift.

I spent real, unrushed time with family across the country. 

And I met new people, the kind of people I never would’ve known if I hadn’t walked through deep loss.

I learned how to grow and scale an online business. (Still learning.)

I challenged myself physically, mentally, and spiritually.
I traveled lighter, inside and out. 

And I became more grateful than ever for the only thing that truly matters: people.

If there’s a lesson in all this, it’s simple: 
Build a life you don’t have to escape. 
A life aligned with your values, your relationships, your joy. 
A life that honors the time you’ve been given… however long or short that may be.

I don’t have it all figured out.

But I’m living more freely, more intentionally, and more gratefully than ever before.

And that feels like the beginning of something beautiful.

📌 What is a lesson you've been learning this year?

Career Coach for Tech Leaders | Guiding You to Roles That Fit Your Life and Leadership

Its Thanksgiving and I’m grateful..

For every client who trusted me to partner with them this year.

For friends and family who loved me well from near and far.

For the opportunity to step into full time Career Coaching, allowing me to do work I love from anywhere with people in Canada and the US. 

For the ability to make new memories navigating the loss of my sister.

For the many connections I’ve made on this platform who inspire me every day.

Most importantly I’m grateful for my immediate family and sisters family who have been a source of inspiration and resilience this year. (pictured)

Happy Thanksgiving. 🦃🍁 

Thank you!

This week, a client said something that broke my heart a little and encouraged me a lot.

“I didn’t realize how much I looked forward to our weekly meetups… until you were gone for nearly two weeks.”

It wasn’t the resume work.
It wasn’t the interview prep.
It wasn’t the strategy.

It's the consistency. 
The rhythm. 
The accountability. 
The feeling of not having to walk this brutal market alone.

This job market is tough. 
Really tough. 
For most people, it takes 6–12 months to land.
(Some faster. Some slower.) 

But no matter where you fall in that timeline, your mental endurance matters just as much as your skill set.

And that’s why I believe good Career Coaches are important. 

Coaches provide nudges when motivation drops. 
Strategies when nothing seems to be working. 
Honest conversations when doubt creeps in. 
Reminders of your worth when rejection happens. 

It’s why I work with my clients until they land. 
Not for a set number of sessions. 
Not for a 90-day window. 
But until the work is done… 
Until the offer comes… 
And even beyond that first day in the new role.

Because the job search season can be long. 

Walking it with someone in your corner on the days you can’t is a lifeline.

Job searching is a long process that most people underestimate.

Hang in there. 
Keep showing up. 
And don’t be afraid to let someone walk alongside you.
It makes all the difference.

📌 How long have you been searching, and who has been your encouragement?

Tech isn’t the safe bet it used to be,  and workers are feeling it.

We’ve seen some of the worst layoffs in decades, especially in tech, where so many of us believed opportunity would always be there.

And if you’ve been feeling unsettled, discouraged, or out of control… you’re not imagining it.

This season has made me rethink a lot. 
It’s hard to feel steady when companies treat us like we’re replaceable.
It’s hard to feel in control when you’re waiting for someone else to decide your future.

Whenever I’ve been in a place where everything felt shaky, I always returned to one question:
“What 𝘤𝘢𝘯 I control?”

Recently, I saw a Reddit thread where hundreds of people shared where they still feel safe and able to thrive. 

They talked about changing career fields where opportunities were stronger. 

One of the most powerful decisions you can make in a market like this is to consider a pivot.

Some examples from what I’ve been seeing and reading:
• 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 + 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: steady job growth and strong demand
• 𝗖𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗹 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: huge need with ongoing infrastructure projects
• 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲: nursing, occupational therapy, paramedics
• 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: especially special education, math, and science teachers
• 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀: HVAC, plumbing, electrical (these roles are booming)
• 𝗣𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲: grooming, walking, sitting (people spend on their pets even in downturns)

I know someone who left a manufacturing leadership role and started his own AC business. 
More control. 
More stability. 
More freedom.

You may not be able to control the market… but you can control your path.

Have you ever considered a career pivot? 
Is there a field you’ve seen growing? 
A role you’ve watched quietly rise in demand?

This might be the moment to explore it.

Don't worry about what others might think. 

When the ground feels unsteady, sometimes the wisest thing you can do is choose a new direction.

Especially if you have years or decades left in your career. 

📌 What roles have you noticed are in demand right now?

We're not in a talent crisis. We're in a trust crisis. 

74% of hiring managers are more fearful of fraud than last year, and it shows.
 
Last week, a Director of Engineering told me he interviewed twenty candidates for a Senior Software Engineer role. 
Only two were even close to qualified.  
Eighteen interviews, hours of preparation, follow-up, and evaluation. 
All for resumes that looked polished but had very little substance behind them.
 
He looked exhausted describing the experience. When you are trying to lead a team, prioritize high-impact work and meet deadlines, wasting full days on irrelevant interviews is frustrating.
 
AI was supposed to make hiring faster and easier. 
Instead, it has flooded the market with resumes that read beautifully but fall apart in the first five minutes of a conversation.
 
One thousand applicants might look impressive on a dashboard. 
In reality, it often means one thousand inaccurate profiles created with AI assistance.
 
I keep hearing the same thing from leaders: 
 “I don’t know who is real.” 
 “I don’t know which resumes I can trust.” 
 “I don’t have time to filter through all this.”
 
It's equally frustrating for job seekers. 

Job seekers feel pressure to doctor their resumes because they think everyone else is doing it. It’s a race to the bottom.

The process feels onerous. 
AI bot screenings, rejection for roles minutes after applying, and endless hurdles introduced into the hiring process. 

My prediction for hiring in 2026: 
Companies that strike a balance between human connection and old-fashioned applicant screening will be the talent winners. 

The human element matters more than ever. Trust, relationships, and relevance are the new gold standard.

Let's hope the market and hiring process improve soon. 

📌 What has been your biggest frustration with AI in the hiring process?

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is a strange little day. 

Technically a workday, but let’s be honest… nobody’s fully working.  
We’re all half in our inbox and half in our fridge.
 
This is the day my kitchen turns into a full-blown production studio.  

Casseroles get assembled like we’re feeding a small army.  

Pies get baked while I pretend I’m on the Great British Bake Off.  

The turkey gets prepped, even though every year I Google “How long does a turkey actually take to thaw?” like it’s brand-new information.
 
It’s also the calm before the family onslaught.  
You know… that brief moment when the house is still quiet, and you can actually hear yourself think.  

Honestly,  I love it.  The chaos, the carbs, the noise, the laughter, the mild family dysfunction, all of it.
 
I've learned that life doesn’t have to be perfect to be really, really good.
 
So if you’re prepping, cooking, Googling turkey tips, or hiding from your relatives in the pantry… you’re in good company.
 
Happy Thanksgiving week.  

📌 What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish?

taplio

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Performance ScoreBrian Ouellette's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreRuth Smith's LinkedIn Performance

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Brian Ouellette

Ruth Smith

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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);}Brian Ouellette's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreRuth Smith's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreBrian Ouellette's LinkedIn Performance