holidays – Be Gallant Coaching

The new year is right around the corner, and with it comes the promise of fresh opportunities. As hiring tends to pick up early in the year, now is the time to set yourself up for success. Whether you’re looking to pivot careers, step into a new role, or simply explore what’s out there, a little preparation now can make all the difference when the time comes.

Here’s your quick guide to getting ahead of the competition:

1️⃣ Build a Routine Now

Job searching is a grind. It’s not something you can typically sprint through—it’s more like a marathon. There are going to be moments when your energy dips, rejection emails pile up, and motivation feels out of reach. That’s where a solid routine comes in.

A routine creates structure, helping you stay organized and consistent even when things get tough. Start by setting aside regular time blocks for job searching, networking, or updating your application materials. Break big tasks into smaller, manageable steps, and set realistic goals for yourself each week.

By establishing these habits now, you’ll have systems in place to fall back on when hiring season ramps up. You’ll be running on a process you’ve already mastered rather than scrambling to piece things together. Remember: consistency beats intensity over the long haul.

2️⃣ Define Your Brand

What makes you stand out? If your answer is limited to your skills or experience, you might be missing the bigger picture. The job market is more competitive than ever, and a solid personal brand can be the key to rising above the noise.

Your personal brand is the unique combination of your story, values, approach, and expertise. It’s what sets you apart from other candidates with similar resumes. Ask yourself:

What do I want people to remember about me after a conversation or an interview?
What unique strengths, experiences, or perspectives do I bring to the table?
How do I want to present myself online, in my resume, and in interviews?

Start building your brand. Then, refine your LinkedIn profile, polish your resume, and practice how you talk about yourself in networking or interview settings. The more authentic and clear your brand is, the more you’ll attract the right opportunities.

3️⃣ Identify the Right Role Types

If you’ve been applying for jobs and not getting any interviews, it might not be your skills—it might be your strategy. Too often, job seekers cast a wide net, applying for anything that seems remotely close to their experience. But that approach isn’t super effective.

Instead, focus on alignment. What types of roles are you particularly suited for? What industries, job titles, or responsibilities match your current skills and goals? And equally important, where are the gaps?

For example, you might discover roles you’re excited about but aren’t particularly well-suited for yet. That’s not a dead end—it’s an opportunity to tailor your approach. Update your resume to highlight transferable skills, adjust your personal brand to emphasize your potential, or take a course to bridge a skill gap.

Applying strategically—rather than applying broadly—will save you time and energy while increasing your chances of landing interviews for the roles that are truly right for you.

Your Time Is Coming

The job search process can feel overwhelming, but preparation is your secret weapon. By building a routine, defining your personal brand (click here to check out my branding program!), and targeting the right roles, you’re positioning yourself for success.

When the new year arrives and companies start posting those job openings, you won’t just be ready—you’ll be ahead of the pack.

Need help getting started? You don’t have to do it alone. Message me, and I’ll get your questions answered. Let’s make this the year you achieve your career goals!

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I talk to job seekers just about every day.

By the time they come talk to me (click here if you’re ready), they’ve usually been searching for a while. They’re also usually pretty frustrated, confused, and at least a little disappointed because they’re struggling to land interviews. And it’s pretty hard to get jobs if you’re not getting interviews.

Here’s the thing: It’s not that they’re not applying for enough job openings–they’re usually applying for plenty (in some cases 100s). It’s not that they’re not qualified for the jobs they’re applying for–they have great qualifications. It’s also not that they don’t have the right skills–they’re skills are valuable and aligned with the job description.

So what’s the deal?! Why so few interviews???

Walk with me…

YOU’VE HEARD IT BEFORE…

You gotta tailor your resume to the job description. Scan the job description to identify the keywords and make sure you include them and speak to those skills. This is very important.

But you’ve heard this before, right?

You’ve already done this. Over and over. Every time, in fact. And you’re still bamboozled because…crickets.

Still little to no interviews to show for it. Damn.

I hear this story from job seekers ALL THE TIME, and here’s what I’ve noticed.

In the vast majority of cases (very nearly all of them), their resume is almost entirely tasky. Take a look at your work experience in your resume. Is it essentially no more than a list of tasks you’ve carried out? That is not a good thing. If it’s basically just a list of tasks you’ve carried out, then there’s no difference between you and anyone else who’s carried out those same tasks (at least on paper). And in that case, there’s no real reason for a hiring manager to interview you over anyone else with the same or similar job history.

If your resume is task-driven, you probably won’t land very many interviews. In order to differentiate yourself from other candidates, you need your resume to be results-driven.

TASK-DRIVEN VS. RESULTS-DRIVEN

A task-driven resume is essentially the job descriptions of the jobs you’ve held. It may demonstrate skills, but no matter how aligned those skills are, there’s nothing really special about that resume because it tells me nothing about your proficiency with the skills. Having the skills is great, but what a hiring manager ultimately cares about is whether or not you can actually produce desirable results.

All of your bullet points should clearly demonstrate that you have a track record of driving a positive impact in your work. This is how you show them you were actually successful and are a top-notch employee.

And that’s the candidate that gets interviews.

Show me those numbers, those increases, those tangible changes!

THE USUAL FOLLOW-UP QUESTION

“But Brandon, I feel like I don’t really have many outcomes to speak to, so what do I do?”

I usually get some version of that when I give this feedback to someone. Here’s my response:

How did you and/or your supervisor know you were successful at this *chooses random bullet point* task?

Light bulb moment! The answer to that question is a positive outcome, and you should speak to it! And I bet you can answer that question for each of your bullet points.

I bet the reason why you’re having such a hard time identifying results you’ve produced is because you’re thinking strictly in terms of the numbers. And numbers are good! Great, in fact. If you can attach a % increase or number to it, please definitely do so. But if you can’t–depending on your role or your field it might be hard to have the numbers on hand–that doesn’t mean you don’t still have positive results to speak to.

You can–and absolutely should–still produce a results-driven resume. Every time.

WRAPPING UP

If your resume is task-driven, you’re facing an uphill battle. Candidates with task-driven resumes are really hard to distinguish between, especially if they have a similar background or work history. It’s also really hard to tell your proficiency if you’re just describing the tasks you’ve executed.

So let’s see those outcomes!

WANT MORE SUPPORT?

The people in my coaching program get this kind of stuff from me all the time. And if you’ve been job searching for a while now, you probably recognize that a successful job search goes way beyond a good resume.

Job searching is hard. Where do you even start? How do you make a good resume (and cover letter)? How do you communicate the unique value you bring via your professional brand? How do you network in a way that’s strategic and gets your foot in the door?

Come talk to me! We cover all this and more in my coaching programs (click here for details!). If you want to bring your search to a close and land a job that you really feel good in, then give yourself permission to look into some good support.

Get a head start on the new year and step out of your comfort zone so you can land that new job. I’ll help you!

Fill out this short interest form today and I’ll contact you!

Let’s Get Started >

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