Target Companies And Industries

BREAKING: The job market is cooling with hiring down 5.8% in March, according to LinkedIn's latest data. Worth noting: 62% of CEOs are now predicting a recession within six months, up from 48% just last month. Smart job seekers aren't panicking; they're strategizing. So, what does this mean for you if you're currently job searching or considering a move: 1️⃣ Target growing industries: Healthcare added 53,600 jobs last month, with social assistance adding 24,200 and retail trade gaining 23,700. Meanwhile, Utilities (+0.4%) and Holding Companies (+5.9%) were the only industries showing month-over-month hiring increases. 2️⃣ Develop future-proof skills: LinkedIn's report highlights several in demand skills plus I've added several employers value in uncertain times: • AI literacy and technology adaptation • Conflict mitigation and communication • Adaptability and agility • Data analysis capabilities • Cost management expertise • Supply chain knowledge (especially as tariffs impact operations) • Automation-related skills (as manufacturers focus on "more automation rollouts") Companies implementing AI are seeing 10% revenue increases—they need talent who can leverage these tools while demonstrating agility, which Aerotek's April report calls "the X factor that will give companies an edge." 3️⃣ Consider geography: The Sunbelt continues to outperform with Miami-Fort Lauderdale showing a 4.8% hiring boost and Phoenix maintaining strong numbers. Meanwhile, St. Louis (+4.2%) and Denver (+1.9%) are bright spots in other regions. If you've been searching for a while: Revisit how you present your skills: Highlight how you can help companies navigate uncertainty and control costs—top priorities as businesses prepare for potential downturn. Expand your industry targets: If you've been focusing on manufacturing (-10.3% YoY) or government (-17.3% YoY), consider how your transferable skills apply to healthcare, retail, or utilities. Consider contract roles: With economic uncertainty, many employers are shifting to flexible hiring strategies—these can be excellent foot-in-the-door opportunities. In every economic shift, there are still thousands of jobs being filled daily. Position yourself where growth is happening and showcase the skills employers need most right now. What strategies are working in your job search? Share them with me below. #LIPostingDayApril #Careers #LinkedInTopVoices

Everyone’s saying “the job market is dead.” But that’s only half the story. [Read this if you're actively looking] Here’s the full picture: The job market isn’t dead - it’s just shifting. Context: According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, there are over 8.8 million open roles in America right now. But we only have 6.3 million unemployed workers to fill them. That’s a gap of 2.5 million+ roles. Some sectors are slowing. But others are quietly booming - and desperate for talent. Here are 5 sectors starved for workers right now (with links to startups hiring): 1. Healthcare → Arcadia: Healthtech and analytics platform (https://lnkd.in/gubDTqtG) → Benchling: Life sciences R&D cloud (https://lnkd.in/g6XHY9xY) → Color Health: Population-scale healthcare platform (https://lnkd.in/gqy3gjQN) 2. Cybersecurity → Immuta: Data access & security (https://lnkd.in/gD_5iKAf) → Castle.io: Account takeover protection (https://castle.io/about/) → Snyk: Developer-first security tooling (https://snyk.io/careers/) 3. Construction & InfraTech → Fieldwire: Construction management (https://lnkd.in/gjfCFVTc) → HOVER: 3D property data from photos (https://hover.to/careers) → BuildOps: Software for commercial contractors (https://lnkd.in/gE5dcjeQ) 4. Transportation & Logistics → Motive: Fleet management (https://lnkd.in/gU6JsxAB) → Zipline: Drone-based delivery (https://lnkd.in/gBPAxuYh) → Flexport: Global logistics platform (https://lnkd.in/gSkYPY4B) 5. Agriculture & FoodTech → Apeel Sciences: Extends produce shelf life (https://lnkd.in/gxXz6VJh) → FarmWise: Autonomous weeding robots (https://lnkd.in/gpME5Vhu) → Plenty: Vertical farming at scale (https://lnkd.in/g-RzWARj) They’re high-growth, high-demand, and hiring fast. If you’re currently job hunting, consider pivoting to one of these sectors. If you’re building skills, align with where the market is going. 🌿 Know someone struggling with their job search? Share this with them. 🟢 Access a list of 100+ startups actively hiring in these sectors here: https://lnkd.in/gX6G364e :)

The most common job search instinct among Directors and VPs is also the one that keeps them searching the longest. When things slow down, they apply to more roles. It feels productive. It is the opposite of what works. The fastest searches I have seen were also the most focused. Here is what targeting actually looks like: 𝟭. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 Define what makes a role right for you before you start scrolling. The kind of company, the scope, the environment, the direction. Without criteria, every opening looks like a possibility, and you spend your energy on roles that were never aligned to begin with. 𝟮. 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 Identify ten to fifteen companies that genuinely fit your criteria. A focused list of aligned targets will always outperform a hundred applications sent on hope. In a senior search, depth beats volume every time. 𝟯. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝘁 Understand where each company is going, what they are building, and what they are struggling with. The goal is to reach out as someone who already understands their world, not as one more applicant in the pile. 𝟰. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘀 The best senior roles are rarely won through an online application. Reach the people who make or influence the decision. A warm introduction or a specific, direct message will move you further than any portal ever will. 𝟱. 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲 Set weekly targets. Track every conversation. Follow up deliberately. A search without a system is just hoping the right thing finds you. The professionals who land fastest treat the search itself as a project they manage. A scattered search tells the market you will take anything. A targeted one tells the market exactly where you belong. The market does not reward volume. It rewards clarity. Save this post for when you start your next job search. And if you have been applying everywhere and hearing very little back, the problem is usually the list, not you. Send me a message and we will build a sharper one.

If you have 20 plus years of experience, how are you planning your next role in today’s market? Over the past week, I had a few conversations with professionals who have 20 plus years of experience and are thinking about their next move. Most of them are in mid management or leadership roles and are finding that the market is very different from what it was ten years ago. At this stage, changing jobs is not a one or two month exercise. Expectations are higher, salaries are higher, and companies want clear evidence of value before hiring. It is practical to give yourself a six to nine month window to find the right role. Also, your aspirational title alone is not enough. The market must see a strong and logical fit between your past experience and the role you are targeting. To bring structure to this process, I usually suggest a simple matrix approach. First, list the domains where you have real expertise. There will be one or two core domains where you have deep experience, and a few adjacent domains that you have worked in along the way. For example, someone may have started in cloud computing and later worked on analytics, artificial intelligence, security, or data center initiatives. Next, list the roles you have performed over the years. These are your horizontal capabilities, such as product management, program management, presales, sales, or solution consulting. Some of these will be strong areas where you have led teams and delivered outcomes. Others may be areas where you have partial exposure. Now create a simple matrix with domains on one axis and roles on the other. At each intersection, assess your strength. Where both your domain expertise and role experience are strong, treat that as your primary target. Where you have moderate overlap and can reasonably stretch, treat that as a secondary option. Where the fit is weak or unrealistic, do not spend time targeting those roles. After this, validate demand in the market. Check job portals and company career pages to see which combinations are actually hiring. This step prevents you from applying randomly and helps you focus your networking and referrals on roles where you have both strong fit and visible demand. If you are planning your next move at a leadership level, take the time to build this matrix. Spend a few weeks refining it. Give yourself a six to nine month window. The clarity you gain will reduce anxiety and improve your hit rate significantly. I write about #artificialintelligence | #technology | #startups | #mentoring | #leadership | #financialindependence   PS: All views are personal

“It’s so disheartening,” shared a 3x CMO, “I’ve never been a better candidate but keep coming up short.” In case you’ve been under a rock, it’s a brutal market for CMOs in transition. And unless interest rates drop, it’s likely to stay that way through 2024. There simply aren’t enough openings, especially in B2B, to meet the supply of highly effective CMOs. This situation is taking an emotional toll that decreases the chances of these otherwise talented professionals securing their next opportunity. It’s a vicious cycle. While a healthier emotional state won’t create more roles it can make the process less painful and more effective along with the steps outlined below. 🐧 Reconnect with your strengths: Call former colleagues for candid feedback on your strengths and shortcomings. You’ll be reminded of you at your best and where you found the most joy. You’ll know who you can count on for references. And you’ll draft some allies for your search. Don’t hesitate to call any of them. They know they are only one down-quarter from joining you. 🐧 Join a peer group: Do not go it alone. Knowing others are in the same situation is somewhat comforting while helping others is uplifting. Your peer group needs to meet regularly with a defined process, set agendas, and homework assignments. When you prep someone for an interview or review their latest content, you’ll be reminded of your overall competency. 🐧 Define your personal brand: Apply your strategic marketing skills to yourself. Write down your superpower(s) and other points of difference. Draft a personal brand statement and then discuss it with your peer group. If you use terms like data-driven and high-achieving, go deeper. You’ll know you've done it right when it drives your content. [Ask me for the CMO Huddles personal branding worksheet.] 🐧 Identify Your Top 25: Employers are close–mindedly looking for 5x5 matches. The 5 areas are category, growth stage, target (enterprise, SMB), ownership structure (PE, VC, public, private), and physical location. Use that knowledge to your advantage by creating a list of 25 companies that align with your most recent experience(s) and current location. This list will drive your outbound marketing campaign. 🐧 Execute Your Outbound: This involves creating content, searching your network for possible introductions, and a touch of stalking. Think of each piece of content as an insight-rich "love letter” to a CEO on your Top 25. If you have a LinkedIn connection to that CEO, ask them to share your post. If you don’t, start engaging (aka stalking) the CEO on LinkedIn or elsewhere. 🐧 Hone Your Skills: Professionals know their skills only stay sharp with constant and well-structured practice. Establish a rigorous interview prep process (ideally one that uncovers eye-opening insights). Start tracking the questions you are asked and the answers you provide in interviews. Review those with a member of your peer group. In sum, don't go it alone.

🎯 Spraying your resume across job boards isn’t a strategy—it’s a guessing game. The best job seekers? They build a targeted company list—and use it to unlock the hidden job market. Here’s why this works: ✅ It keeps your job search focused ✅ It helps you network intentionally ✅ It gives you clarity and momentum ✅ It increases your chances of getting referred So how do you build a great target list? Try this simple, 4-step process 👇 1️⃣ Start with what matters to you Don’t just chase logos. Ask yourself: • What industries energize me? • Do I want remote, hybrid, or in-office? • What company culture or values are non-negotiable? • What size of company feels like a good fit? This will give your list more meaning—and help you spot the right roles faster. 2️⃣ Reverse-engineer your dream job Use LinkedIn to: 🔎 Look at profiles of people in roles you want 🔗 See where they work now—and where they came from 📌 Note companies that show up more than once You’ll start to spot patterns—and companies you hadn’t even considered yet. 3️⃣ Build a “Tiered” List Not all target companies are equal—and that’s okay. ✨ Tier 1: Your dream companies 👍 Tier 2: Solid fit, interesting opportunities 👀 Tier 3: Backup or exploratory options A good target list includes ~20–40 companies across all tiers. 4️⃣ Use Your List to Network Smarter Don’t just apply—connect. ✔ Find people in your target roles or teams ✔ Reach out with genuine curiosity, not desperation ✔ Share your interest in the company (not just the job) 💡 Example: “Hi [Name], I’ve been following [Company] for a while—I’m really drawn to your [product/culture/mission]. I’d love to hear a bit about your experience there if you're open to a quick chat.” That’s not a pitch—it’s a conversation starter. 🔥 Final Thought: A targeted company list is more than a spreadsheet. It’s a compass for your job search—and a powerful tool to build real connections. 🔁 Found this helpful? Repost to help other job seekers stop guessing—and start targeting. #jobsearchstrategy #targetcompanylist #hiddenjobmarket #networkingtips #careerclarity #jobhunt #careercoach

Sales folks, take note! Spamming a target company's employees with your services and requests for meetings will result in your company making its way onto a buyer's blocklist. As a buyer in the localization industry, I receive dozens of emails and LinkedIn requests every single day from vendors looking to showcase translation, AI, QA services, and more. It's not humanly possible to give personal replies to every outreach. When vendors can't get through to me, they often reach out to everyone on my team... and sometimes to many others across my company. I'd love for this practice to stop. It wastes valuable company time and makes a vendor appear desperate and non-strategic. Here's what to do instead: 1. Appeal to ego! Invite a target company’s decision-maker to a panel, or start a vlog series and ask buyers to appear and discuss industry topics. It’s also a great opportunity to reposition your company as a thought leader. 2. Offer genuine insight, not just services. Share a case study, white paper, or benchmarking data that’s actually useful to the buyer’s role, and do it without a sales pitch. 3. Build a reputation before you build a pipeline. Comment thoughtfully on posts. Contribute to community conversations. If you consistently show up with value, you’re far more likely to get noticed. 4. Target smarter, not broader. Don’t shotgun your message to an entire company. Learn the org. Understand the buyer’s scope. Then send one well-researched, personalized note that shows you actually did your homework. 5. Focus on mutual value. Can you help solve a known pain point or offer perspective on something changing in the market? Frame your outreach around collaboration, not consumption. 6. Use timing to your advantage. Keep tabs on when companies are hiring for roles associated with your offerings, launching in new markets, or attending conferences. That’s when buyers are more receptive to new solutions. 7. Lead with generosity. Offer a no-strings-attached resource, intro, or suggestion that doesn’t benefit you directly. Reciprocity is a powerful trust builder. And please! Don't ever ever call me on the phone! ;)

🎮 The 20x1 Gap in Entry-Level Gaming Roles (and what to do) According to our data at Amir Satvat's Games Community, the most comprehensive source tracking gaming jobs worldwide, there is only a 6% over 12 months success rate for applicants to open entry-level roles in the games industry. Many of you ask me, “Where is the opposite happening? Where are there far more jobs than candidates?” If your goal is stable, well-paying employment, here are some sectors worth looking at, with data as of 2025. 🎯 Cybersecurity There is a global shortfall of roughly 4.8 million cybersecurity professionals in 2025. In the U.S. alone, there are over 457,000 open cybersecurity jobs, with not nearly enough trained professionals to fill them. 🩺 Healthcare (Nursing and Allied Roles) The U.S. is projected to be short over 500,000 registered nurses by the end of 2025. Allied health roles like surgical technicians and medical assistants also face critical shortages. In 2024, there were over 6 million openings in middle-skill healthcare roles, with 72 percent going unfilled. 🛠️ Skilled Trades and Advanced Manufacturing The U.S. continues to report over 500,000 unfilled jobs in manufacturing and the skilled trades. This is driven by a wave of retirements and a lack of incoming young talent. 📊 Finance and Accounting Unemployment in finance and accounting remains exceptionally low, in many roles, under 2 percent. 🤖 AI and Data Infrastructure AI job postings grew by 21 percent globally between 2023 and 2024 and remain strong in 2025. AI operations, prompt engineering, and data infrastructure support roles are surging. Many don’t require traditional CS degrees and can be accessed through microcredentials or apprenticeships. Many people's eyes glaze over when they see lists like these. But I’m very serious. I will keep bringing this up. Because the truth is, for many young people, even making it to the second or third ring of their job preference, let alone the dream job in the center, is growing harder, no matter how passionate they are. I'm not saying any of these paths must be yours. But I am saying that doing this kind of exercise, mapping supply and demand and finding a viable way to support yourself, is a healthy and responsible thing to do. And one we don’t talk about nearly enough. You never have to stop aiming your arrow at the dream. But the truth is, some may not reach it, and that doesn’t diminish the worth of the journey. While you work toward what you hope for, it’s okay, and often necessary, to find something that supports you along the way. If that path offers fair wages, room to grow, and some stability, it’s not giving up. It’s caring for yourself and making a responsible, thoughtful choice. We need to stop treating these decisions as failures or signs of lacking passion. In reality, they’re thoughtful, praiseworthy, and deeply pragmatic steps forward.

One of my all-time favorite expressions is, "the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time," which means when a task feels insurmountable, the key is to break it down and make steady, consistent progress toward the goal. You can apply this wisdom to the job search process. Once your resume is polished, the next steps can feel ambiguous, never-ending, and downright overwhelming. Here's the thing. As a job seeker, you have ONE goal: Land decision-maker conversations. So what exactly is a decision-maker? It’s the person who has the power to say “yes” (or a strong influence on that yes). Depending on the role, that could be a hiring manager, a department head, a senior executive, or even a board member. Recruiters and HR professionals can be valuable allies, but your ultimate goal is to build direct lines of communication with the people who hold hiring authority. How do you get there? Bite by bite. Start by building out a target company list. You need to identify at least 25+ places that could hire your skill set. Take that list and go a step further. -- Who do you know who works at those organizations? -- Who would your exact boss be if you landed a job at one of those companies? Next, focus on the low-hanging fruit: your network. Reconnect with former colleagues, classmates, and mentors. They already know and like you and want to help you! A warm introduction often opens the door to decision-makers faster than a cold application. Be strategic on LinkedIn. Share insights, engage with leaders in your target companies, and position yourself as a peer—not just a job seeker. If you don't have a lot of connections in your industry, focus on adding TEN new connections per day. These can be recruiters in your industry, hiring managers, leaders in your space, etc. Target your outreach. Instead of sending 50 generic messages, I want to challenge you to send FIVE thoughtful messages per day. Just five. The person opening your email needs to feel "special" or at least see that you took the time to personalize an outreach message. Prepare for every conversation. When you do land that call or meeting, focus less on “selling yourself” and more on showing how you can solve their biggest challenges. Remember, landing the job isn’t about applying to the most postings—it’s about creating the right conversations with the right people. And like eating the elephant, it happens one intentional bite at a time.

The key to landing more interviews is applying to fewer jobs. In theory, more applications = more opportunities. In reality, more applications = less focus for each = unclear messaging = fewer interview opportunities. Now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk about the roadmap to making every application count toward improving your odds. 1) Get clear on your career goals The more targeted your approach, the faster the progress. Often, those who struggle most with this are those with TOO many possible directions. In theory, you are versatile and could excel in many different jobs. In practice, it’s hard to customize for more than a select few job types/directions. If this sounds like you, here are some prompts to help you get more targeted: >Do you want to continue following your current path or explore others? You can do both, but you’ll need to define a few directions to focus on and tailor your approach for each. >What work values are most important to you right now? Think about whether you want to target based on title, compensation, company type (big, small, industry), location, or schedule (including remote/hybrid) >What are some companies/organizations that interest you? Create a list of target companies to follow. >What type of work is most meaningful for you? Target by the type of tasks that will make you feel engaged (for example, managing people or building complex financial models). Ideally, you’ll come up with a max of 3-4 different job types to target. Could be similar titles in different industries or completely different roles. You can always adjust your approach — and your target list — as you go. 2) Map out your skills Next, for each of your role types, map out your relevant skills and strengths and develop your value proposition. To make the mapping easier, make a list of all of your skills and strengths. Identify which are the most relevant for each of your target role types. You may see a lot of overlap across roles. In other cases, you will want to create different versions of your resume for different target roles. For example, Version 1 may be your go-to resume while Version 2 emphasizes certain industry keywords and niche software programs that are only relevant for one of your target career paths. 3) Start applying Once you have your select list of target roles, it will be easier to cut through the chaos of the job boards to find the most relevant opportunities. You can make your search parameters much more specific and focus on only applying to jobs that are a 80% fit (or better) with what you want. Since you’re targeting fewer roles, you’ll have more time to tailor your resume and cover letter and work your network for information or even a referral. Don’t spam the Easy Apply button again — take your time and prioritize a targeted approach instead. And if you need help with 1) and 2), message me. I’d love to help you get clear on your next steps. : )