The Career Whispers

The Career Whispers

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The Career Whispers
The Career Whispers
Land a job faster by job searching in your Zone of Genius
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Land a job faster by job searching in your Zone of Genius

The counterintuitive job search approach wherein you narrow your opportunities to a select few. More wood behind fewer arrows. Kill shots, not shots in the dark.

Coach Erika Gemzer's avatar
Coach Erika Gemzer
Aug 12, 2024
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The Career Whispers
The Career Whispers
Land a job faster by job searching in your Zone of Genius
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👋 Hey, it’s 📣 Coach Erika! Welcome to a 🔒 subscriber-only edition🔒 of The Career Whispers. Each week, I tackle reader questions about tech careers: how to get one, how to navigate them, and how to grow and thrive in your role.

Today’s post aims to lend more focus and discipline to your job search. Our goal is to aim your limited time and energy toward a narrow set of opportunities where you have the highest odds of gaining traction. This can be uncomfortable at first, so today’s post will teach you how to identify the narrow space (your Zone of Genius) where you can land more interviews, final rounds, and offers.

Become a subscriber to get access to all 3-7 monthly posts, across these thoughtfully crafted career experimentation series:

  • JOB SEARCH DIARIES

  • THE WEEKLY WHISPER

  • DEBUGGING YOUR JOB SEARCH

  • MVIP (MINIMUM VIABLE INTERVIEW PREP)

  • CLEVER GUERRILLA

  • BONUS EDITIONS and more (see all the paid subscriber benefits here)

This newsletter is an educational resource and can likely be expensed through your manager or your company's L&D budget. Here is a template I wrote for you to use when asking your manager. For subscription details, see the About page.

And now, onto to the post!


Q:  My job search 4 years ago was a breeze. Recruiters contacted me on LinkedIn at least twice a month, interviews were quick and painless (no take-homes), and I landed multiple offers. I got a title and compensation jump even though I switched industries. I’m job searching now (in 2024), and none of my old tactics are working. Is it just me?

While it may sound counterintuitive, the best advice I can offer is this: Cast a narrower net, not a wider one.

Job searching in tech right now is a focus game, not a numbers game. Something I’ve seen work particularly well in the current tech job market is “job searching in your Zone of Genius.”

The Zone of Genius (ZOG for short) refers to the sweet spot where our expert-level abilities intersect with our interests.

Your job search niche should align with your Zone of Genius: that sweet spot where your expertise and your interests intersect.

Job searching in your Zone of Genius is about knowing the alignment between what you offer, what you want, and what employers need.

  • It’s about defining product-market fit for yourself.

  • It’s about a recruiter seeing your leverage in less than ten seconds scanning your resume.

  • It’s about going for roles you’re uniquely qualified to land.

Here’s how it goes ⬇

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