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No BS Career Advice: August 16 2026

I don’t get sick very often but when I do I know how to get sick. By Tuesday evening I was exhausted and just feeling beaten up. I thought it was a normal workday but it was me starting to get sick. By Wednesday I had a stomach virus that left me completely debilitated. I napped a lot; I canceled a lot of my schedule; I only kept a few things that I really needed to keep. I didn’t go to the gym at all, which is unusual for me these days.

It’s why I extended my offer of $4.99 for Resumes That Work: The No BS Playbook for Laptop Professionals to Leverage AI, Refine Their Story, and Get Interviewed until Tuesday at 7 AM Eastern at which point the price will increase to $12.99.

I won’t repeat the pitch for the book I wrote. I will say I hope you find it helpful; I’m sure you will. If you do please write a favorable review on Amazon.

As you know, my advice is No BS.

BTW, I will not be publishing No BS Career Advice the next two weekends. Next weekend, I am attending a leadership conference; the following weekend, I am on staff for one of the men’s retreats I used to lead.

More 15-Minute Moves to Shift Your Job Search Pipeline

By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

When professionals hit a wall in their job search, the default response is brute force. They dedicate four-hour blocks on Sunday afternoons to rewriting resumes, tailoring cover letters for dozens of job postings, or blasting out generic connection requests.

This macro-effort yields remarkably micro-results.

The issue isn’t a lack of effort; it’s operational drag. Heavy, multi-hour job search sessions lead to mental fatigue and low-quality output. High-yield career transitions are rarely driven by massive, exhausting overhauls. They are built on targeted, high-leverage micro-actions—precise executions offer taking 15 minutes or less that bypass traditional corporate filters and force immediate market feedback.

I previously broke down four core tactics: executing requisition ID referral bypasses, running quick AI boardroom diagnostics, building forwardable assets, and optimizing your headline’s first 80 characters. Today, we expand your toolkit with four new 15-minute micro-actions designed to unearth hidden opportunities and systematically convert quiet connections into active interviews.

1. Conduct a “Lapsed Connection Audit” (15 Minutes)

The highest-converting job opportunities rarely come from brand-new cold outreach; they come from “dormant ties”—former colleagues, past clients, or managers who already know your work ethic but haven’t spoken to you in 12 to 24 months.

Spend 15 minutes scrolling through your existing LinkedIn connections to identify three people who have recently moved to new companies or received promotions.

Send a brief, low-pressure update note:

“Hi [Name], I saw your recent move to [Company]—congrats on taking over the [Function/Team] space. I’m currently mapping out my next move in [Industry/Specialization] and wanted to reconnect. No ask here. I just wanted to congratulate you on the new role and catch up soon if you have a quick opening in the coming weeks.”

This reactivates warm capital in under a quarter-hour without making you sound desperate or transactional. It helps someone I worked with recently land a new leadership role as a systems integrator.

2. Mine Recently Hired Managers for Immediate Team Growth (15 Minutes)

When a new executive or director takes a role at a company, two things happen immediately: they inherit existing structural problems, and they receive budget to build out their team.

Spend 15 minutes searching LinkedIn for leaders in your functional area who changed jobs within the past 90 days. Use search terms like: “[Your Target Title] + ‘Started a new position'”.

Reach out with a short, peer-level congratulatory note that signals your readiness:

“Hi [Name], congrats on the new role leading [Function] at [Company]. Having joined teams in rapid transition before, I know the first 90 days are usually focused on assessing the baseline workflows and identifying execution gaps. I’m an operator specializing in [Your Core Skill/Value Metric] and am currently exploring my next move. No immediate ask; I just wanted to get on your radar early as you begin evaluating team bandwidth and future initiatives.”

In 15 minutes, you get on the radar of a decision-maker who has budget and hiring authority before they post a public job requisition. This helped the young developer I was working with recently land a new role.

3. Deploy the “Skills Endorsement Reset” (10 Minutes)

LinkedIn’s search algorithm prioritizes profiles based on skill match density. However, most professionals haven’t updated their “Top Skills” section in five years, leaving outdated software or irrelevant methodologies pinned to the top.

Spend 10 minutes performing a clean audit:

Open the job descriptions of three target roles you want next.
Identify the top 3–5 recurring technical skills, methodologies, or platforms mentioned across all three.
Move those exact terms to the top of your LinkedIn “Skills” section and remove legacy skills that no longer reflect your direction.

This subtle adjustment instantly improves your search relevance when internal we’re a third party recruiters filter people inside LinkedIn Recruiter.

4. Engage in “Strategic First-Comment Positioning” (15 Minutes)

Instead of posting long-form content that takes hours to write and gets minimal reach, borrow the audience of industry decision-makers or well-connected people.

Spend 15 minutes finding posts written by hiring managers, executives, or industry commentators in your niche. Skip the superficial “Great post!” comments. Instead, leave a high-density, analytical observation that adds real insight:

“Spot-on analysis regarding data pipeline latency. We also found that decoupling the legacy databases in month two reduced that exact processing lag by nearly 18% before we expanded to regional hubs.”

A single well-crafted comment positions your expertise directly in front of the post’s author and everyone reading the thread that generate profile views from peers who actively hire for those exact solutions.

The Bottom Line

A successful career pivot is not built on marathon sessions of blind resume submissions. It is built on small, clinical actions executed with consistency.

Stop spending hours feeding ATS databases. Pick one 15-minute action each morning, execute it with precision, and let the compound effect of high-leverage outreach shift the market leverage back to you.

Even while sick, I released a number of new blog posts including:

From Manual Grind to AI-Automated Job Search Excerpt: Job hunting is notoriously grueling, often demanding hours of manual effort for minimal returns. But what if you could compress a three-hour daily grind into a highly targeted, 10-minute automated routine? One resourceful job seeker did exactly that by using AI. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/from-manual-grind-to-ai-automated-job-search/

How to Build an AI Pipeline That 7x’s Your Job Interviews Excerpt: Mass-applying to hundreds of jobs is a complete waste of your time and energy. Learn how one job seeker stopped manual copy-pasting, built an autonomous AI pipeline, cut his daily job hunt to 10 minutes, and secured 7x more interviews. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/how-to-build-an-ai-pipeline-that-7xs-your-job-interviews/

You Don’t Have to Keep Doing Work You Detest #shorts Excerpt: Are you doing a job that you absolutely loathe? You don’t have to. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/you-dont-have-to-keep-doing-work-you-detest-shorts/

Why Are You Interested in This Job? #shorts Excerpt: Most people answer “Why are you interested in this job?” with generic praise. Jeff Altman shares a No BS strategy to answer this question by connecting your background directly to their specific operational challenges. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/why-are-you-interested-in-this-job-shorts/

Should I Use a Video Cover Letter to Stand Out? Excerpt: Video cover letters are growing in popularity, but do they actually work or do they alienate hiring managers? Jeff Altman breaks down when a video cover letter gives you an edge and when it backfires. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/should-i-use-a-video-cover-letter-to-stand-out/

Career Immortality Excerpt: Building a career that withstands market volatility and industry disruption requires developing durable leverage, personal branding, and high-value relationships that outlast any single employer. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/career-immortality/

Job Search Mistakes: Not Giving Maximum Effort Excerpt: Jeff Altman looks at successful athletes as an impetus to remind job hunters of the importance of giving maximum effort in their job search to achieve success. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/job-search-mistakes-not-giving-maximum-effort/

Why Taking a “Lower” Job May Be a Smart Move Excerpt: If you take a step sideways or down, people assume something went wrong. That mindset is BS. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/why-taking-a-lower-job-may-be-a-smart-move/

Senior. Intermediate. Junior. What’s the Difference? #shorts Excerpt: People get fixated on levels. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/senior-intermediate-junior-whats-the-difference-shorts/

No BS Career Advice: August 9 2026 Excerpt: Help with #jobsearch #jobhunting #careeradvice #interviewing #interviews #jobinterviews #opentowork #salarynegotiation #resumes #nobscareeradvice Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/no-bs-career-advice-august-9-2026/

Overcoming Age Bias in Job Search Excerpt: How to address manager anxiety directly, speak modern operational language, and target the mid-market and private equity firms that actively need your expertise. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/overcoming-age-bias-in-job-search/

Changing Careers? Gave Yourself a Hard No? #shorts Excerpt: Oh, the tricks we sometimes play on ourselves. When you’re changing careers, sometimes the hard no is one of those tricks. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/changing-careers-gave-yourself-a-hard-no-shorts/

Nailing the Virtual Interview: 16 Tips and Lessons Learned Excerpt: In navigating the nuances of virtual interviews, sixteen professionals, from career coaches to CEOs, have shared their wisdom. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/nailing-the-virtual-interview-16-tips-and-lessons-learned/

Our Love-Hate Relationship With Asking for Help Excerpt: Most people struggle with asking for help during a job search. Understanding why we resist reaching out is the first step to unlocking your network. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/our-love-hate-relationship-with-asking-for-help/

Laid Off and They Want You to Sign Something? #shorts Excerpt: It will be soooo tempting to sign that piece of paper they slide in front of you. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/laid-off-and-they-want-you-to-sign-something-shorts/

The Easiest Way to Apply Isn’t Usually the Best Way Excerpt: Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter discourages you from applying to jobs using convenient buttons on job listings. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/the-easiest-way-to-apply-isnt-usually-the-best-way/

The Purpose of a Phone Interview Excerpt: In this video, Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter discusses the purpose of a phone interview from the employer’s perspective and from yours. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/the-purpose-of-a-phone-interview/

Staying Current #shorts Excerpt: A short video about keeping your skills up-to-date. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/staying-current-shorts/

If A Search Firm Asks You To Recommend Someone Does That Mean They Want You? Excerpt: If an Executive Search firm emails you requesting that you recommend someone for a position, does that mean they are interested in hiring you for the position? Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/if-a-search-firm-asks-you-to-recommend-someone-does-that-mean-they-want-you/

15 Minute Moves to Shift Your Career Pipeline Excerpt: If you want to accelerate your pipeline without burning out, integrate these 15-minute moves into your daily routine. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/15-minute-moves-to-shift-your-career-pipeline/

Look Ahead, Not Just Back #shorts Excerpt: This one is for those of you who are older. Maybe not as old as me but older nonetheless. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/look-ahead-not-just-back-shorts/

Interview Red Flags: The Uncomfortable Look When You Ask This Question Excerpt: There is a reason they’re uncomfortable. Pay attention. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/interview-red-flags-the-uncomfortable-look-when-you-ask-this-question/

Periodic LinkedIn Profile Updates #shorts Excerpt: Some of you treat LinkedIn profile updates like something to do when you are job hunting. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/periodic-linkedin-profile-updates-shorts/

Betting on Yourself #shorts Excerpt: A piece of wisdom to pay attention to. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/betting-on-yourself-shorts/

Over 50? Think Ahead. #shorts Excerpt: If you’re over 50, the probability is you are going to leave your career or it’s going to leave you. It’s time to start thinking ahead. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/over-50-think-ahead-shorts/

The Difference Excerpt: Short Thoughts. Art That Has to Do With Living Life. Tell Us We’re On the Right Track By Liking Our Videos. We’ll Feel Good If You Do. Link: https://thebiggamehunter.us/the-difference/

Books and Guides by Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

Resumes That Work: No BS Playbook for Laptop Professionals to Leverage AI, Refine Their Story, and Get Interviewed

“Networkinging for Introverts: Build Powerful Connections Without Cold Calling

Interview Mastery: The Ultimate Job Interview Framework

The No BS Job Search Playbook: How Hiring Works

The No BS Job Search Playbook: AI Job Search Prompts and More

The Ultimate Job Interview Framework

Diagnosing Your Job Search Problems: Figuring Out Where the Problem Is

The Right Answers to Tough Interview Questions

Job Search Strategies for Recent Graduates: A Guide for Post-Graduation Success

10 Steps to Changing Careers: Break Free and Do Work You Love

Great Answers to Behavioral Interview Questions