No BS Career Advice, October 18 2026

By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

My wife is going to be back later today after three weeks away taking care of her sister on Long Island. We’re going to be visiting our son in Vermont in mid-November. I haven’t seen him in close to a year other than FaceTime. He works in a field, hospitality, that is as demanding as mine is but he also has a physical component to it as well, as the need to serve it and support others. We have an Airbnb reserved for the trip and I know I’m going to be flying back ahead of my wife because she has to appear in court in early December to take guardianship of her niece. I thought things were supposed to get easier as you got older! 

 

There are only a few more days to get a copy of my newest book, “The Recruiter Magnet: LinkedIn Profile Optimization: Turn Recruiter Searches into Interviews” to help attract recruiters to their LinkedIn profiles and get more attention and thus more interviews. It’s available for Kindle, as a PDF and as an audiobook. The first two are available at less than half off what I’ll be charging shortly. ($5.99 vs $12.99).

On Amazon, when you order a Kindle book, you’re given the choice of downloading an EPUB or a PDF. Get your profile up to speed and get more results.

 

4 Micro-Actions to Create More Job Leads

By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

Waiting for the “perfect time” to search for your next role is why high-performing professionals stay stuck. You tell yourself that nothing counts unless you have four uninterrupted hours to tear apart your resume or rewrite your entire digital footprint.

The reality? That level of friction leads straight to procrastination.

The most effective job hunts are not sustained by massive, infrequent pushes. They are won through relentless micro-executions slipped into the cracks of an already demanding schedule. Ten minutes before your next standup, five minutes while waiting for a client to join a call, or a quick quarter-hour over lunch is all the runway you need.

When you know where to look, a 15-minute window is more than enough to uncover buried corporate priorities, bypass the applicant cattle call, and initiate peer-level dialogue with the people holding actual budget.

Here are four completely fresh, tactical micro-actions to deploy today.

1. Execute an “Upstream Open-Source Dependency” Pull (15 Minutes)

For product managers, data engineers, and software architects, corporate tech stacks rely heavily on open-source libraries and enterprise frameworks. Corporate engineering leads routinely contribute to or sponsor public repositories, outlining their current technical debt and system bottlenecks in public issue threads.

Spend 15 minutes finding these technical pain points:

1. Search GitHub or public developer documentation for your target firm’s official organization page.
2. Filter active repositories by Issues labeled "help wanted" or "enhancement."
3. Identify the engineering director or technical product manager managing the repo, and reach out on LinkedIn:

“Hi [Name], I was looking through [Company]’s public repository for [Project Name] and saw your team’s active thread around [Specific Technical Issue]. We resolved a parallel bottleneck at my last company by restructuring our event pipeline. I put together a 1-page architecture breakdown of how we handled it — let me know if you’d like me to pass it over to your team.”

2. Mine “Corporate Rebranding & Naming Filings” for Growth (15 Minutes)

When a mid-sized firm or enterprise division undergoes a formal brand repositioning, strategic name change, or trademark update, it signals an incoming wave of marketing, operational, and product alignment initiatives. Corporate domain and trademark filings occur months before the new positioning is publicly unveiled.

Spend 15 minutes identifying upcoming strategic shifts:

1. Search public trademark databases (like the USPTO system) or business registry filings for a target company’s recent trademark applications.
2. Identify new product line names, subsidiary registrations, or updated brand assets filed within the last 60 days.
3. Reach out to the VP of Marketing, Brand, or Operations:

“I noticed [Company]’s recent operational filings around [New Brand/Product Line Name]. Launching a new market entity usually creates immediate cross-functional friction in [Your Functional Area]. Having managed a parallel launch at my previous firm, I wanted to introduce myself directly as your team maps out operational capacity for the rollout.”

3. Deploy the “Vendor Certification Directory” Search (10 Minutes)

Enterprise software vendors (such as AWS, Salesforce, Snowflake, or HubSpot) maintain public directories or partner portals listing certified professionals and partner firms. Companies that aggressively send their teams through these certification programs are investing heavily in expanding those business functions.

Spend 10 minutes sourcing these expanding teams:

• Search vendor partner directories or certification registries for target companies in your region.
• Identify the department head whose team members recently completed specialized enterprise certifications.
• Send a targeted validation note:

“Hi [Name], I saw that your group at [Company] recently expanded its enterprise certification footprint in [Platform Name]. Scaling a team’s capability on [Platform] usually means you’re tackling larger client integrations this quarter. As an operator specializing in [Your Specialty], I wanted to connect directly while your division builds out that pipeline.”

4. Recalibrate Profile “Service Offerings / Consulting” Signals (5 Minutes)

In LinkedIn’s backend database, hiring managers and recruiters frequently filter candidates using the Providing Services module. Toggling this setting signals that you possess specialized domain expertise available for high-level advisory or full-time engagements, expanding your profile’s reach in executive search results.

Spend 5 minutes activating this backend signal:

• Go to your profile page and click Open to -> Providing Services.
• Add up to 10 specific core competencies (e.g., “Executive Coaching,” “Growth Strategies,” or “Cloud Architecture”).
• Ensure the visibility flag is set to public so corporate talent sourcers can identify your expertise during advisory or fractional search pulls.

This simple adjustment ensures your profile captures high-intent executive traffic that bypasses standard entry-level candidate filters.

Sustainable job search momentum comes from calculated, compounding execution. Pick one targeted micro-action every morning, execute it cleanly, and force hiring managers to interact with you directly.

Ⓒ The Big Game Hunter, Inc., Asheville, NC 2026

Last week, I released several new blog posts including:

Salary Negotiation #shorts https://thebiggamehunter.us/salary-negotiation-shorts/

Are Degrees Less Important Than They Used to Be? https://thebiggamehunter.us/are-degrees-less-important-than-they-used-to-be/

Stop Applying Like an Amateur #shorts https://thebiggamehunter.us/stop-applying-like-an-amateur-shorts/

Should I Tell Them a Specific Date and Time or Just a Date When They Ask for My Availability? https://thebiggamehunter.us/should-i-tell-them-a-specific-date-and-time-or-just-a-date-when-they-ask-for-my-availability/

Career Reinvention https://thebiggamehunter.us/career-reinvention/

If You Don’t Want to Look Desperate on LinkedIn #shorts https://thebiggamehunter.us/if-you-dont-want-to-look-desperate-on-linkedin-shorts/

No BS Career Advice: October 11 2026 https://thebiggamehunter.us/no-bs-career-advice-october-11-2026/

Don’t Focus on Building Numbers of Connections on LinkedIn #shorts https://thebiggamehunter.us/dont-focus-on-building-numbers-of-connections-on-linkedin-shorts/

15 Ways to Become Irresistible to Employers https://thebiggamehunter.us/15-ways-to-become-irresistible-to-employers/

What Are Some Good Ways to Turn Down a Counteroffer? https://thebiggamehunter.us/what-are-some-good-ways-to-turn-down-a-counteroffer/

One Page Resumes #shorts https://thebiggamehunter.us/one-page-resumes-shorts/

How to Land Unadvertised Roles Using Private Tech Communities https://thebiggamehunter.us/how-to-land-unadvertised-roles-using-private-tech-communities/

Job Boards Fill 15% of All Jobs #shorts https://thebiggamehunter.us/job-boards-fill-15-of-all-jobs-shorts/

What Do Hiring Mgrs Think of Resumes with Quantified Accomplishments? https://thebiggamehunter.us/what-do-hiring-mgrs-think-of-resumes-with-quantified-accomplishments/

We Know What We Are #shorts https://thebiggamehunter.us/we-know-what-we-are-shorts/

We Know What We Are #shorts https://thebiggamehunter.us/we-know-what-we-are-shorts/

4 Micro-Actions That Trigger Direct Recruiter Attention https://thebiggamehunter.us/4-micro-actions-that-trigger-direct-recruiter-attention/

Setting Up Your Out of the Office Message #shorts https://thebiggamehunter.us/setting-up-your-out-of-the-office-message-shorts/

What Does It Mean When A Recruiter Asks If You Are Available for Feedback? https://thebiggamehunter.us/what-does-it-mean-when-a-recruiter-asks-if-you-are-available-for-feedback/

The Innovation Economy https://thebiggamehunter.us/the-innovation-economy/

Everybody Loves Success #shorts https://thebiggamehunter.us/everybody-loves-success-shorts/

4 Micro-Actions to Create More Job Leads https://thebiggamehunter.us/4-micro-actions-to-create-more-job-leads/

The AI Job Boom: Mobility vs. Scarcity https://thebiggamehunter.us/the-ai-job-boom-mobility-vs-scarcity/

Recruiters #shorts https://thebiggamehunter.us/recruiters-shorts/

Select https://thebiggamehunter.us/select/

4 Questions You Should Ask To Start An Interview https://thebiggamehunter.us/4-questions-you-should-ask-to-start-an-interview/

6 Questions To Ask To Avoid First Day Surprises https://thebiggamehunter.us/6-questions-to-ask-to-avoid-first-day-surprises/

Should You Include a Company Description in Your Resume? #shorts https://thebiggamehunter.us/should-you-include-a-company-description-in-your-resume-shorts/

Why the Cold Application Is Dead and How Your “Onlyness” Wins https://thebiggamehunter.us/why-the-cold-application-is-dead-and-how-your-onlyness-wins/

It’s Easy to Tailor Your Resume for Each Job #shorts https://thebiggamehunter.us/its-easy-to-tailor-your-resume-for-each-job-shorts/

How Good Recommendation Letters Help Entry-Level Job Hunters https://thebiggamehunter.us/how-good-recommendation-letters-help-entry-level-job-hunters

How to Find Remote Work https://thebiggamehunter.us/how-to-find-remote-work/