Bryan Creely's Recent LinkedIn Posts

It took me 25 years to learn what I'm about to share in 3 mins. If you're early in your career, save this. If you're mid-career, it's not too late to adjust. 1. If you don't control your time, someone else will. 2. You're perfectly skilled...until you're back on the job market. 3. Great bosses are rare. Don't take them for granted. 4. Most people are winging it. Don't let that intimidate you. 5. You'll have 3 to 5 careers in your lifetime. Plan for it. 6. A steady paycheck is invaluable. It's also a trap. 7. Companies are not loyal to you. Be loyal to yourself, first. 8. You will regret not taking that vacation time. (trust me) 9. They will lay you off despite your performance. 10. Someone less talented will keep their job, while you lose yours. 11. Always plan for job beyond the one you have right now. 12. Every job you take will either strengthen or weaken your resume. 13. There is no fixing your resume, only writing it more strategically. 14. You build a strong resume tomorrow by what you do today. 15. If you apply for jobs, you are not in control. Build your network. 16. Your personal brand is the greatest asset you don't use. The people who figure this out early don't just have better careers. They have better lives. If this resonates, I put everything I know into a course built around this exact idea. Link in the comments.

I once quit a "great" job after only a few months. Despite being told it's bad for my career. It was with a reputable employer, and paid reasonably well. You see, the job wasn't a good fit. But the boss wasn't the person I met in the interview. The work was nothing like what I was sold. And I knew within weeks I'd made a mistake not asking harder questions before I took it. So I left. Before I wasted another year heading nowhere. Was it the "right" thing to do? Probably not on paper. Was it right for me? Without question. Here's what I should have done before I accepted that offer. I should have done my own reference checks on her. Taken those Glassdoor reviews seriously instead of explaining them away. And raised the red flags I sensed in the interview instead of staying quiet because I was flattered to be considered. When you want the job badly enough, you stop vetting and start convincing yourself it's fine. But here's the thing. Recognizing early that a job isn't the right fit and leaving isn't failure. It's the right call for everyone involved. You get your career back on track. They get to find someone who actually belongs there. Have you ever taken a job you realized quickly was the wrong one?

I keep seeing posts of frustrated job seekers. They're dealing with ghosting, last-minute reschedules, and recruiters reaching out, only to never follow through with an interview. They're getting people's hopes up, having them jump through hoops, and scrambling to customize resumes on Sunday evenings when they should be with their families. People are desperately looking for work. But this isn't an excuse to treat them like crap. If you're lucky enough to actually have a job in recruiting right now... Do better. There are 1000s of out-of-work recruiters that would love your job. And if you are a recruiter who's looking for a job... When you do get back to work, be the change we all need. The bar is incredibly low. It won't take much to raise it a notch or two.

"Nobody wants to work anymore." I've heard this phrase so many times I want to lose my mind. Let me tell you what people actually don't want. They don't want a 2-hour commute for a job that pays a third of what it did five years ago. They don't want a 3% raise while the company posts record profits. They don't want to get laid off via email after a decade of loyalty. They don't want to train the AI that's replacing them and be told to feel good about it because it's "innovation." Here's the thing. People WANT to work. They want to build something. They want to feel like the effort is going somewhere. What they don't want is to pour everything into a company that's already planning their exit. The job market is what's broken. Not the people trying to make sense of it.

The job market is tough for everyone. But for older workers, it feels impossible. And it's hard to rectify why the phone is no longer ringing for an entire generation. They have something unique that employers seem to forget. - Wisdom that comes from time - Experience that spans over decades - Adaptability - this is the 3rd or 4th time they've had to pivot hard. - Emotional toughness - they don't break down, they get tougher. - Maturity. They don't feel the need to Tiktok every interaction - Perspective. They understand how history shapes today's world. Sure, they may not come cheaper than an AI bot. But CEOs have told us they only care about cost and "efficiency". Well, guess what? I have a feeling that's going to backfire big time in the not-so-distant future. Because you can't replace the true value they bring through automation. And it may be too late before companies realize it.

This comic is funny until you realize it's actually happened to someone. Your job will be posted before the week is over. It will be filled before the end of the month. And the person who replaces you will inherit your laptop, but never know your name. I'm not saying that to be dark. I'm saying it because too many people are burning themselves out for companies that have already calculated exactly how replaceable they are. - Take the vacation. - Use the sick day. - Leave at a reasonable hour. You owe your employer an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. That's the deal. Everything beyond that is a choice and too many people are making that choice out of guilt, fear, or a boss who has figured out how to make you feel responsible for their staffing problems. Your job will survive without you for a week. You might not survive without the break. Prioritize accordingly.

30,000 Oracle employees found out they were fired this week. And guess how they found out? From a 6am email signed "Oracle Leadership." No name. No conversation. No dignity. And the system access cut before most of them finished reading it. Here's the best part: Oracle just posted a 95% jump in net income last quarter. $6.13 billion in profit. A stupidly profitable company chose to ruin 30,000 lives to fund their AI investment (that will probably ruin even more lives soon). We've all watched companies behave poorly before. What gets me is how normalized it's become over the past 5 years. But what's most obvious to me is that the bandage has been ripped off. And what's underneath it isn't pretty. To your employer, your career is a business transaction. It always was. They've just stopped pretending you're "family". The disconnect: Many people still operate as if it isn't true. Still betting everything on one company. Still waiting for loyalty to be rewarded. Still wanting to believe they'll do the right thing. Oracle's 30,000 people were loyal too. I think this is a good opportunity to remind everyone reading this: The only person who will ever truly care about your career is you. That means operating with a strategy that puts you first. Knowing your market value. Having contingency plans. Not waiting until a 6am email forces your hand. Become the CEO of your career. Or your employer will happily continue to be in control.

A rejection for one role doesn't mean a rejection for ALL roles. I saw this the other day and I want to make sure everyone hears the answer. She applied for a job. Didn't get it. The same company posted another role. She got called in for an interview and wanted to know if she should still go. Yes. Obviously yes. Here's what most people don't understand about rejection. When a company passes on you, they're not saying they don't like you as a person. They're saying you weren't the right fit for that role, with that hiring manager, at that moment in time. That's it. A different role means a different hiring manager. A different set of priorities. A different definition of the right candidate. You are not blacklisted. You are not remembered as the person who didn't make it. You're just a name in a database who applied once before. Go to the interview. Prepare like it's the first time. Because for everyone in that room, it is. Don't reject yourself when there's no reason to.

I know someone who just got rejected from a job. The process took nearly 4 months. She was required to: - Fill out a lengthy application - Complete 2 separate assessments - Attend 5 total rounds of interviews - Attend 2 on-site interviews (2 hours round trip) - And was even asked to prepare a short presentation All over the course of 2 months. She was unemployed, anxious and genuinely interested in the job so she jumped through their hoops. She was even told she was their top candidate. After the final interview with the VP, which she admitted felt a bit off, she was told they'd have a decision soon. But the only decision they made was to not follow up with her at all. No generic rejection. No explanation. Just complete silence. Companies - This is just shameful. Please show them more respect by capping the process at 3 weeks. And maybe provide closure after the interview. The bar is so incredibly low with this - I just can't understand why so many of you fail at this.

The reason employers think they have a job gap: - They got fired - They're lazy - They're a bad employee - They're damaged goods that can't find a job The REAL reason they have a job gap: - Their mom got sick and needed a caretaker - Daycare costs 80% of their take-home pay - They got laid off like everyone else and the job market sucks - They went back to school to get a better job - Their boss forced a return to office, which was 80 miles away. Nobody wants to be unemployed. Let's give people a break.

Someone asked me recently what I'd do differently if I could restart my career. Honest answer? I'd actually have a strategy. Here's what I'd tell my 22-year-old self. Your 20s are not JUST about the salary. (Don't get me wrong, a nice paycheck is...nice) They're about momentum. I'd focus on: - Landing a job at the most respected company in my industry. - Getting promoted at least once. - Finding the thing I'm really good at and mastering it. - Building 2 or 3 income streams early to decouple my reliance on a paycheck. Do that and your 30s start taking care of themselves. This is the era of career assension. Your 40s are when you shift gears into stabilization. Less about adding skills. More about building your name. Grow your network with intention. Start sharing what you know. Have a point of view. Because the goal is this. By the time you're in your 50s, you shouldn't need to apply for jobs anymore. People should be coming to you. I'll be honest with you. I winged a lot of my early career. I was reactive instead of strategic, and it cost me time I couldn't get back. Don't make that mistake. Act like the CEO of your career from day one, and you'll save yourself a lot of grief later on.

Employers: we know you're holding out for the "perfect candidate." - 10 years of experience. - Exact industry match. - Every skill checked off the list. And when you finally find that person? They might be arrogant. They might be checked out. They might not even think your company is worth their time. Meanwhile, sitting right there in your inbox is someone who doesn't check every box. But they're hungry. They're coachable. They actually want THIS job, at THIS company, on THIS team. And you ignored them. The perfect fit on paper is not the same as the perfect fit for the role. The best hires I ever saw weren't the most qualified candidates in the stack. They were the ones who were ready to prove something. Employers who figure that out end up with loyal, motivated teams. The ones who don't keep wondering why their "perfect" hire didn't work out. The candidate you're looking for might already be in your inbox. You just have to be willing to see them

If a company isn't treating you right in the interviewing process, why would you think it'd be any different after you got hired? Remember, good companies don't: - String you along - Ask you to do free work - Disregard your time - Lowball you - Require you to jump through endless hoops - Have a laundry list of unreasonable requirements And they certainly don't make you feel like they're doing you a favor. It's not unlike dating - heed the red flags and trust your gut. No job is worth your sanity or compromising your values.

I once had a workaholic boss who never took time off. And as a result, I felt uncomfortable doing the same. As if I were somehow less dedicated and hard-working. - Vacations. - Sick days. - Dr appointments. It didn't matter. If I took time off, a part of me felt guilty. But then, one day, I had a team of my own, and I remembered that I had set the example. I could tell them I'm flexible, yet never demonstrate flexibility. So, I made sure my team occasionally saw me: - Leave early to attend my kid's school holiday party - Take a sick day when I feel really under the weather. (or 3) - Shut down and log off at 5 pm on Fridays Your actions set the tone. Lead by example, and I guarantee your team will notice.

Morgan Stanley just laid off 2,500 people. They did it the same week they reported record revenues. Oracle is preparing to cut up to 30,000. Block laid off nearly half its entire workforce last week. The unspoken agreement between employer and employee is fractured. There used to be a social contract. You provided an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. They took care of you and provided stability. That was the deal. That deal is gone, and frankly, it's not coming back. So here's what that means for you. Even when you land your next job, and you will, do not get comfortable. Keep building your network. (and not just when you need it) Keep building your resume. (Think of your next job, now) Keep developing your long-term career strategy. And start creating income streams separate from your paycheck. You are a business of one. Act like the CEO of it. That's the new reality. Because no one else is going to put your family first. The definition of a career has changed. It's time to change how we approach one. P.S. I figured out a framework for doing exactly this. I'll share in the comments.

It seems like everybody's hiring. But nobody's getting hired. Here's why. They lay off 20% of their staff every other year. They gut their recruiting teams. They add five interview rounds to compensate. They build ATS systems that filter out qualified people before a human ever sees them. Then they complain they can't find good candidates. Job seekers responded the only logical way they could. They applied to more jobs. Used every tool available. Optimized for a system designed to screen them out. And somehow THEY became the problem. They are not the problem. The way we now hire AND foster careers is. Maybe instead of blaming candidates for reacting to a broken system they didn't ask for, we fix the system first.

The recruiter loves you. They said so in your first-round screen. They were genuinely engaged, asked deeper questions, and seemed really positive about your background. They even said they thought you were a solid candidate and would be following up with you shortly. You end the call, feeling like you've got a live one on the hook. But a week later, you're shocked to receive a rejection. WHAT GIVES?? Here's the thing: The recruiter may indeed love you. But the hiring manager wasn't as interested. The rejection came because the hiring manager saw some indicator that they felt wasn't right for their role, and they told the recruiter why. The recruiter took notes and added it as a new screening question. Then, they begrudgingly sent you a rejection and moved on. It stinks, it's annoying. And recruiters are annoyed too. But it's not because you did anything wrong. You just weren't as close a fit as both of you thought for THAT particular job. It's okay, eventually the right role will come along where you ARE the right fit. This is just the nature of recruiting.

If you're struggling right now with your job search, Take the weekend off. We aren't publishing jobs over the weekend anyway. And you need a rest and some time to recharge. The jobs will be there on Monday, waiting for your application. (And trust me, I'm not looking at resumes on Sunday.) Get out and enjoy nature. Step away from the computer. And stop obsessively checking your email. You won't miss anything, and you'll be better prepared when you're fresh. I promise.

Some unsolicited advice for your job search. Stop giving companies more energy than they give you. They don't call back on time? Move on. They keep rescheduling? Move on. And when they go dark without a word... That tells you everything you need to know, and you should already be interviewing somewhere else anyway. You are not a supplicant. You are not waiting to be chosen. You are a professional evaluating your options, and they are one of them. Apply everywhere that makes sense. (emphasis on "makes sense") Remember, WHERE you work is the means to an ends, not your identity. So never let one opportunity become THE opportunity just because the timeline dragged out. The companies that want you will act like it. And won't keep you waiting.

There was this guy I worked with years ago. Stayed late every night. Never used vacation. Always wound tight. One evening I passed his office and saw him hunched over his laptop, same as always. I stopped. "Hey, go home. Your wife misses you." He looked up and said "She's used to it." I pushed a little. Asked why he never took his vacation days. He told me he banked them. Just in case he lost his job. Then he said he stayed late so the boss would see him working hard. He'd been doing this for 25 years. I walked to my car feeling genuinely sad for him. About a year later, they eliminated his position. Here's the thing. All those hours after everyone left didn't get noticed. His boss was gone long before he turned off the lights. And even if he had noticed, it wouldn't have mattered. His boss only cared about who could move the department forward. He never adapted. Never built visibility. Never made himself harder to replace. So when the cuts came, his name was easy to put on the list. Working hard is rarely what keeps your job during a layoff. Staying relevant will. Being visible will. Doing the things the people above you actually care about will. And maybe take the vacation.

Here's how to tell the job market is broken. Employers can't seem to stay consistent. And we're ALL noticing it. - They say they value transparency, but they hide the compensation. - They say they want to build culture, but they lay everyone off without notice. - They say they want authentic resumes, but they post generic job descriptions. - They say work-life balance matters, but they expect you on weekends. - They use AI to screen you, but they reject you for using AI. - They say they want top-quality people, but they pay low-quality wages. - They say they want face-to-face teamwork, but they force Zoom calls in conference rooms. Companies are walking contradictions. And we're supposed to pretend like we don't notice. That's the ultimate contradiction of them all.

You know what's mindblowing to me? Most people spend years perfecting their craft. Thousands on training and education. Countless hours becoming an expert in their field. And almost no time learning how to talk about it in an interview. I've sat across the table from some incredibly talented people over the years. People who were absolutely the most qualified person in the room. And they didn't get the job. Because they couldn't show it. And that is genuinely frustrating to watch. Because the talent was there. The experience was there. The results were there. They just couldn't get it across the table. Here's the good news though. Interviewing is a learnable skill. One of the fastest skills you can actually improve with the right focus. You don't need years of practice. You need the right framework and a little intentional preparation. Don't let not being able to speak about your own experience be the reason you lose an offer you deserved. You've done the hard part. You put in the work. You built the expertise. Now learn how to show it. PS...if you struggle with this, you're in the right place, so follow along!

The bar for job seekers is embarrassingly low. Which means clearing it isn't hard. Here's what most candidates skip...that recruiters actually notice: - Apply early. Recruiters fill their interview spots as early as possible. Be in the first group to get a call. - Check your connections before you apply. A referral doesn't guarantee the job. It does guarantee your resume gets seen. - Send the right resume. Not your general one. Make the connection between your background and the job posting obvious. - Finish your LinkedIn profile. Recruiters look you up before they call. A half-finished profile says something you don't want it to say. - When they ask for your availability, give options. "Tuesday at 10, Wednesday 1–4, or Thursday morning" works well. "I'm flexible" doesn't. - Show up 10 minutes early (not 30). Don't rush yourself, but don't overdo it either. - Send a thank you note after every interview. Three sentences are enough. Most people don't do it. - Post something on LinkedIn. Give recruiters something to see when they look you up beyond your headshot. None of this is hard. It's just not what most people do. In a process where everyone's resume looks roughly the same, the easy stuff is what actually gets interviews. ______________________________________________________________ For more job search tips from someone who's been on the other side of the table, follow me here.

We've spent the past 5 years being told: "We're trimming the fat." "We've changed directions." "We're cutting back on bonuses." "We can't offer any raises right now." "We're placing this position on hold." "We're adjusting to market conditions." "We can't backfill your coworker's job yet" "We appreciate all the hard work, but unfortunately..." "We're requiring everyone back into the office for culture." It tells me we're clearly not their priority. Therefore, there's never been a better time to place yourself first. Because nobody will care about your career more than you. So don't feel bad about taking the interview. Networking with the competitor, Improving skills that will help your career, Or quitting your job for a better offer. Remember, loyalty often comes at the cost of lost opportunity. And you have to treat your career like a business of one. Are you ready to reclaim control over your career? If so, here's how you can do it:

I need your help. We're beta testing Soor this week (the career platform I've been building) and I need 3 people in a real, active job search. Not casually browsing. Not thinking about making a move. Actually applying, actually frustrated, finally ready to try something different. What's in it for you? Hopefully some great, targeted, Resume Rocketfuel quality resumes to use to apply for those sweet job postings you've been eyeing. In exchange, I need you to actually use the platform within the coming week and tell me honestly what's working and what isn't. We are obsessed with making this the best tool out there. If that's you, send me a note. Include four things: 1. A quick intro. 2. The types of roles you're targeting. 3. Where you are in your search right now. 4. And whether you're currently using any AI tools to help with your resume. We'll pick 3 people by Monday (and host a quick onboarding call) and get you in early next week.