By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
There are things you can do to create momentum in your job search in 15 minutes or less.
How Far Can You Go?
All right, let’s cut the nonsense. Your job search, it’s a grind, a total soul crusher. And all that old advice you’re getting, it’s garbage.
I’m Jeff Altman, the big game hunter, and I’m about to show you a system that actually works. The best part, it only takes 15 minutes a day. Yeah, let’s just be real for a second.
This probably hits a little too close to home, right? Job searching feels like a marathon you never even signed up for. It’s just endless. You’re sitting there hitting refresh on your inbox over and over again, waiting for something, anything.
It’s exhausting. It’s designed to break you down. And you know what the worst part is? The experts telling you to just grind it out for eight hours a day, that is a one-way ticket to burnout city, my friend.
And you’re the only resident. It’s awful advice, it’s old, it doesn’t work, period. So right now, we’re taking that whole playbook and we’re tossing it straight in the trash.
So this is the problem, the job search grind. This is where most people are stuck, but we’re not just gonna sit here and complain about it. No, we’re gonna tear it apart piece by piece.
And I’m gonna show you exactly how to fix this mess. Okay, here’s the plan, simple. We’ll look at the grind.
I’ll show you the 15-minute advantage and then give you real, actionable steps for your profile, your network, and your plan. Let’s do this. All right, so how do we fix this? What’s the secret? It’s not about working harder.
I’m telling you, it’s about working smarter. This is what I call the 15-minute advantage. And trust me, it’s gonna completely change the game for you.
Look at this. This is it right here. The old way is all about intensity.
You know, those eight-hour days of just clicking and clicking until your eyes glaze over. It’s a guaranteed path to burnout. The new way, our way, it’s all about consistency, small, focused, 15-minute chunks of real action.
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This is how you build momentum that actually lasts. Intensity burns you out. Consistency, that’s what gets you the job.
It really is that simple. All right, mission number one, it’s time to sharpen your profile. Think about it.
Your resume, your LinkedIn, that’s your digital handshake. Right now, is it a firm one or is it kind of limp? Let’s fix that. Listen, do not try to rewrite your entire LinkedIn profile.
That’s a huge waste of time and you’ll just get bogged down. Instead, take 15 minutes, just 15, and do this. Pick one skill or achievement and add a number to it.
Increase sales by 20%, manage a team of eight, boosted efficiency by 15%, whatever it is. Numbers pop, they get noticed by recruiters. It’s a tiny change that makes a massive impact.
Okay, this next one is a great little trick. I want you to find a job description for a role you actually want. Copy the whole thing.
Now, go to any free word cloud generator online and paste it in. See those words that pop out, the really big ones? Those are the keywords. That’s what the computer systems, the ATS, are looking for.
If those words aren’t in your resume, you might as well be invisible. So spend your next 15 minutes weaving those exact words into your bullet points. Let me be crystal clear about something.
Recruiters are Googling you. It’s happening, so you need to beat them to it. Open up an incognito or private browser window and search your own name.
See what comes up. What’s that first impression? Is it a sharp, professional photo or is it something from a party 10 years ago you forgot about? You have to control what they see. This literally takes five minutes.
Go do it. Okay, mission two. Let’s talk about networking.
And I know, I know, most people hate that word, but we’re gonna do it the right way. No begging, no desperate, can you help me find a job messages. None of that stuff that makes you feel gross and makes them feel awkward.
Here’s a super simple way to stay on people’s radar. I call it the ghost of jobs past check-in. Just find an interesting article, send it to a former colleague you liked working with and say, hey, saw this and thought of you.
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Hope all is well. That’s it. You’re not asking for a thing, but here’s the magic.
When a job opens up on their team next week, whose name do you think is gonna pop into their head? Yours. It’s simple psychology. It’s not desperation.
And this right here is a perfect example. On one side, you’ve got that generic, lazy LinkedIn request. You know the one.
It basically screams, I am a robot clicking a button. On the other side, something strong, something that shows you took, what, 30 seconds to actually look at their profile. Hey, I saw your work on Project X, really impressive.
That’s the difference between getting ignored and starting a real conversation. You wanna know a real power move for your network? Give before you ask. Take 15 minutes and write a genuine, unsolicited recommendation for someone you’ve worked with.
Think about the ripple effect. First, they get that notification and it makes their day. Second, they’re almost certainly gonna think about returning the favor.
And third, it shows everyone in your network that you’re a contributor, not just some person out there with their handout. It’s a game changer. Okay, final mission.
This is where we get strategic. I want you to stop using a shotgun approach, just blasting your resume everywhere and hoping something sticks. It’s messy and it doesn’t work.
From now on, you’re a sniper. You’re gonna hunt with a plan. Look, if you’re trying to appeal to every company out there, you’re appealing to no one.
It’s a recipe for disaster. So here’s your task. I want you to come up with a list of just 10 companies, your target 10, 10 places you would genuinely be excited to work for.
That’s it. This one small step transforms your job search from this vague, overwhelming mess into a focused, targeted hunt. Focus is your new superpower.
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And this is what that plan looks like in the real world. Putting job search in your calendar is useless. What does that even mean? You’ll just stare at the screen.
Be specific. Look, Monday morning, refine three job alerts. Tuesday morning, apply to two roles at target company X. See how that works? When you’re specific, there’s no room for overwhelm.
You know exactly what you need to do, so you just get it done. This next one is a habit you need to start today. Every single week, you accomplish something.
I guarantee it. The problem is by next Monday, you’ve forgotten all about it. So every Friday, take 15 minutes.
Document one win from the week. Put a number on it if you can. Keep this in a document.
Call it your brag sheet. The payoff here is huge. The next time you have to write a cover letter or an interviewer asks, so tell me about a time win, you won’t be staring at a blank page.
You’ll have your answer right there. So there you have it. We’ve thrown out the old, broken way of doing things, and we’ve replaced it with a system built on smart, focused, consistent action.
So the big question is, what’s your next move? How do you start this, like, right now? If you remember one thing from all of this, let it be this. I want this quote burned into your mind. A job search is not won by dedicating 40 hours a week to frantically clicking apply.
It’s won in those small, disciplined gaps in your day, those 15-minute blocks. That is where you build momentum. That is how you win.
Look, if this straight-talk, no-nonsense approach feels right to you, there’s a lot more where that came from. Over at jobsearch.community, I’ve got everything you need. Video courses, books, guides, you name it.
You can even hire me to coach you personally. All the tools you need to land your next job are right there. So if you’re finally ready to ditch the grind and start winning this hunt, I’m here to help you do it.
