Hello Everyone & Happy Tuesday…

AND happy February! Somehow, January flew by in the blink of an eye, and we’re already settling into a brand-new month. Let’s kick it off with this week’s newsletter.

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Getting laid off is probably one of the most disorienting experiences in your professional life. One day, you're focused on your projects and goals, and the next, you're suddenly navigating uncertainty about what comes next. If you're in that position right now, I know exactly how you're feeling—the shock, the worry, maybe even a little panic about the future.

Here's the thing: I've been coaching people through career transitions for over 20 years, and I can tell you that what you do in these first few days and weeks will make all the difference in how quickly you land your next role.

When thousands of people from the same company hit the job market simultaneously, you're suddenly competing with professionals who have similar skill sets, comparable experience, and identical company names on their resumes. It's a tough spot. But don't worry, I'm going to share the exact three-step strategy I'd use if I were in your shoes right now.

Your LinkedIn profile is no longer just a nice-to-have. It's your most powerful job search tool, even more important than your resume. Why? Because recruiters are living on LinkedIn, and they're spending a whopping 6 to 13 seconds skimming profiles to decide if you're worth a conversation.

Here's what needs your immediate attention:

Start with your headline. This isn't the place for "Seeking New Opportunities" or just your old job title. You need to keyword-optimize it with the skills and value you bring. Think of it as your professional tagline that tells recruiters exactly what you do and why you're exceptional at it.

Next, revamp your “About” section. This is where you tell your professional story using quantifiable accomplishments. Don't just list responsibilities; show the impact you've made. Did you increase revenue? Streamline processes? Lead successful projects? Roll up your experience in a way that validates your skill sets and makes recruiters think, "We need this person."

Finally, optimize your work history with those same quantifiable accomplishments. Remember, recruiters are skimming. Make it ridiculously easy for them to validate that you have exactly what they're looking for.

Here's something most job seekers don't know: LinkedIn recently rolled out a new algorithm update called 360Brew that has completely changed how recruiters find candidates. They're now using an AI-assisted search tool that's incredibly sophisticated—and if you understand how it works, you can absolutely game the system in your favor.

Take some time to research this update. Learn how the algorithm prioritizes candidates, what signals it's looking for, and how you can position yourself to be surfaced in recruiter searches. This knowledge is gold.

Why does this matter so much? Because we're in what I call the "quiet hiring era." Companies have stopped posting jobs online because they're tired of getting 10,000 unqualified applicants. Instead, they're going directly to LinkedIn's AI-assisted search to find and surface the exact candidates they need.

If you understand the algorithm, you can position your profile and your content to get in front of these recruiters—without ever applying to a single job.

I know what you're thinking: "I'm not a content creator. I just need a job." I get it. But here's the reality—the algorithm is looking for two things: relevancy and frequency. It wants to know you're a real, active, credible human being.

With over 1.3 billion profiles on LinkedIn, many of which are outdated, inactive, or downright fake, that AI-assisted search tool is filtering for people who are genuinely engaged on the platform. And the way it determines that? By what you're posting.

When you post the right content consistently, you signal to the algorithm that you're active, knowledgeable, and worth surfacing to recruiters. You become visible. You get contacted. It's that simple.

If this strategy makes sense and you want a step-by-step breakdown of exactly how to implement it, I've created a training specifically for you. It's called "20 LinkedIn Posts That Attract Job Offers Without Applying," and it walks you through everything you need to do to hyper-speed your visibility on LinkedIn.

Getting laid off is never easy, but with the right strategy, you can turn this setback into your next breakthrough.

Go get ‘em!

J.T. O’Donnell

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