Laszlo Bock

Three weeks ago I promised my entire job-search playbook, "Apply Within."

Today it's yours. All 8 chapters in one deck. 112 pages. Free. No subscriptions or paywalls.

The resume formula. Cover letter shortcuts. The networking script that works when you hate networking. Why interviews are won in the first 4 minutes. The 13.5 hours of prep that beats a year of experience. When to apply (only after you do your prep). And the 10-minute conversation worth a million dollars over a career.

I've had too many conversations with great people in the past several months who find themselves on the wrong side of the job search process in a brutal market.This is what I wish someone had handed me at 21, waiting tables at the Olive Garden after every law school said rejected me.

I wrote "Apply Within" because the people who get great jobs aren't smarter or luckier. They just know how the system actually works. Now you do too.

Save it. Share it with one person who needs it. Pass it along to a student or new grad who's trying to get that first job.

What chapter was most helpful? What else would you like help with? Let me know below.

And I wish you all the luck in the world in finding an amazing job!

[Download instructions in the first comment.]

Ten years ago, CHROs were expected to manage HR.

Today, they’re expected to lead digital transformation, shape culture, implement AI, and steer organizations through crises.

The role has expanded faster than almost any other in the C-suite. Titles now reflect it: Chief People and AI Enablement Officer, Chief People and Places Officer, Chief People and Values Officer.

In the Berkeley Transformative CHRO Leadership Program with UC Berkeley Executive Education, I see leaders wrestling with this new reality. The CHRO is no longer a functional leader. It is a business-critical strategist.

What I believe: the breadth of responsibility is both the greatest opportunity and the greatest risk for CHROs today. If they rise to it, they can shape the future of work. If they do not, the function risks being stretched too thin to be effective.

If you are a new or aspiring CHRO, this is the program designed for you:

https://lnkd.in/gx332_ba

There is a shortage of transformational CHROs.

• 28% of sitting CHROs have changed roles in the past two years
• Average tenure is barely 4 years
• 58% of Fortune 1000 CPO hires in 2024 were first-timers in the role

The demand for top HR leadership has never been greater, and the supply has never been more strained.

This is the leadership gap we’re addressing in the Berkeley Transformative CHRO Leadership Program with UC Berkeley Executive Education. Jennifer Chatman, Sameer Srivastava, and I are preparing current and aspiring CHROs to lead with data, influence, and resilience.

If you were advising a first-time CHRO stepping into this environment, what would your top piece of advice be?

Learn more about the program here: 
https://lnkd.in/gx332_ba

Too, too real for us introverts

Turns out that founder mode without an inspiring mission is just being a jerk.

https://lnkd.in/g4z6qkD5

You've read six chapters of this series.

Resumes. Cover letters. Networks. Interviews. Practice.

Not one of them was about applying.

That was on purpose.

Here's the trap most job seekers fall into: they see an opening at their dream company, get excited, fire off an application, and bomb the interview because their resume isn't sharp, their answers aren't ready, and their network is cold.

By the time they realize they weren't ready, the role is gone — and the company has them in their applicant tracking system as "passed."

The candidates who actually get the dream job do it backwards. They sharpen their resume on B-list companies first. They practice their answers in lower-stakes interviews. They build offers they can use as leverage. And only then do they apply where it really counts.

12 slides on what to do now that you're actually ready: where to apply first, what to do with your network this week, the (sobering) timeline that's normal, and what to expect when you click "submit."

Most people apply too soon. The ones who take the time to prepare before applying have a much higher success rate.

Where in the process did you realize you'd applied too early?

Still one of my favorite memes

The world would be more fair if jobs went to the most qualified applicants.

But they don't.

How you play the social game of interviewing is at least as important as whether you're qualified or not.

The candidates who actually get hired understand it's a conversation. And conversations are about the other person, not you.

14 slides on what every interview is really about, including the one positioning move that got me hired onto the Google executive team at 33, despite having only three years experience in the HR field.

What's the most surprising thing you've learned from being on the other side of an interview? 👇