The Universal Truth
After 40 years in career services, I’ve watched the same pattern destroy thousands of job searches across every industry and career level.
The pattern? Relying on passive application methods, whether it was classified ads in the 1980s or job boards today, and wondering why nothing happens.
The medium changed. The mistake didn’t.
I’ve maintained placement rates of 90% or higher throughout my career by teaching one fundamental truth: The best jobs go to people who are known, not people who apply.
70-85% of jobs are filled through networking and referrals. Only 15-20% come from online applications. Yet most job seekers spend 90% of their time clicking “Apply” and 10% building relationships.
That’s backwards.
What I Do
Through The Proactive Job Seeker, I create practical eBooks and share weekly strategies that help job seekers at every level:
→ Stop wasting time on job boards
→ Connect directly with decision-makers
→ Use networking as a primary strategy, not a backup plan
→ Get hired by being known, not just qualified
Who I’ve Helped
Over four decades, I’ve guided thousands of career changers through successful transitions:
Military veterans navigating civilian careers
Skilled workers and trade professionals
Career school and bootcamp graduates
Mid-career professionals stuck in the application black hole
Anyone tired of sending applications into the void
The tactics might vary slightly by industry or level, but the core truth never changes: relationships trump resumes.
My Approach
I’m not here to make you comfortable. I’m here to get you hired.
That means challenging conventional wisdom. Calling out ineffective strategies, refusing to sugarcoat the reality of modern job searching.
After 700+ job search programs, workshops, and seminars, and decades of consulting with career schools and placement agencies, I know what works and what doesn’t.
What works: Strategic networking, direct outreach, relationship building, proactive opportunity creation.
What doesn’t: Submitting hundreds of applications, perfecting your resume for the 47th time, waiting for job boards to notice you.
Why This Matters
The job market rewards people who understand how hiring actually happens. Not how we wish it had happened. Not how career advice blogs say it happens. How it actually happens.
Hiring managers hire people they know, like, and trust. They find those people through their network, through referrals, and in conversations, not through ATS systems that screen hundreds of identical resumes.
If you want different results, you need a different strategy.
Subscribe for weekly insights that challenge how you think about job searching.
Connect with me:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/leegamelin
Medium: medium.com/@leegamelin
Email: leegamelin@zohomail.com
