ATS is the White Chocolate of Job Search 🍫

Last week’s Q4 Job Search Webinar? 🔥 Spicy. Unfiltered. Necessary.

Team member Mimi Bishop and I answered your biggest questions and called out the BS floating around LinkedIn. Because let’s be real: there’s way too much “play it safe” advice keeping smart women stuck.

We tackled:

• Networking myths (spoiler: if you hate it, you’re doing it wrong).

• The real reason volume matters (20 emails won’t cut it).

• Why ATS worship is a waste of energy.

• The dirty truth about Quick Apply (stop it, just stop).

• And how to tweak your résumé without losing your damn mind.

👉 Missed it? Rewatch the full thing on our YouTube channel — grab a cup of tea and settle in.

And because we know not everyone has an hour, here are the juiciest takeaways:

🔥This Week’s Sizzling Job Search Strategy: Networking Doesn’t Have to Suck

Networking isn’t bad. Fake networking is. The problem isn’t you. It’s the outdated version of networking we’ve been sold. Walking into a hotel ballroom full of strangers in name tags, balancing a hot coffee in one hand and a stack of résumés in the other? That’s a nightmare, not a strategy. No wonder so many women tell me, “I’d rather fold a week’s worth of fitted sheets than ‘network.” 

Here’s the reframe: networking is just building relationships in ways that feel natural, not forced. If “schmoozy events” make you want to set your chair on fire, you’re not alone. Real networking is smaller, warmer, and actually human

Try This:

• Change the focus: Instead of “What can you do for me?” try “How can I help you?” Giving value first makes you unforgettable.

• Shrink the room: Stop thinking “ballroom.” Think coffee shop, DM, or 20-minute Zoom.

• Use your insiders: DM someone you already know and ask: “Who’s one person you think I should meet right now?” Boom. Networking. A warm lead beats a cold handshake every time.

🔢This Week’s Data-Diva Tip:  Think Costco-Size, Not Sample-Size

Here’s a hard truth: most job seekers are shopping like it’s boutique week when they should be loading up like it’s Costco Saturday. They send a handful of emails, fire off a few applications, and then sit around waiting for the universe to reward them. That’s sample-size effort in a Costco-size market.

The hiring landscape is noisy, crowded, and chaotic. You’re competing with hundreds of résumés for every posted role, and the difference between being remembered and being forgotten often comes down to persistence + volume. Think pallets, not single servings.

And yes, persistence looks boring. It’s follow-ups. It’s sending 5 more emails after you’ve already sent 50. It’s circling back when you’d rather quit. Volume isn’t sexy, but it’s what separates the “I never hear back” crowd from the “I finally got the interview” crowd.

Try This:

• Set a bulk quota: 5 outreaches a day = 25 a week = 100 a month. That’s how you stack the shelves of opportunity.

• Track like an inventory manager: Use a spreadsheet or Trello board to log every application, contact, and follow-up. Visibility is your forklift—it keeps you moving the heavy stuff.

• Normalize bulk follow-ups: That “no response” after 3 days? Follow up. That “applied in January” role? Follow up again. Persistence makes you memorable. Silence doesn’t mean “no,” it usually means “not yet.”

🪄This Week’s Perspective Shift: ATS is the White Chocolate of Job Search

She says she’s chocolate, but she’s a liar. And she won’t get you hired.

Applicant Tracking Systems love to pretend they’re the “real thing.” They dress themselves up as the gatekeeper, the decider, the must-have approval before you land an interview. But just like white chocolate, ATS looks legit… until you realize she’s fake, too sweet with no depth, and leaves you disappointed.

Here’s the truth: ATS doesn’t care about you. It doesn’t understand nuance, it doesn’t reward creativity, and it doesn’t always get it right. Some systems pull you through at 50% keyword match, some demand 80%, and you’ll never know which. It’s like guessing the “spice level 5” at a Thai restaurant. Total gamble.

So stop making yourself miserable stuffing your résumé with buzzwords to impress a robot. Humans hire humans, and humans care about results.

Try This:

• Lead with results, not fluff. Show what changed because of you (revenue, retention, clients) instead of parroting job descriptions.

• Follow the 80/20 rule. Keep 80% of your résumé static. Tweak only the top 20% with keywords from the job posting. No more all-nighters bending your résumé into word salad.

• Get around her. White chocolate ATS can’t stop you if you find the real decision-makers. Networking, referrals, and direct outreach will always beat submitting into the void.

🤩This Week’s “Girl, thanks for telling me!” Topic: Quick Apply is Career Junk Food.

Quick Apply feels so good in the moment, doesn’t it? One click, done. Feels like progress. But let’s be honest: Quick Apply is the Kettle Corn of job hunting. Easy, addictive, and ultimately empty calories. When I posted a role at Get Her Hired, I got 500 Quick Apply submissions within HOURS. Guess how many I interviewed? Twenty. Every single one of those 20 hit ALSO reached out directly.

Why can Quick Apply backfire? Because it can tell a hiring manager you’re just playing the numbers game. Direct outreach says, “I’m intentional. I actually care about this role.” The former gets lost in the pile. The latter gets remembered. Quick Apply might feel like efficiency, but it’s really avoidance. It’s clicking buttons instead of building connections. And connections are what get you hired. If you Quick Apply, also always reach out.

Try This:

• Go Sherlock: Find the hiring manager on LinkedIn. DM them a thoughtful note. Also find 5 of their colleagues. DM them too. Play the numbers game here - not everyone is on LinkedIn every day, so don’t just try one person and stop!

• Play tag-team: If they don’t reply, ask a mutual connection to make the intro.

• Be bold: Email them directly with 2–3 reasons why you’re the fit they’re looking for. That’s how you stand out.

📆 Upcoming Event: Undeniable Session with Diane Steele

Want to Be the CEO’s Right Hand? Here’s How to Get Hired as an EA or Chief of Staff

Thursday, September 18
11am CT on Zoom

You’ve polished your résumé. But have you learned what it really takes to land the role of CEO’s right hand? This Undeniable Session with Diane Steele, CEO & Founder of Steele Recruiting, isn’t about fluffy career advice. It’s about insider knowledge:

• What makes an Executive Assistant or Chief of Staff stand out in a crowded pool.

• The difference between the two roles (and how to know which one is right for you).

• What CEOs and hiring managers really look for—but don’t always say out loud.

If you’ve been waiting for a sign that now is the time to go after your dream support role at the top levels of leadership—this is it.

RSVP now. Bring your ambition. Bring your questions. Bring your friends. And please: share this with anyone you know looking for an EA or Chief of Staff role.

👋 Before you Go …

Ready to move, but don’t know where to start? 📞 Book a call. Let’s build the roadmap that takes you out of “stuck” and into hell yes.

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