324: Avoiding the Biggest Job Application Mistakes Today
Finding Brave
What if you feel you’re doing everything right in your job search and it’s still not bringing you results? In today’s uncertain market, even highly capable professionals are facing longer searches and lower response rates. On this episode of Finding Brave, we explore what is really happening in today’s hiring landscape and why so many smart and capable professionals are struggling. is one of the founding team members of , an AI-powered resume builder and job search platform. Drawing from analyses of over 1.6 million applications and hundreds of one-on-one coaching conversations, he...
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323: How to Negotiate Success in Your Work, Relationships and Career with Scott Tillema
Finding Brave
Our inspiring podcast guest today, , is an award-winning keynote speaker and negotiation expert who helps leaders navigate difficult conversations with confidence, influence, and trust. Drawing on more than 20 years in law enforcement, including his work as an FBI-trained hostage negotiator and a business negotiator trained through the Harvard University Program on Negotiation, Scott brings rare, real-world insight into what it takes to lead effectively in high-stakes moments. His work focuses on showing leaders how to connect first, influence second, and create outcomes that move people and...
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322: How to Powerfully Market Your Small Business with AI
Finding Brave
Are you using AI to its full potential to meet your marketing, small business, and branding needs? Today’s guest, , is a dynamic speaker, DJ, and marketing expert with nearly twenty years of sales and marketing experience in retail and service industries. His passion for helping small businesses thrive translates into practical guidance on how to leverage AI and freemium apps to create a big impact with your marketing on a small budget. Driven by the belief that people buy from a person before they buy from a brand, his unique approach at helps his clients leverage humor and education to...
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321: How to Be a Likeable Badass
Finding Brave
What if the very traits you’ve been told to soften, like being collaborative or agreeable, are actually essential to your success, not obstacles to it? In this episode of Finding Brave, we explore why so many professionals, especially women, feel trapped between being liked and being respected, and what it really takes to be both. In this episode, Kathy Caprino speaks with , an organizational psychologist, professor at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School, and bestselling author of . Drawing on her extensive research on status, power, negotiation, and influence,...
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320: Be Yourself at Work: Show Up, Stand Out, and Lead from the Heart
Finding Brave
What does it really mean to be yourself at work without hiding, performing, or shrinking to fit expectations? In this Finding Brave conversation, we explore why authentic presence is not a soft skill or a personal indulgence, but a powerful leadership practice that builds trust, connection, and impact in today’s fast-moving, emotionally complex workplaces. Today’s inspiring guest is , the world’s first Chief Heart Officer at VaynerX, where she partners with CEO Gary Vaynerchuk to shape culture and leadership at scale. A sought-after speaker and the author of , Claude brings a...
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319: A Talent for Giving: Creating a More Generous Society for All
Finding Brave
The world around us has transformed dramatically—but has philanthropy kept up? For our Finding Brave guest today, , American-British investor and humanitarian and the author of the new book , this question isn't academic—it's deeply personal. His philanthropic journey began humbly, volunteering at a soup kitchen as a teenager. Today, he's recognized globally for transformative work addressing homelessness through London's Passage Day Centre and championing emerging artists through the . In the U.S., he serves on the boards of The J. Paul Getty Trust, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the...
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318: How Organizations Need to Change Their Narrative In Challenging Times
Finding Brave
Everybody wants to believe in something, but the truth is, if you're a leader who shies away from asking tough questions, you're making it harder for people to believe in you. In this Finding Brave episode, we are joined by , known as the Rapid Growth Guy and storytelling expert responsible for five multi-million dollar business success stories. He is the author of and has been featured in Forbes and listed by Global Gurus as one of the Top 30 Sales Professionals. In this conversation, we explore what it truly means to lead through authentic, compelling story, not spin. Matthew unpacks how...
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317: How to Attract Great Investors For Your Products and Business
Finding Brave
Protecting your ideas is a critical step for attracting excellent aligned investors. In this episode of Finding Brave, I sit down with intellectual property expert and attorney , senior partner at , to demystify what it really takes to secure funding and safeguard innovation. Drawing on his extensive experience helping inventors, entrepreneurs, and creative professionals, David shares how a strong IP strategy serves as both protection and proof of your business’s credibility. A registered patent attorney and professor at Temple University, Parsons School of Design, and Radzyner Law School,...
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316: Taking the Brave Leap to Live Your Life Purpose
Finding Brave
Why would someone walk away from a lucrative, 15-year career in software engineering? For , it came down to one thing: learning to prioritize the "spirit mind" over the "material mind.” That perspective shift gave him the inner clarity—and the bravery and courage—to finally move into a life and career of deeper purpose. Jeffrey is a spiritual teacher and energy healer whose work has empowered thousands of people, through ’s Healing Programs and through his own courses, trainings and years of individual and group work with thousands of people around the globe. His mission is to make...
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315: FAWNING: Why the Need to Please Makes Us Lose Ourselves
Finding Brave
On the surface, you may look like the model employee, partner, or friend: always dependable, always agreeable. But beneath the surface, you may be carrying a lifetime of survival strategies that keep you invisible in your own life. This is the story knows both personally and professionally, and it’s the story she helps so many of us begin to rewrite. Dr. Ingrid Clayton is a licensed clinical psychologist with advanced degrees in transpersonal and clinical psychology. She has maintained a thriving private practice for more than fifteen years and writes the popular Psychology Today blog, ,...
info_outlineWhat if you feel you’re doing everything right in your job search and it’s still not bringing you results? In today’s uncertain market, even highly capable professionals are facing longer searches and lower response rates. On this episode of Finding Brave, we explore what is really happening in today’s hiring landscape and why so many smart and capable professionals are struggling.
Sam Wright is one of the founding team members of Huntr.co, an AI-powered resume builder and job search platform. Drawing from analyses of over 1.6 million applications and hundreds of one-on-one coaching conversations, he combines data-backed insight with genuine compassion for the emotional toll of career uncertainty. In this conversation, he shares key findings from Huntr’s 2025 Annual Job Search Trends Report and what they reveal about the realities of today’s market.
Together, we unpack the biggest job application mistakes professionals are making, including why tailoring your resume strategically for each job can significantly improve interview conversion rates. Sam explains why high-volume applying often backfires, what the data actually says about resume length, and why quality and relevance matter more than fitting everything onto one page. He reminds us that the job search is not a place to be humble, but to clearly and truthfully showcase your impact.
The conversation also tackles myths about AI and applicant tracking systems, clarifying what really disqualifies candidates. Listen in for a data-backed, practical conversation that will give you a clearer understanding of what actually drives results in today’s job search process.
Key Highlights From This Episode:
- Introducing Sam Wright, Huntr.co, and highlights from their 2025 Job Search Trends Report. [01:59]
- Why the average job search is taking longer. [06:47]
- The biggest mistake candidates make: not tailoring resumes to the job description. [10:28]
- How to tailor your resume to match the job description and showcase your skills. [14:59]
- Debunking the one-page resume myth and focusing on quality over length. [21:52]
- When cover letters help and why high-volume applying backfires. [23:55]
- Using AI tools wisely and avoiding fabricated metrics. [25:42]
- Giving yourself permission to claim your accomplishments, especially for women who often understate their impact. [29:05]
- Learning to embrace and build your identity beyond your job title. [34:31]
- Navigating applicant tracking systems (ATS) and automated screening in the job market. [41:13]
For More Information:
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
CLICK HERE to visit Huntr and organize and track your job search
Check out Huntr’s 2025 Annual Job Search Trends Report
Try out Huntr’s AI Resume Builder and Resume Tailor
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Quotes:
“The average job search time has increased from about 50 days to 80 to 90 days, according to our Huntr data.” — Sam Wright [0:06:10]
“The best time to get ready for a job search is actually while you're employed.” — Sam Wright [0:09:41]
“What our data suggests is [optimal is] applying to 10 to 15 or 10 to 20 jobs per week with a well-tailored resume that matches the job description.” — Sam Wright [0:24:34]
“This life of a part-time farmer, and connecting to the soil is really important to me, and it grounds me literally, and reminds me where I come from and what this life is all about, which is in one form or another, spending good time with the people that we love and care about.” — Sam Wright [0:36:55]
“When you're getting advice from someone, [like] a career coach or resume writer, if you're feeling afraid or scared, or they're evoking negative emotions, you probably want to run away from that person.” — Sam Wright [0:42:18]
“About 10% of the people that I meet with are doing everything right, and it's just a really difficult market.” — Sam Wright [0:42:57]
Watch our Finding Brave episodes on YouTube!
Don’t forget – you can experience each Finding Brave episode in both audio and video formats! Check out new and recent episodes on my YouTube channel at YouTube.com/kathycaprino. And please leave us a comment and a thumbs up if you like the show!