Let’s talk about your career. Because for a lot of people right now, work feels shaky.
Maybe you’ve been laid off, applied for dozens of jobs with no response, or you’re quietly wondering whether your current career path still makes sense.
The rules have changed.
AI is reshaping jobs. Hiring technology is filtering candidates before a human ever sees them. And the traditional corporate ladder feels more and more, totally and utterly disconnected from reality.
So, how do you stay grounded through the uncertainty?
And how do you build a career that can evolve with you?
My special guest today is Mike Peditto and he’s simplifying how to rethink your job search + career path.
Here’s the truth. None of us knows exactly what the job market will look like next. But we can get smarter about how we navigate it.
You’ll learn why mass-applying isn’t working, what actually helps you get noticed in an overcrowded job market, and how to remain in demand as work continues to change.
Let’s simplify it.
Mike’s Core Four Stories (that you should have prepared before every interview):
- Your most successful project
- Your toughest project
- Your difficult stakeholder story
- Your passion project
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<What’s catching my eye this week>
- 3 hours of (free) focus music for deep concentration - Quiet Quest - Study Music
- Mary’s book is out now! Buy Squash the Sunday Scaries: A Modern Playbook to Rebuild Trust, Transform Culture, and Reignite Your Workforce on Amazon now or your favorite bookstore!
- Hire Mary Baird, PHR to help you run a 30-day Employee Experience Accelerator to listen better to your workforce, rebuild trust in your senior leadership and improve culture at work - The Simplifiers
- 50 powerful questions to help you reflect - The Institute of You
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My challenge for you this week:
How are you going to take what you’ve learned in today’s episode and take action on these new ideas? What’s one thing you’ll do differently? Share it with me, privately or publicly. Snap a photo of you doing the thing, and send me a DM over on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/thesimplifiers) for added accountability and support!
Episode sponsored in part by Goodboy Agency, providing employer branding redesigns for busy HR Teams:
This episode is brought to you in part by Goodboy, helping HR teams compete for top talent. Goodboy helps midsize companies strengthen their employer brand, attract better candidates, and fill open roles faster. From redesigning your careers page to running targeted recruitment campaigns, they’ll help your company stand out in a crowded talent market. Visit www.goodboyagency.com/simplifiers to learn more.
Links, books and apps mentioned:
Resource: Find Mike Peditto on LinkedIn - click here
Resource: Free online job search community - Rhize Together
Resource: Create slide decks and portfolios of your work with AI - Gamma AI
Resource: Vibe-code a website or portfolio with AI - Blink.new
Resource: Vibe-code an app or portfolio with AI - Lovable
Book: Yes, You Are Being Judged: A Realist's Guide to Job Searching - Mike Peditto
Book: It Could Have Been Her: A Novel - Lisa Jewell
Blog: Ms. Anti-Work Substack - “In a world obsessed with hustle, I am here to offer an alternative…a way of working that prioritizes life over labor.” - Ms. Anti-Work
Podcast: A Podcast for Recruiters Hanging on By a Thread - Is This Still a Good Time?
Podcast: How to heal your career wounds, featuring Mandy Tang - The Simplifiers Podcast
Podcast: How to squash the Sunday Scaries (guided visualization) - The Simplifiers Podcast
Mary’s new book is out NOW on Amazon!
My new book, Squash the Sunday Scaries: A Modern Playbook to Rebuild Trust, Transform Culture, and Reignite Your Workforce, is out now — and you can buy it today on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or your favorite independent bookstore. It’s written for HR leaders, people managers, and anyone ready to make work better in a practical, human way. If you’ve been looking for simple tools to improve employee experience, rebuild trust, and create better results for your people and your business, this book is for you. Learn more, visit: https://squashthesundayscaries.com
About Mike Peditto:
Mike Peditto - He has hired people, been laid off himself, and spent years figuring out what actually works in between. As a Director of Talent and the face behind The Realistic Recruiter brand, he's built an audience of 400K+ professionals by cutting through the noise of traditional career advice and telling people what's really happening.
He's the author of the chart topping book Yes, You Are Being Judged, a keynote speaker, and an HR tech advisor who helps ensure the right tools are being used in the right ways.. Mike helps people rethink how they approach their careers in a job market that's changed faster than most advice has caught up to.
Where Mike hangs out online:
Website: https://www.mikepeditto.com
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realisticrecruiting
Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/realisticrecruiting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpeditto
Mike’s vote for the perfect guest on The Simplifiers Podcast:
Maureen Wiley Clough - She built her career climbing the corporate ladder, including working at an early-stage tech startup. After a younger colleague called her a “dinosaur” at age 37, she began questioning why so few people at the companies where she had worked were over 40. That experience inspired her to start conversations about ageism at work, why it happens, and what can be done about it. Today, she is committed to helping create a better future of work for people of all ages and the host of the It Gets Late Early podcast.
