Briefcase Coach Resume and Career Search Services

06/15/2026

The average new college graduate has parents who were listening to Lauryn Hill, NSYNC, and Third Eye Blind when they graduated from college.

The average college graduate's parents graduated college between 1997-1999.

That got me thinking...

If you were launching your career in the late '90s, what did your job search actually look like?

Did you:
Snail mail resumes?
Cold-call employers?
Circle opportunities in the newspaper classifieds?
Attend on-campus recruiting events?
Network without LinkedIn?
(Please tell me someone faxed a resume.)

I'm fascinated by how much has changed—and how much hasn't.

At its core, job searching is still about building relationships, telling your story, and finding someone willing to take a chance on you.

For those who graduated in the late '90s: What do today's graduates have easier? What do they have harder?

05/28/2026

Interview coaching is one of our most popular services-- and for the next two weeks, we are offering $50 off one session.

We’ve seen it time and time again.
Candidates with the perfect experience…
…who still bomb the interview.

Brilliant people. Impressive careers. Strong credentials.

But when the pressure is on, they:
• over-explain
• sound too rehearsed
• struggle with behavioral questions
• minimize accomplishments
• lose control of the conversation
• fail to communicate their value clearly

Interviewing is a skill.
And most people were never actually taught how to do it well.

That’s why interview coaching has become one of the most popular services at Briefcase Coach.

Our coaches are former HR VPs, talent leaders, and university career center executives who have interviewed thousands of candidates across every level—from early career professionals to the C-suite.

And unlike many firms, we don’t force clients into expensive multi-session packages filled with unnecessary appointments.

You can book a single session just to try it out.

Every coaching session is completely customized, one-on-one, and led by a real human being—not some AI bot reading generic interview scripts.

The result? A 95% client satisfaction rate for interview coaching services.

For the next two weeks, we’re offering $50 off interview coaching sessions.
Whether you’re preparing for an executive interview, trying to improve confidence, or tired of making it to the final round without an offer—we can help.

The right preparation can completely change the trajectory of your search.

05/18/2026

I was introduced to "clipping" this weekend at a middle school girls' soccer tournament.

The concept is simple: Wooden clothespins are decorated with sparkles and phrases like "MVP" or "Girl, you're on fire." The clothespins are secretly "clipped" on the clothes and hair of girls that you admire.

But the impact? Bigger than you’d expect.

The whole vibe of the tournament was transformed by one team's random act of kindness. Some girls from our team got "clipped" which resulted in them wanting to spend the whole evening after playing all day making clips to pay it forward.

The next day, I ventured into “enemy territory” after a particularly heated game.
I walked up to a group of moms and opened with:
“We played your team yesterday, and I wanted to talk to y’all about something that happened.” (In hindsight, this sounded less like “heartfelt compliment” and more like “SEC postgame confrontation.”)

Every mom immediately stood up and looked at me like they were prepared to defend their daughters, their team, and possibly the entire county.

Then I told them how impressed I was by their girls’ sportsmanship and how much their random act of kindness meant to our team.

The mood changed instantly.
The moms lit up. They were proud of their girls — and honestly, they should’ve been. They were a class act.

It made me think about workplace culture.
People often bond over negativity:
Complaining.
Gossiping.
Eye-rolling in meetings.
Shared frustration.

But the strongest cultures aren’t built on shared negativity. They’re built on shared kindness.

Recognition.
Encouragement.
Thoughtfulness.
Tiny moments that make people feel seen.

You can connect over negativity.
Or you can connect over kindness.

One creates temporary camaraderie.
The other creates trust.

04/29/2026

Over 20,000 senior executives just opened their inbox this morning and were greeted by my latest Career Briefs newsletter.

This week’s Career Briefs breaks down exactly what’s shifting in the job market right now:

💼 The new non-compete laws are reshaping mobility

💼 A job scam targeting senior leaders (and impersonating trusted brands)

💼 Why AI “double” debates are turning into workplace resistance movements

💼 What’s really happening in the Class of 2026 hiring market

💼 And practical AI prompts professionals are using to sharpen their positioning

Plus: a new interview strategist joins my team—and she’s ahhhmazing!

If you’re navigating a search right now (or expect to be soon), this is one of those issues you’ll want before you need it.

Read it here → Career Briefs: Success Favors Proven

LOADED ISSUE: Free Prompt download, new non-compete legislation, AI clones, new grad job market and more.

04/28/2026

Have you ever really stopped to think about the psychology behind how we make choices?

I was standing in the grocery store last week, staring at the ice cream freezer.

Every pint was roughly the same size.

Most had nearly identical core ingredients—milk, cream, sugar.

And yet… prices varied by 20–25%.

So what are we actually buying?

Brand. Familiarity. Perceived quality. Flavor reputation.

Because if you’re like me, you’re not experimenting much with ice cream.

It’s an occasional indulgence—and you want to minimize the margin of regret.
I almost always go with my default: Graeter’s cookie dough. Reliable. Proven. No surprises.

But then a friend told me the store started carrying McConnell’s salted caramel chip—and said it was “the best ice cream she’s ever had.”

Here’s the thing:
I wasn’t even thinking about that flavor before she said it.

But the second she did? I wanted it.

She changed my buying behavior with one simple thing: trusted endorsement.

That’s exactly how hiring works.

Companies say they want the “best” candidate.

But most of the time, they hire the safest candidate:

✔️ The one from a recognizable competitor
✔️ The one with the elite MBA
✔️ The one with the perfectly linear career

In other words—what they already know.

Because just like in the freezer aisle, familiarity feels like less risk.

But that changes when someone trusted says:
“You need to talk to this person. They’re exceptional.”

That’s when doors open for candidates who don’t look “obvious” on paper.

If you’re job searching and relying solely on applications, you’re asking someone to pick an unfamiliar flavor with no context.

Most won’t.

But when the right person tells your story for you?

Now you’re not a risk—you’re a recommendation.

And that’s when decisions change.

04/02/2026

I got a text last night from the dad of one of my childhood friends.

He was just checking in—mentioned he’s heading to the Masters next week. A quick, ordinary exchange.

But at the end, he signed off with:

“You are and always will be one of my kids.”

I’m a middle-aged woman. He’s in his 70s.

And still… that simple sentence stopped me.

Because no matter how far we go, how much we build, or how old we get—being seen, remembered, and claimed by someone who knew us “back then” hits differently.

A small moment that says: you mattered then, and you still do now.

In a world that moves fast and forgets quickly, be the person who reaches out.

Who remembers
You never know how much it might mean.

04/01/2026

Look, I know it’s April 1st… but putting a 4:00 PM “quick 15-minute catch-up” on your colleague’s calendar? Not funny today.

Oracle laid off (reportedly) 30,000 people yesterday with a 6:00 am email.

49% of workers feel anxiety over job displacement.
32% strongly fear permanent, long-term job loss (Pew Research)

Emotions are high today.

If you're in a leadership role, one of the greatest gifts that you can offer your team isn’t another tool, process, or productivity hack—it’s affirmation.

Specifically, affirmation of the human strengths they bring to the table—the judgment, creativity, empathy, intuition, and presence that simply can’t be replicated by AI.

In a world that’s moving fast toward automation, people are quietly wondering: What about me is still uniquely valuable?

Great leaders answer that question before it’s even asked.

They name it.
They reinforce it.
They make it visible.

03/11/2026

I’m going to admit something a little cringey.

For a long time, I had a pretty sexist view of basketball. I assumed men’s sports were faster, more exciting, and simply more fun to watch than women’s sports.

Growing up, and even as an adult, most of the competitive sports I watched were men’s games. When that’s all you see, it quietly shapes what you believe about the sport.

But having daughters has a way of challenging your assumptions.

Now that my girls play basketball, I’ve spent a lot more time in gyms, watching girls’ teams compete, and following women’s college games. And somewhere along the way, my perspective completely changed.

Women’s basketball is incredibly fun to watch. I've learned that men and women play the same sport but play it very differently.

The pace is intense. The teamwork is beautiful. The fundamentals are strong. And yep-- girls can dunk! (Looking at you, Toby Fournier)

Most of all, watching my daughters play has made me realize something important: sometimes our opinions aren’t based on experience—they’re based on exposure.

I would like to invite all of you to participate in the Briefcase Coach-sponsored March Madness Bracket Challenge focused on WOMEN'S basketball.

Prizes:
1. First Prize: $100 cash
2. Second Prize: Free resume review (value: $149)
3. Third Prize: Box of Treats

Feel free to share my link to your connections-- this is an open invite to people who want to celebrate women in sports!!

https://lnkd.in/ekVSsYhJ

hashtag hashtag hashtag

02/17/2026

The “reverse recruiting” trend is a scam.

I’ve been saying it, and I’ll keep saying it.

A Wall Street Journal reporter, Lindsay Ellis, recently highlighted the rise of these services (front page today!!):

“They find positions, customize resumes and even contact current employees. They can charge a set fee or a percentage of an applicant's starting salary once a job is accepted. Or both.”

Let’s call this what it is: predatory marketing wrapped in career coaching language.

I’m a former recruiter and now the owner of a top executive resume and career branding firm. I’ve worked with 1,000+ job seekers, including senior leaders navigating high-stakes transitions.

So when I tell you this industry is full of smoke and mirrors, it’s not theory—it’s experience.

Here’s why “reverse recruiting” is a scam:

1. There is no secret job database. Period.
These services love to imply they have access to hidden executive roles.

They don’t.

They’re searching the same places you are: LinkedIn, job boards, company websites, recruiter postings.

If there were a magical underground VP job vault, recruiters would be using it first.

2. No one can guarantee job search success.

Even Harvard University—with its extraordinary alumni network and a two-year MBA price tag of $230,000–$250,000—cannot guarantee job placement or career mobility.

So ask yourself:
What makes you think “Susie from Cleveland” can promise you a VP title and a $250K offer?

Job offers are made by hiring committees, not concierge services.

3. Job searching is not scalable.

Real job searching is deeply personal and strategic. You have to target the right roles, build relationships, leverage warm introductions, position your story correctly, **navigate timing**, politics, and fit.

How exactly is one “reverse recruiter” doing this for:
40 clients
across 12 industries
in 8 locations
all with different seniority levels?

They can’t.

At scale, it becomes copy/paste outreach & generic applications—which is the opposite of effective.

4. The only potentially helpful piece is… networking infrastructure.
The one service I could see being legitimately useful is teaching someone how to use tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator. I could see someone working with a job seeker to build a target company list, setting it up for lead gen, & then helping the job seeker create custom emails.

But here’s the problem:
Most reverse recruiters go a step further—logging into your account & messaging people on your behalf.

That’s a violation of LinkedIn’s User Agreement & a massive privacy risk.
You should never have someone else wearing your name in the market.

Bottom line:
If someone is charging thousands of dollars to “apply for jobs for you,” promising insider access, & taking a cut of your future salary…

🚩 That’s a business model built on dishonesty.
Your career is not something to outsource to a stranger with a Gmail address & a Canva logo.

Also: I have strong feelings about resume distribution services too. See comments.

02/12/2026

Most people associate Valentine’s Day with overpriced candlelight dinners, roses, and those cheesy little boxes of heart-shaped candy.

I’m happily married and adore my husband, but you won’t catch me shelling out $150 per person for a fixed prix fixe dinner just because the calendar says it’s Valentine’s Day. We celebrate in our own way, year-round.

For me, Valentine’s Day has become less about romance and more about Galentine’s — a heartfelt celebration of friendship and connection.

My kids really taught me this. When they were little, they’d spend hours making Minion or Frozen Valentines for their preschool friends, completely absorbed in the joy of it—carefully picking the “perfect” one for each classmate like it was the most important mission in the world.

And as much as they loved giving them out, they were just as excited to come home with a little stack of cards in their backpacks—each one a tiny reminder that they were loved, included, and thought of.

Seven years ago, I began hosting a Galentine’s party, and it has since become one of the sweetest traditions of my winter season — bringing people together in the midst of the cold and busy months.

Over the years, the themes have ranged from “Favorite Things” to a flower potluck to full-on “Mafia Wives” energy — but what’s always stayed the same is the reminder that we all need community.

Winter is tough.

Winter job searching while unemployed = even tougher — it can feel like trudging through snow with no clear finish line in sight.

We need people in our corner.

“Well, duh, Sarah…” some of you might be thinking.

But hear me out: having a supportive network isn’t just nice — it’s essential. These are the people who cheer you on, hold you accountable, share opportunities, and remind you of your strengths when self-doubt creeps in.

So how do you get them in your corner?

- Make plans. Call an old friend and ask them to coffee or to go for a hike. You might be surprised by how much they are craving your connection too.

- Attend an in-person event. Networking isn’t just online; being present can spark meaningful relationships.

- Host a party. I'm serious. Find a way to bring people together. It doesn't have to be fancy. People love being invited.

- Ask for help — specifically. People want to support you, but vague requests like “let me know if you can help” rarely move the needle. Be direct: a referral, a resume review, or a coffee chat goes a long way.

At the end of the day, winter may be long and cold, but a few trusted people in your corner can make it feel a lot warmer — and turn a daunting job search into a shared, energizing journey.