October 3, 2025 • 17 mins
In this episode, you’ll hear the contrast of two executives in the same economy with opposite results, and why numbers, specific stories, and a confident voice make you stand out when everyone else sounds the same.
We go deep on how to access the hidden job market, including why posted roles are often saturated or already earmarked, and how small, targeted artifacts—one-page plans, teardowns, risk maps—spark real conversations with decision makers. If you’ve been relying on job boards and generic outreach, you’ll learn three practical shifts: stop fishing in empty ponds, position yourself as a solution not a title, and create your own openings by engaging teams you admire. We also explore viable paths beyond traditional roles—fractional leadership, consulting, and portfolio careers—and the mindset and lifestyle tweaks that make them work.
Connect with LAURA:
Subscribe to Laura's Peak of the Week:
https://www.lauraeking.com/peak-of-the-week
Checkout Mondo Davison as a Believer Speaker on his website:
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:01):
Hey, it's Laura.
Welcome to this week's Peak ofthe Week, where we bridge the
gap between external success andinternal fulfillment.
So many of you know that I havehad gosh now 18 years in
recruiting, and I want toaddress the market, right?
(00:22):
And what I'm hearing right now,and what I'm seeing right now,
and maybe a new way to look atthe market.
So I hear on the daily, themarket is terrible right now.
The market is terrible rightnow.
And I have a strong opinionabout that statement.
Now let me just say this outloud.
(00:43):
Being in transition is hard.
The market is genuinelychallenging, and pretending
otherwise doesn't help anyone.
But what I've witnessed afteralmost two decades of placing
executives, even when marketconditions are the same for
(01:04):
everyone, some professionalsexperience scarcity while others
find opportunity.
The difference is not the marketitself, it's how you see it and
how you show up in it.
When you approach a searchbelieving there's nothing good
(01:26):
out there, that belief shapeseverything.
You might apply half-heartedly,you might network from an air of
desperation instead ofconfidence.
You might settle foropportunities that don't
actually excite you because youthink that's all there is.
(01:50):
But what if your experience of achallenging market could be
different?
What if it's not just about theconditions everyone is facing,
but about the market you're ableto access based on how you're
positioning yourself.
(02:11):
If this resonates, I have someperspectives.
But if it doesn't land for youright now, maybe forward this to
someone who needs to hear it.
This is an invitation to thinkdifferently.
Because when you thinkdifferently, you achieve
different results.
(02:33):
Recently I had two conversationsthat couldn't have been more
different.
The first executive told methere's absolutely nothing good
out there.
I've been looking for six monthsand no one is hiring.
The second executive had justaccepted an offer.
(02:54):
Same market, same time frame,completely different
experiences.
So here's the difference.
The struggling executive wasapproaching her search from
fear, not confidence.
And after 20 years of placement,all levels, I mean, more
(03:16):
recently executive level, but inthe beginning beginning of my
career, really all levels, I'vewitnessed that you get what
you're looking for.
If you think it's going to beawful, it will be.
If you think it's going to be agreat learning experience, and
you're excited to meet newpeople and excited to learn more
about yourself, approaching itfrom curiosity and a genuine
(03:39):
desire to meet new people andunderstand the problems they're
solving and the problems they'refacing, you have a completely
different experience.
And I want to share the goodnews with you.
There are still plenty of peoplelanding full-time consulting and
fractional roles.
(04:01):
Plenty of people.
Now, I don't want to get intolike, yeah, the numbers are
(04:24):
down.
We might not be adding as manyjobs, but that doesn't mean
there aren't other opportunitiesavailable.
I know so many people who arelooking at alternative.
Like I have a friend who isopening a franchise.
(04:45):
I have several others who arebuilding portfolio careers.
It is thinking a little bit moreoutside the box.
And maybe, just maybe, adjustingyour lifestyle.
So you might not have to make asmuch money.
(05:06):
So think about it this way.
All right, two executives usingdifferent GPS settings to reach
the same destination.
One is stuck in traffic on themain highway, which is, we'll
call it job boards and haphazardnetworking, competing with
hundreds and hundreds andhundreds of people for the few
(05:30):
visible opportunities.
The other knows the back roads,the art of relationship building
and strategic positioning, andarrives while the first is still
sitting in traffic.
The executive who lands threeoffers, she's not smarter or
(05:53):
more qualified.
She's not better.
She just understood somethingcrucial.
Where you look and how youposition yourself determines
what market you experience.
Just like your GPS settingdetermines which route you're
gonna take.
(06:14):
So the people I see findingopportunities right now, here's
what they do.
They position themselves as thesolution for a very specific,
I'm saying very specificexpensive problem that a company
needs solved.
If you have not defined the veryspecific expensive problem that
(06:36):
you solve in a unique way, thatis where you start.
And I have I have a program forthat, which I will share more
later, but the the work is notjumping directly to your resume
or quickly applying to a millionjobs online.
(06:57):
It's really looking at patternsand seeing, gosh, there are some
themes here in my career.
And I I do have some reallyamazing skill sets that I could
use in a variety of ways.
And oh my gosh, this is thetheme of the problem that I
(07:18):
solve.
And maybe you identify, okay,here are three core problems
that I solve.
Well, that's great.
Right?
You having clarity first is soimportant.
So that's the clarity piece.
And then the other is reallybuilding relationships.
And there's a difference betweenbuilding genuine relationships
(07:42):
before you need them, to sort ofthe tit for tat, and I'm sure
you can you've experienced likeit feels very transactional, and
you're like, there's really notmuch depth here when it just
feels kind of empty.
So genuine relationships beforeyou need them.
(08:02):
So you can call in people andsay, hey, can you help me?
Like, and you already haveplaced deposits that you can
then withdraw, right?
You've already placed deposits.
And then understanding yourunique value and being able to
(08:22):
articulate it clearly.
That is a gift in and of itself.
And I would highly recommendhaving other people help you or
hiring me to help you tounderstand and see your unique
value and being able toarticulate it so clearly.
(08:43):
Because I've been on the otherside of hearing everyone says
the same thing.
Like you're all saying the samething.
So to stand out in a sea ofpeople who are all saying the
same thing, right?
You've gotta have something thatis a differentiator, which is
usually like your personality oryour unique spin on something or
(09:05):
a story that you can bring tolife.
And then finally, you're lookingbeyond posted positions to
access the hidden job market.
On the flip side, the one seeingscarcity, just apply to posted
jobs, network without clearpositioning, wait for
(09:25):
opportunities to appear insteadof helping create them, and
blindly just believe whateveryone else is saying about
the market.
Here are three ways to accessthe market others can't see.
The first, stop fishing in emptyponds.
If you're only applying toposted positions, you're
(09:47):
competing with hundreds of otherqualified executives for roles
that may already have internalcandidates.
So if you have companies, you'relike, I would love to work for
this company, start buildingrelationships inside that
organization and get to knowpeople, get to know the
(10:08):
problems.
I have had so many peopleunderstand a problem of a
company, do some work and show,hey, this is maybe how I might
solve this problem, spend anhour to present something, give
it to this person that works atthe company, and they might be
so busy and overwhelmed, theysay, Oh my gosh, can you
(10:32):
actually come in and do that?
Like I literally have had peoplewho have written marketing plans
for other people, for otherpeople's company, and they're
like, Oh my gosh, I don't evenhave the capacity to implement
this right now.
Can you come and do this?
And sometimes it's on aconsulting or fractional basis,
(10:53):
but it turns into a full-timejob.
Okay, so that's the first one.
Second, position yourself as asolution, not a candidate.
So instead of I'm looking for aVP role, try, I help companies
turn around struggling divisionsby and then insert whatever your
(11:16):
specific methodology is.
My last turnaround generated 5million in new revenue within 18
months.
Like, have those numbers ready.
Position yourself as a solution,not just a candidate, not a
commodity.
And then the first one, whichwas stop fishing in empty ponds,
(11:38):
kind of correlates with creatingyour own opportunities, which is
the third, creating your ownopportunities.
Reaching out to people you'dlove to work with, whether they
have a posted position or not.
Be genuine.
You know, share why you're drawnto the company's missions, share
(11:59):
why you're drawn to their, youknow, their unique problem that
they solve, right?
So share your heart.
Ask them more questions, shareyour passion.
You'll be amazed at how oftenjust your passion alone and how
you show up with that passionsparks conversations about roles
(12:21):
that you didn't even knowexisted.
Didn't even know existed.
They're like, oh, we've actuallybeen thinking about something
like that.
We'd love to keep you in mind aswe are rolling this new, you
know, whatever out, um,endeavor, this new project,
whatever.
I have had so many people, whenthey finally allow themselves to
(12:45):
get passionate and show thatpassion, when they're in front
of other decision makers, thatshows.
You light up and they're like,oh, I need to keep this person
in mind, right?
I've got countless, countless,countless examples of the market
(13:10):
is a direct reflection of howyou see it.
And if you don't think there'sopportunity, then there's not
going to be.
If you believe there'sopportunity, there will be.
If you're a professional, maybeyou're ready to approach your
transition differently, or youmight even be looking to go out
(13:32):
on your own.
You know, you're like, oh, butyou're scared, right?
You're like, I have so manypeople that are like, I would
love to do that, Laura, but I'mso scared about business
development.
Well, if you if any of thisresonated with you today, then
you would be a prime candidatefor my uh career alignment
(13:54):
accelerator, where we dial inyour messaging, your value prop,
and help you access the marketothers can't see by positioning
you strategically and teachingyou where the real opportunities
live and also a different way ofapproaching it because it's all
(14:15):
in your approach and yourdemeanor.
There are good opportunities outthere.
I see it every day.
I see businesses growing, I seeso many small businesses
growing.
The question is though, is like,are you willing to play the long
game?
Right?
Like this is still, it couldtake a little while, but it's a
(14:38):
commitment to saying, you knowwhat, Laura, I'm gonna do the
work, the foundational work ofreally understanding what I do
well and what I want out of thisnext season.
I just firmly, firmly believethat you have so many gifts.
(14:59):
And I want you to be able to seethose gifts in such a beautiful
light and have that light gowith you wherever you go, and so
that you can be attractingopportunities to you.
Because I believe that so manyof us are wanting to do other
(15:22):
things, and it is a time of somegreat change happening, and
there's a lot of differentmoving pieces to this.
And if you're like, hmm, maybethere's another path, or maybe
there's another way, or maybeI'm looking at this in the wrong
(15:44):
way.
I believe if you go to my careeralignment accelerator page, I
believe you can even book a15-minute call with me.
So if that's calling to you, Iwould love to help you see this
differently and help get you onthe right path.
Because you deserve to be valuedand to love.
(16:10):
And maybe, maybe don't love allof it you do, but like if you
could get your love of your jobfrom a 50% to an even 70%, like
what that would do for yourmental health.
I just believe that there are somany good people doing good work
(16:33):
in the world.
I see it every day.
And I want you to also believethat you can make a pivot, you
can make a change.
You don't have to keep doingwhat you've been doing just
because you've been doing it for30 years.
There are so many options, butyou've got to be willing to see
(16:56):
it differently.
Um, give me a shout withfeedback, share this with
someone you think would enjoythis topic.
Reach out if you've got ideasfor future topics.
I appreciate you so much.
Thanks for listening, and um,just hope you have a really
blessed rest of the day.
Hey, it's Laura.
Welcome to this week's Peak ofthe Week, where we bridge the
gap between external success andinternal fulfillment.
So many of you know that I havehad gosh now 18 years in
recruiting, and I want toaddress the market, right?
(00:22):
And what I'm hearing right now,and what I'm seeing right now,
and maybe a new way to look atthe market.
So I hear on the daily, themarket is terrible right now.
The market is terrible rightnow.
And I have a strong opinionabout that statement.
Now let me just say this outloud.
(00:43):
Being in transition is hard.
The market is genuinelychallenging, and pretending
otherwise doesn't help anyone.
But what I've witnessed afteralmost two decades of placing
executives, even when marketconditions are the same for
(01:04):
everyone, some professionalsexperience scarcity while others
find opportunity.
The difference is not the marketitself, it's how you see it and
how you show up in it.
When you approach a searchbelieving there's nothing good
(01:26):
out there, that belief shapeseverything.
You might apply half-heartedly,you might network from an air of
desperation instead ofconfidence.
You might settle foropportunities that don't
actually excite you because youthink that's all there is.
(01:50):
But what if your experience of achallenging market could be
different?
What if it's not just about theconditions everyone is facing,
but about the market you're ableto access based on how you're
positioning yourself.
(02:11):
If this resonates, I have someperspectives.
But if it doesn't land for youright now, maybe forward this to
someone who needs to hear it.
This is an invitation to thinkdifferently.
Because when you thinkdifferently, you achieve
different results.
(02:33):
Recently I had two conversationsthat couldn't have been more
different.
The first executive told methere's absolutely nothing good
out there.
I've been looking for six monthsand no one is hiring.
The second executive had justaccepted an offer.
(02:54):
Same market, same time frame,completely different
experiences.
So here's the difference.
The struggling executive wasapproaching her search from
fear, not confidence.
And after 20 years of placement,all levels, I mean, more
(03:16):
recently executive level, but inthe beginning beginning of my
career, really all levels, I'vewitnessed that you get what
you're looking for.
If you think it's going to beawful, it will be.
If you think it's going to be agreat learning experience, and
you're excited to meet newpeople and excited to learn more
about yourself, approaching itfrom curiosity and a genuine
(03:39):
desire to meet new people andunderstand the problems they're
solving and the problems they'refacing, you have a completely
different experience.
And I want to share the goodnews with you.
There are still plenty of peoplelanding full-time consulting and
fractional roles.
(04:01):
Plenty of people.
Now, I don't want to get intolike, yeah, the numbers are
(04:24):
down.
We might not be adding as manyjobs, but that doesn't mean
there aren't other opportunitiesavailable.
I know so many people who arelooking at alternative.
Like I have a friend who isopening a franchise.
(04:45):
I have several others who arebuilding portfolio careers.
It is thinking a little bit moreoutside the box.
And maybe, just maybe, adjustingyour lifestyle.
So you might not have to make asmuch money.
(05:06):
So think about it this way.
All right, two executives usingdifferent GPS settings to reach
the same destination.
One is stuck in traffic on themain highway, which is, we'll
call it job boards and haphazardnetworking, competing with
hundreds and hundreds andhundreds of people for the few
(05:30):
visible opportunities.
The other knows the back roads,the art of relationship building
and strategic positioning, andarrives while the first is still
sitting in traffic.
The executive who lands threeoffers, she's not smarter or
(05:53):
more qualified.
She's not better.
She just understood somethingcrucial.
Where you look and how youposition yourself determines
what market you experience.
Just like your GPS settingdetermines which route you're
gonna take.
(06:14):
So the people I see findingopportunities right now, here's
what they do.
They position themselves as thesolution for a very specific,
I'm saying very specificexpensive problem that a company
needs solved.
If you have not defined the veryspecific expensive problem that
(06:36):
you solve in a unique way, thatis where you start.
And I have I have a program forthat, which I will share more
later, but the the work is notjumping directly to your resume
or quickly applying to a millionjobs online.
(06:57):
It's really looking at patternsand seeing, gosh, there are some
themes here in my career.
And I I do have some reallyamazing skill sets that I could
use in a variety of ways.
And oh my gosh, this is thetheme of the problem that I
(07:18):
solve.
And maybe you identify, okay,here are three core problems
that I solve.
Well, that's great.
Right?
You having clarity first is soimportant.
So that's the clarity piece.
And then the other is reallybuilding relationships.
And there's a difference betweenbuilding genuine relationships
(07:42):
before you need them, to sort ofthe tit for tat, and I'm sure
you can you've experienced likeit feels very transactional, and
you're like, there's really notmuch depth here when it just
feels kind of empty.
So genuine relationships beforeyou need them.
(08:02):
So you can call in people andsay, hey, can you help me?
Like, and you already haveplaced deposits that you can
then withdraw, right?
You've already placed deposits.
And then understanding yourunique value and being able to
(08:22):
articulate it clearly.
That is a gift in and of itself.
And I would highly recommendhaving other people help you or
hiring me to help you tounderstand and see your unique
value and being able toarticulate it so clearly.
(08:43):
Because I've been on the otherside of hearing everyone says
the same thing.
Like you're all saying the samething.
So to stand out in a sea ofpeople who are all saying the
same thing, right?
You've gotta have something thatis a differentiator, which is
usually like your personality oryour unique spin on something or
(09:05):
a story that you can bring tolife.
And then finally, you're lookingbeyond posted positions to
access the hidden job market.
On the flip side, the one seeingscarcity, just apply to posted
jobs, network without clearpositioning, wait for
(09:25):
opportunities to appear insteadof helping create them, and
blindly just believe whateveryone else is saying about
the market.
Here are three ways to accessthe market others can't see.
The first, stop fishing in emptyponds.
If you're only applying toposted positions, you're
(09:47):
competing with hundreds of otherqualified executives for roles
that may already have internalcandidates.
So if you have companies, you'relike, I would love to work for
this company, start buildingrelationships inside that
organization and get to knowpeople, get to know the
(10:08):
problems.
I have had so many peopleunderstand a problem of a
company, do some work and show,hey, this is maybe how I might
solve this problem, spend anhour to present something, give
it to this person that works atthe company, and they might be
so busy and overwhelmed, theysay, Oh my gosh, can you
(10:32):
actually come in and do that?
Like I literally have had peoplewho have written marketing plans
for other people, for otherpeople's company, and they're
like, Oh my gosh, I don't evenhave the capacity to implement
this right now.
Can you come and do this?
And sometimes it's on aconsulting or fractional basis,
(10:53):
but it turns into a full-timejob.
Okay, so that's the first one.
Second, position yourself as asolution, not a candidate.
So instead of I'm looking for aVP role, try, I help companies
turn around struggling divisionsby and then insert whatever your
(11:16):
specific methodology is.
My last turnaround generated 5million in new revenue within 18
months.
Like, have those numbers ready.
Position yourself as a solution,not just a candidate, not a
commodity.
And then the first one, whichwas stop fishing in empty ponds,
(11:38):
kind of correlates with creatingyour own opportunities, which is
the third, creating your ownopportunities.
Reaching out to people you'dlove to work with, whether they
have a posted position or not.
Be genuine.
You know, share why you're drawnto the company's missions, share
(11:59):
why you're drawn to their, youknow, their unique problem that
they solve, right?
So share your heart.
Ask them more questions, shareyour passion.
You'll be amazed at how oftenjust your passion alone and how
you show up with that passionsparks conversations about roles
(12:21):
that you didn't even knowexisted.
Didn't even know existed.
They're like, oh, we've actuallybeen thinking about something
like that.
We'd love to keep you in mind aswe are rolling this new, you
know, whatever out, um,endeavor, this new project,
whatever.
I have had so many people, whenthey finally allow themselves to
(12:45):
get passionate and show thatpassion, when they're in front
of other decision makers, thatshows.
You light up and they're like,oh, I need to keep this person
in mind, right?
I've got countless, countless,countless examples of the market
(13:10):
is a direct reflection of howyou see it.
And if you don't think there'sopportunity, then there's not
going to be.
If you believe there'sopportunity, there will be.
If you're a professional, maybeyou're ready to approach your
transition differently, or youmight even be looking to go out
(13:32):
on your own.
You know, you're like, oh, butyou're scared, right?
You're like, I have so manypeople that are like, I would
love to do that, Laura, but I'mso scared about business
development.
Well, if you if any of thisresonated with you today, then
you would be a prime candidatefor my uh career alignment
(13:54):
accelerator, where we dial inyour messaging, your value prop,
and help you access the marketothers can't see by positioning
you strategically and teachingyou where the real opportunities
live and also a different way ofapproaching it because it's all
(14:15):
in your approach and yourdemeanor.
There are good opportunities outthere.
I see it every day.
I see businesses growing, I seeso many small businesses
growing.
The question is though, is like,are you willing to play the long
game?
Right?
Like this is still, it couldtake a little while, but it's a
(14:38):
commitment to saying, you knowwhat, Laura, I'm gonna do the
work, the foundational work ofreally understanding what I do
well and what I want out of thisnext season.
I just firmly, firmly believethat you have so many gifts.
(14:59):
And I want you to be able to seethose gifts in such a beautiful
light and have that light gowith you wherever you go, and so
that you can be attractingopportunities to you.
Because I believe that so manyof us are wanting to do other
(15:22):
things, and it is a time of somegreat change happening, and
there's a lot of differentmoving pieces to this.
And if you're like, hmm, maybethere's another path, or maybe
there's another way, or maybeI'm looking at this in the wrong
(15:44):
way.
I believe if you go to my careeralignment accelerator page, I
believe you can even book a15-minute call with me.
So if that's calling to you, Iwould love to help you see this
differently and help get you onthe right path.
Because you deserve to be valuedand to love.
(16:10):
And maybe, maybe don't love allof it you do, but like if you
could get your love of your jobfrom a 50% to an even 70%, like
what that would do for yourmental health.
I just believe that there are somany good people doing good work
(16:33):
in the world.
I see it every day.
And I want you to also believethat you can make a pivot, you
can make a change.
You don't have to keep doingwhat you've been doing just
because you've been doing it for30 years.
There are so many options, butyou've got to be willing to see
(16:56):
it differently.
Um, give me a shout withfeedback, share this with
someone you think would enjoythis topic.
Reach out if you've got ideasfor future topics.
I appreciate you so much.
Thanks for listening, and um,just hope you have a really
blessed rest of the day.
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