Stefanie Fackrell was laid off in 2023 and decided to bet on herself. The next two years tested that bet hard. Her brother, who was also her best friend, was killed by a drunk driver in 2024, and a year later she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She kept building her business through all of it, and she kept showing up online to help people find work.
She's now head of talent for two venture-backed startups through her firm, dysruptiveHR, and she isn't sugarcoating the market. Many white-collar tech jobs aren't coming back, and most of the job search advice flooding your feed is wrong.
If you've been laid off or think you might be next, this conversation is for you.
In this episode, you'll hear:
- Why two hours a day on job boards beats eight
- Using AI to tighten your resume, not write it
- Five solid resumes vs. a custom one for every job
- What actually gets people hired at the startups she recruits for
- The thank-you note myth
- Why your ego shouldn't keep you from a bridge job
Chapters:
- 00:00 - The jobs that aren't coming back
- 01:58 - Who Stefanie is and why she gives job search advice
- 04:32 - Grief, cancer, and posting the personal on LinkedIn
- 08:04 - The job market in 2026
- 09:36 - Why two hours on job boards is enough
- 12:22 - AI, resumes, and the customization trap
- 15:34 - What actually gets people hired
- 18:09 - Bad advice: follow-up emails and thank-you notes
- 22:05 - The case for a bridge job
- 29:36 - Laurie's three takeaways
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