Teach your clients to break the rules (strategically)

Let me just say this up front.

If your client is waiting around for a perfect job posting to magically appear, they’re already behind.

The whole “apply online and hope for the best” strategy? It’s not a strategy. It’s a stall.

All anyone seems to talk about lately is “how do I beat the ATS?”

We obsess over formatting. Keyword optimization. Which verbs convert better.

And I’m just sitting here thinking... is this really what we’ve reduced the job search to?

Which is why I’m thinking about how our clients can be different.

No one is talking about the old-school strategy that actually works:

Reaching out to a company before a job is even posted.

Yep, we’re talking about the forgotten art of the letter of interest (or letter of intent, whatever you want to call it).

Yes, it sounds old school.
No, it’s not outdated.

In fact, it might just be the thing that sets your client apart in a sea of passive applicants.

Let me explain.

We’ve trained people to chase job descriptions like breadcrumbs.

And while they’re busy trying to optimize a résumé for a job that was posted 6 days ago and already has 300 applicants, we’re not teaching them how to take control of their own search.

Letters of intent flip the script.

They say: Here’s who I am, here’s what I bring to the table, and here’s why your company should care, even if you’re not hiring right now.

They take guts.
They require clarity.
And they work.

Not in a magical “one letter gets you the job” kind of way.
But in a “this is how you start a conversation that no one else is having” kind of way.

What hiring manager isn’t curious when someone shows up confidently, makes a compelling case for themselves, and doesn’t ask for anything in return (other than five minutes of their time)?

Now, will this work for every single client? No. Context matters.

But should we be talking about this more? Absolutely.

Especially with clients who:
• Are in industries where relationships matter
• Have clarity around the kind of company or culture they want
• Are tired of sending out résumés into the void
• Don’t want to be at the mercy of the job boards

For them, a letter of intent, paired with a strong, authentic outreach strategy, could completely shift their momentum.

And here’s the best part: it’s proactive.
It’s strategic.
It puts the client in the driver’s seat.

Every coach and every client is laser-focused on “getting past the system.”

But if all we’re doing is teaching people how to write better résumés, are we actually helping them think differently about the job search?

Because newsflash: the ATS isn’t the only way in.

Sometimes, the most effective way to get hired is to take a step outside the algorithm and go direct.

Write the damn letter.

Tell the company why you’re interested.

Show them how you think. What you bring. What you see in them.

Instead of waiting for permission to apply, they’re building a bridge before the opportunity even exists.
That’s what real career ownership looks like.

Let’s start teaching people how to open doors that haven’t been built yet.
Because that’s where the real magic happens.

I’m curious to hear from you.

Could this approach work for your clients?

Heather

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