The Uncommon Career: Job Search & Career Coaching for Mid-career Women

 
If your resume isn’t getting the attention you want, then the solution may not be adding more keywords or squeezing another accomplishment onto the page. A winning resume starts with understanding your value, knowing where you want to go, and building a clear record of achievement that shows employers a consistent pattern of excellence.
In this episode, three-time certified master resume writer and career strategist Emily Kapit shares how to craft a resume that reflects not only what you’ve done, but the impact you’ve made and the strengths that differentiate you.
Whether you’re an individual contributor, manager, or executive, you’ll learn how to turn your career experience into a focused, compelling story that supports your next move. 
 
You’ll learn:
✔ How to build a powerful record of achievement that demonstrates your impact and pattern of success
✔ Why effective resume writing starts with career strategy and clarity, not simply keywords, templates, or formulas
✔ How to identify and communicate the accomplishments, strengths, and experiences that matter most for your target role
✔ How resume strategy differs for individual contributors, managers, and executives, including how to showcase leadership and cross-functional impact
✔ Why understanding your value and learning to communicate it clearly strengthens your resume, interviews, networking, and overall job search strategy
 
About Emily Kapit:
Emily Kapit is a 3X-certified Master Resume Writer as well as an industry leading career strategist and career resilience expert. She is also the Founder of ReFresh Your Step, LLC, a career advisory firm with clients located nationally and internationally. She and her team collaborate extensively with clients on The Kapitalize Process, an innovative methodology that addresses all facets of one’s career progression (internal & external) and resilience, including tactical career guidance, job search strategies, mock interviews, negotiation tactics, written professional assets, and more. Emily’s insights and guidance have been published in Forbes, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Medium, HuffPost, and MindBodyGreen, among others. 
 
More from Emily Kapit
Website: refreshyourstep.com
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn (Emily Kapit / Refresh Your Step)
Email: emily@refreshyourstep.com
 
Connect with Me on LinkedIn
Patricia Ortega
 

 
If your job search feels scattered, you're applying to multiple types of roles, or your resume could work for three or four completely different positions, the problem may start before you ever submit an application.
Choosing a clear target role is one of the most important job search decisions you can make. It shapes your resume, LinkedIn profile, networking strategy, interview stories, and ultimately how employers understand your value.
In this episode, you'll learn how to identify the career direction that combines what you enjoy, what you're great at, and what you can be well compensated for, so you can stop applying everywhere and start positioning yourself as the candidate employers immediately recognize as the right fit.
 
You'll learn:
✔ Why choosing one clear target role can make your entire job search faster, simpler, and more effective
✔ How a broad or generic resume can confuse hiring managers and weaken your positioning, even when you're highly qualified
✔ How to find your ideal career direction by identifying what you enjoy, what you're exceptionally good at, and what employers will pay you well to do
✔ How career clarity helps you create a more targeted resume, LinkedIn profile, networking strategy, and set of interview stories
✔ Why focusing your experience around one compelling career message can help you stand out, communicate with confidence, and earn more callbacks
 
 

 
If you’ve ever been asked “What are your salary expectations?” and felt your mind go blank, you’re not alone. This is one of the most high-stakes moments in any job interview, and the way you respond can directly impact your earning potential for years to come.
Many candidates unintentionally undercut themselves by naming a number too early, guessing without research, or feeling pressured into revealing expectations before understanding the full scope of the role. The good news is that you can take control of this conversation with the right strategy. By learning how to defer the question, redirect toward the employer’s budget, and use well-prepared negotiation scripts, you can stay confident and in control.
In this episode, I'll will help you approach salary discussions with clarity, avoid costly mistakes, and ensure you’re positioning yourself for the compensation you truly deserve.
 
You'll learn:
 
✔ How to answer the dreaded "What are your salary expectations?" question without hurting your negotiating position
✔ When to defer salary discussions, how to ask for the employer's budget first, and what to say if you're pressured to give a number
✔ Smart salary negotiation scripts that help you maintain leverage while keeping the conversation collaborative
✔ How to research and communicate a salary range that's grounded in the market, not guesswork
✔ Common salary negotiation mistakes that can cost you thousands and how to avoid them with confidence
 

 
If you've been preparing for interviews the night before, practicing a few common questions with ChatGPT, or wondering why your interviews aren't turning into job offers, this episode is for you.
In this episode, I share the complete Interview Kit I use with my coaching clients to help them walk into interviews with confidence, clarity, and a strategy that leaves nothing to chance.
You'll learn why successful interviews aren't won by memorizing answers. They're won by preparing the right stories, anticipating employer concerns, and communicating your value in a way that hiring managers remember long after the interview ends.
Because interview success isn't about having the perfect answer to every question.
It's about telling a compelling career story that makes hiring you feel like the obvious choice.
The question is: are you preparing to answer interview questions... or preparing to win the interview?
 
You'll learn:
✔ How to build a complete Interview Kit that prepares you before interview invitations even arrive
✔ Why practicing common interview questions isn't enough and how to create answers that truly stand out
✔ How to craft a powerful "Tell Me About Yourself" response and organize your career stories for maximum impact
✔ How to anticipate employer concerns, address objections, and demonstrate your value throughout the interview process
✔ How to ask strategic questions and follow up effectively to strengthen your candidacy after the interview
 
 

 
If you're struggling to write a resume that gets interviews, unsure how to quantify your achievements, or tired of generic resume advice, then this episode is perfect for you.
Here, I'll walk you through a proven 5-step process to transform your resume into a powerful career marketing tool. You'll discover how to uncover accomplishments, identify measurable impact, and communicate your value clearly to hiring managers. Instead of listing responsibilities, you'll position your experience as evidence of results.
Whether you're job searching, pivoting careers, or refining your story, this framework will help you create a resume that stands out and drives real opportunities.
 
You'll learn:
✔ How to align your resume with the roles you actually want
✔ How to uncover and quantify your most impactful accomplishments
✔ The difference between describing responsibilities and demonstrating results
✔ How to write strong, metric-driven resume bullets
✔ How to review and refine your resume for maximum impact
 

 
If you've been job searching for months, getting interviews but no offers, or wondering why your resume and LinkedIn aren't attracting opportunities, this episode is for you.
After 15 months of searching, Lori was stuck in a cycle of screenings, interviews, and rejection. Then she made a strategic shift that led to her first offer in just 22 days – and ultimately a role at her dream company.
Listen, sometimes the issue isn't your experience – it's how you're communicating it.
 
You'll learn:
 
✔ Why qualified professionals get stuck in the hiring process
✔ Signs your resume, LinkedIn, or career story may be holding you back
✔ How to communicate your value through impactful accomplishments
✔ Interview mistakes that prevent candidates from getting offers
✔ The mindset and positioning shifts that helped Lori get hired faster
 

 
So you finally started networking and landed a few coffee chats or informational interviews, congratulations! Now you might be wondering what comes next. Because getting someone to say “yes” to a conversation is one thing. Turning that conversation into a meaningful career opportunity is something entirely different.
In this episode, I'll guide you in navigating networking calls with confidence, authenticity, and purpose. You'll learn how to move beyond surface-level conversations, build genuine professional relationships, and communicate your value without making the interaction feel transactional.
Because the most effective networking conversations aren’t about asking for a job.
They’re about creating connection, gathering insights, and helping the right people understand where you can make an impact.
The question is: are your networking calls ending with “thanks for your time”… or opening doors to future opportunities?
 
You’ll learn:
✔ How to prepare for networking conversations without sounding rehearsed
✔ The 5-step framework for guiding a networking call naturally
✔ How to share your experience and career goals without making the conversation about you
✔ Questions that uncover valuable industry insights and hidden opportunities
✔ How to ask for introductions, referrals, and next steps without creating pressure
✔ The follow-up strategy that keeps relationships alive long after the call ends
 
 

 
If networking feels awkward, forced, or like it never leads anywhere… you’re not imagining it. So many professionals send a few LinkedIn messages, hear silence back, and quietly decide that networking just “doesn’t work” for their industry, personality, or career level.
Today, we'll break down why networking often fails before it even has the chance to work, and how small shifts in your mindset, messaging, and consistency can completely change the results you see. Because networking isn’t really about asking for a job. It’s about building genuine conversations that create momentum, relationships, and long-term opportunities.
And the truth is, most people give up long before they’ve gathered enough data to know what’s actually working.
 
The question is: are you truly networking… or just testing the waters and hoping for immediate results?
Let’s unpack how to make networking feel more natural, more relational, and far more effective in your job search. 
 
You’ll learn:
✔ Why networking feels uncomfortable and how that hesitation affects your results
✔ The difference between transactional networking and relationship-building
✔ Why most professionals quit networking before they’ve put in enough reps
✔ How to send networking messages that actually spark conversations
✔ Practical LinkedIn networking strategies to create more opportunities naturally
 
 

 
If your job search has turned into endless applications, second-guessing, and hoping something finally sticks… you’re not alone. Many professionals fall into the trap of doing more: more applying, more searching, more scrolling - without ever stepping back to ask if their approach is actually working.
But in this episode, you’ll hear how Kelly went from a scattered, “apply to everything” approach to landing a director-level role with a significant salary increase. And the shift wasn’t about connections or luck. It was about clarity, positioning, and learning how to communicate her value in a way that actually landed.
Because the truth is, your experience is probably stronger than you think.
The question is: are you leveraging it?
Let’s break down what that actually looks like, and how you can start creating traction in your own search.
 
You’ll learn:
✔ Why applying to everything keeps you stuck (even if it feels productive)
✔ What it really means to communicate your value in interviews and beyond
✔ Why confidence comes from preparation and not memorization
 

 
If your job search, career strategy, or even job interview preparation has started to feel like one long cycle of “try harder,” you’re not alone. Many professionals push through their career goals with more effort, more applications, and more pressure - hoping momentum will eventually appear. But when progress stalls, the real shift isn’t usually effort. It’s perspective.
So take a pause and think: what if you stepped back and looked at your career the way a CEO looks at a company? Not reacting to every bump in the job search, but zooming out to assess the strategy, the direction, and the decisions that will shape the next five or ten years.
Because the truth is, you’re not just a job seeker.
You’re the CEO of a company of one.
And the way you invest in your career growth - your skills, your direction, and your strategic decisions - determines far more than the next offer. Let's get clear on that mindset in this episode and start paving the way for your growth today.
 
You’ll learn:
✔ Why “trying harder” often keeps your job search stuck
✔ How to think about your career like a CEO leading a company
✔ The role of strategy in long-term career growth
✔ Why high-leverage decisions matter more than constant activity
✔ How investing in yourself changes more than just your next offer