Career Launch: Land the job, then level up

Course level: Beginner–Intermediate · Modules: 5 · Time: ~2 hours · Included in: The Blueprint & The Masterplan

This course takes you from "applying into the void" to running a job search like a campaign — resume, applications, interviews, negotiation, and your first 90 days on the job.

Module 1 — The resume that survives the scan

  • Lesson 1.1 — The 6-second test: What recruiters actually look at first, and how to structure the top third of your page so it answers who/what/proof instantly.
  • Lesson 1.2 — Result bullets: The action + task + measurable result formula, with before/after rewrites for retail, campus, project, and internship experience.
  • Lesson 1.3 — Beating the scanning software: Single-column formatting, standard headers, mirroring honest keywords from the posting, and the file naming details people fumble.
  • Exercise: Rewrite your three weakest bullets as result bullets.

Module 2 — The application campaign

  • Lesson 2.1 — Quality beats spray-and-pray: Why 10 tailored applications outperform 50 generic ones, and the 20-minute tailoring routine for each.
  • Lesson 2.2 — The hidden job market: Most roles are filled through people, not portals. How to use alumni networks, warm intros, and polite cold outreach — with message templates that don't feel cringe.
  • Lesson 2.3 — The tracking system: A simple spreadsheet that turns a chaotic search into a pipeline: applied, contacted, interviewing, waiting, closed.

Module 3 — Interviews as a learnable skill

  • Lesson 3.1 — The STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result — the structure for behavioral questions, and how to prep 6 flexible stories that cover 90% of what you'll be asked.
  • Lesson 3.2 — The questions you ask: Why your questions are evaluated too, and the ones that signal seriousness (about the team, success metrics, and growth) versus the ones to save for the offer stage.
  • Lesson 3.3 — Virtual interview mechanics: Camera height, lighting, notes placement, and the tech check ritual — the boring details that quietly cost people offers.

Module 4 — Negotiating your first offer

  • Lesson 4.1 — Why you negotiate even your first job: The compounding cost of a low anchor, why most entry-level offers have room, and why a polite ask almost never rescinds an offer.
  • Lesson 4.2 — The script: Researching market range, naming a number with evidence, and the exact phrasing for asking — plus what to do with "the salary is fixed" (negotiate start date, vacation, development budget, or review timing).

Module 5 — The first 90 days

  • Lesson 5.1 — Learn before you optimize: The first month is for understanding how things work and why — build the map before proposing the shortcuts.
  • Lesson 5.2 — Visibility without politics: Writing things down, closing loops reliably, and the weekly summary that keeps your manager informed without being asked.
  • Lesson 5.3 — The career flywheel: Skills, reputation, and relationships — how the three compound, and the simple quarterly self-review that keeps you pointed somewhere on purpose.
  • Final exercise: Draft your 90-day plan for the role you want next.