Coach Elena Klitko

I guess we’re up in the air already

In most cases, the first interview with a company will be with a recruiter. Recruiters screen candidates to ensure they meet the basic qualifications, match the job requirements, and pass a general “fit check.”

However, this is also one of the most common stages where people get eliminated from the process. Want to know how to prepare? Watch the video 🤌🏻

The worst recruiter during your job search is… you. 🥲

Classic situation: you open a job posting, read the requirements and… close it. Because out of 15 requirements, you only match 11. So what’s the point of applying if they’ll reject you anyway?

Congrats — you just rejected yourself before the employer even had a chance to.

In reality, it’s a lot simpler:
a job description isn’t a strict checklist of mandatory conditions. It’s more of a business wish list.

HR teams write these “wish lists” to:
• avoid missing strong candidates;
• filter out clearly weak ones;
• show leadership they’re searching for “top talent.”

The list is intentionally written with extra stretch goals, and 9 times out of 10, companies hire the person who matches around 70% of the requirements.

More often than not, candidates with curiosity, adaptability, strong soft skills, and real motivation move forward — not necessarily the person with 10 years of experience in every single tool listed in the description and zero excitement left. 🤖

The good news?

If you got invited to an interview, your resume already passed the filter. A recruiter reviewed it. A hiring manager approved it. HR aligned on it. You’re not there by accident.

So your job during the interview isn’t to apologize for the missing 30%.

It’s to confidently show the 70% you already bring to the table.

Stop rejecting yourself at the stage of reading requirements. Leave that job to the people who are at least getting paid for it.

Apply anywhere you match at least 70%.

And remember: hiring decisions are made through conversation. And you absolutely can influence that. 🫶

be the one who understand what the other side needs most🔋

One of the biggest misconceptions employees have is that somewhere at the top, there is a clear, structured plan for what skills they should be building next.

From the inside — that’s not always the case. The world is changing faster than any development plan can keep up with.

I’ve said it over and over again, your career is your responsibility and there’s no better time to take it into your own hands.

If you’re not sure where to start, here’s what I actually tell people to do:

1️⃣ Instead of looking at job descriptions for your current role — look at those 1-2 levels above, or at companies you’d want to work for in ~3 years.
2️⃣ Look for the skills they keep repeating, the tools they list, the gaps nobody on your team can fill yet — that’s your signal. 3️⃣ Cross-reference with what’s showing up in industry news and what leadership keeps bringing up. That intersection is where you want to be building.

You don’t need to predict the future. Learn how to read the signals.