How do you survive the job hunt?
Show notes
How do we survive looking for work? Writer of the Words of Mouth Newsletter, Rachel Meade Smith, and editor of SEARCH WORK joins Book Stuff to talk about the human experience of looking for work.
In this episode I talked with Rachel about
- How Rachel curated the voices in the SEARCH WORK collection. Rachel discuss why she wanted a physical artifact to exist.
- Looking for work is a human experience. Rachel elaborates on the human experience of looking for work. What can we learn from the job search experience? How do we change?
- How much has the job hunt changed over the years? Boomers lived in a different world. Rachel offers advice on looking for work, and the importance of needing a reference if you apply to a job.
- Networking is part of feeling shame. Relationship-building can feel icky and extractive. Rachel offers thoughts on that feeling and what it means
- Is the cover letter dead? AI has changed what it means to write a cover letter. Does a typo or a glitch help you when you apply?
- Applying for a job has political stakes. Rachel shares experiences from the book that include disability, immigration, race, and gender. Politics and what those politics mean for you identity can change how and why you apply for a job.
- How to search with AI. Curated in 2025, Rachel's book largely is missing lots about AI. So, if you're tired of hearing about it, this book is even more so for you. But even so, Rachel offers some advice for applying through the AI muck.
- Rachel shares her item from her bookshelf!
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