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The Success Path

πŸ‘‡ 5 things hiring managers do differently now πŸš€

Published about 1 month agoΒ β€’Β 2 min read

The hiring manager reading your application today is not the same person who read it in 2024.

Same title. Maybe the same company. Different pressures, different checklist.

Most career changers respond to the silence by doing more of the same. More applications. More keywords. A longer resume.

That doesn’t work because the problem isn’t volume.

The screening itself changed.

Here’s what I’m seeing hiring managers do differently right now, and the move to make for each one.

  1. They screen for AI fluency. Expect a question like β€œhow do you use AI in your daily work?” Have one specific answer ready. Even β€œI use it to research accounts before customer calls” beats a blank stare.
  2. They hire for range, not just the role. Teams are leaner. One CSM might cover onboarding, renewals, and expansion. Show you can flex. Your non-tech background is a feature here, not a bug.
  3. They trust referrals more than ever. AI-written applications flooded their inboxes, so warm intros carry more weight than they did two years ago. One real conversation beats 50 applications.
  4. They test how you think, not just what you did. Case-style questions are replacing β€œtell me about a time.” Practice talking through a messy customer scenario out loud.
  5. They check your LinkedIn before the call. An empty profile reads as low signal. Comment on posts in your target space twice a week. That’s enough.
And you don't have to take my word for any of this.
​
I'm launching a podcast where hiring managers from Slack, OpenAI, Atlassian, and more will tell you directly how their hiring needs are changing and what it means for your search. No date yet. You'll hear it here first.

P.S. Reply with the one question you'd want to ask a hiring manager at Slack, OpenAI, or Atlassian. I'm building the interview list right now, and the best ones get asked on air.

Talk Soon!

Gozde Gorce

Your career coach in your corner! πŸ’ͺ🏽

One more thing.

Last week I presented to 200+ veterans considering a move into tech, and the full recording is free right below πŸ‘‡

If you know a veteran transitioning out of the military, or a friend still job hunting with a 2024 playbook, forward them this email.

It might save them months.

Tired of applying to CSM roles and hearing nothing back?

How to Break Into Customer Success is the same resume, LinkedIn, and interview playbook Gozde uses in 1:1 coaching, packaged so you can work through it at your own pace.

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The Success Path

Career Coach @The Success Path | Helping career-pivoters break into Customer Success | Former GTM Leader at hyper-growth SaaS startups (Apollo, Lob, Twitter) | AI Advisor @University of San Francisco

I'm a career transition coach, helping professionals break into tech in GTM/Sales/Post-Sales roles. Subscribe and join over 10,000+ career transitioners who make more than $200K a year πŸš€

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