In a morning‑show interview, Michelle Perchuk, founder and CEO of MTV Coaching and former corporate recruiter, explains why the modern job market is hyper‑competitive and offers concrete tactics for job seekers. She emphasizes that relying solely on job boards is insufficient; proactive networking with former colleagues and clear articulation of the value you can bring are essential. Perchuk details resume best practices, noting that recruiters spend only a few seconds to a minute on each resume, so the first page must showcase a compelling summary, clear objective, and highlighted core competencies. She advises against including a photo on electronic submissions because applicant tracking systems (ATS) cannot parse images, though a photo may be acceptable for a printed copy. After an interview, a simple thank‑you is inadequate; she recommends sending a brief 30‑60‑90‑day plan to demonstrate immediate impact. Regarding AI, she warns job seekers not to let AI write their resumes, but to use it as a brainstorming aid for interview preparation and plan development. Throughout, her tone is conversational yet instructional, offering actionable, realistic advice to help candidates cut through the noise and secure interviews.
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If you're looking for a new job, you already know the brutal reality. Standing out is nearly impossible when hundreds of people are fighting for the exact same position. So what actually cuts through the noise and grabs a hiring manager's attention?
Good question. Founder and CEO of MTV Coaching, Michelle Perchuk, is here to explain what the job market really looks like and how you can improve your chances of getting hired. Welcome, Michelle.
Thank you so much for having me.
Just start your own business and hire yourself. That's what it is. Just start your own business. You don't have to worry about it. Incredibly competitive right now, which is so strange because I remember like a year or two ago employers being like, I can't find employees, like I'm dying, like I'm looking for people. And now it is incredibly difficult to find somebody. So what can people do to stand out?
It's where you apply the energy to look for a job. If you're relying just on the job boards, it's just not enough today. You have to get out there and network, meet people, and really build relationships. Think about reaching out to your old colleagues, your old bosses, and start those conversations. And be clear on what you could offer the employer, what problems you can solve.
Right. Because it's not enough to just have a good resume and throw it out into the ether and hope that you're going to get something. So what are some of the common mistakes that people are making during this entire process?
So exactly what you said. They throw their resume out there, they hope the hiring manager or the HR manager or recruiter is going to call them. And very often people get disappointed.
Yeah.
So if you do rely on the job boards and you're gonna send your resume out there, make sure that your summary speaks about your unique qualities. Make sure your objective is clear so that the hiring manager knows the job that you can do.
How long do the recruiters actually look at these resumes? Like, how much time do they spend on these resumes? 'Cause we spend a lot of time making 'em.
Yes, yes, yes.
That's right.
From a few seconds. I used to be a recruiter in corporate. from a few seconds to a minute. So if you grab their attention, think about your first page as being important real estate. Make things stand out on the first page— your summary, your objective, your core competencies. That grabs their attention, and then they want to continue reading further.
It's like in TV, we had to have demo reels, and there's so many agents seeing so many tapes, you have to get the first 3 seconds, the most important thing.
Just off of that idea, I've seen some resumes that have pictures on them. Where do you, where do you stand? Does it depend on the industry?
If you're giving someone your resume, to another human, it's a good idea to have a photo. If you're sending it electronically through a job board, not a good idea at all because it goes into an applicant tracking system. We call it ATS in the industry, and it will not recognize the photo. So your resume could be lost in translation.
Oh my gosh.
When I worked at Hulu, I think on Hooters, my picture was not helping. It's not— but the interview itself, it's what happens after the interview.
Yes, yes.
What's that?
So what happens after the interview, you have to follow up. And sending just a quick little, thank you so much for your time, I enjoyed meeting you, is not effective. Include a little mini 30, 60, 90-day plan and say something like, I couldn't stop thinking about this opportunity. I've been thinking about it for the last 24 hours. This is what I would do for you if I would join the team.
This is not too clingy, right?
Not at all.
That's not too aggressive?
Not at all. But see, the hiring managers want solutions, right?
Yes.
Right? And also, like, I know I work at Pix. Stop sending me your cold call. Like, if I don't know you, I can't get you a job here. I can barely keep my own job here. People looking for jobs?
Here.
AI has changed the job search dramatically. How, from your perspective, how has it?
So there's AI bots that are screening resumes, that are screening people's Loom videos. AI is really assisting the corporate recruiters in sorting through. But for the job seeker, don't use AI to write your resume. Use AI as a supplement to your job search, not as a replacement. So you could brainstorm with AI about your interview style, about how to put together that 30, 60, 90-day plan. But don't have AI write your resume, because if AI writes your resume, it's not your language. And when during the interview you're asked, speak to your experience, and you're not going to be able to, and you're not articulate, that's really not going to let the interview go well.
Holy smokes. There is hope out there. There are jobs. We don't want to be Debbie Downers.
I empathize with people out there that are trying to look for them. Yeah, thank you, Michelle, very much.
Thank you. For more career strategies, you can also follow Michelle on Instagram right there on the bottom of the screen. Grab the popcorn. Gosh, this is a hard left. Grab the popcorn because fall TV season is officially here. The mind-bending
