Read the Market.
Test your hypothesis against reality - through people, not just postings.
Job descriptions show what the market wants; coffee chats show what the work is actually like. Expect to revise your hypothesis - that's the point. You're buying clarity at the cheapest price it will ever be.
~4h · 4 exercises
- Your goal: put your hypothesis in contact with the real market and revise it with evidence.
- Two channels: job descriptions (what the market wants) and coffee chats (what the work feels like).
- Expect revision - that's the win, not a failure.
- I'm following 50+ targeted people/orgs and my feed reflects my target industry.
- At least 5 job descriptions are logged with excitement scores and gaps.
- At least 3 coffee chats are completed and logged with next steps.
- My synthesis is filled in.
- My hypothesis 2.0 is written, with the reason.
Step by step
The lessons in this module
Work through each exercise in order. Every step has guidance, prompts, and a place to reflect — inside the hub or on paper.
- 1
3.1 LinkedIn Feed Build · Follow 50
~45 minReshape your feed so your target industry is what you see every day — before you scan roles.
**Today:** Build a list of 50 people and organizations, then follow the first 15–20. Use three buckets: industry voices, dream employers, and peers already doing the work.
**Over the next 2–3 weeks:** Follow the rest, comment thoughtfully on 2–3 useful posts each week, and record the words, priorities, or problems you keep seeing.
**Your output:** a target list, a running count, and a short market-language pattern log.
- 2
3.2 Role Scan
~60 minCollect 5–7 real job descriptions in your target zone and log each.
**Your output:** five role scans and the patterns across them.
**Pass 1 · Fit:** Save the title and link. Rate your excitement. List the skills the role requires.
**Pass 2 · Evidence:** Add your relevant strengths, gaps, and one next step. Record any AI impact you see: tools used, tasks changing, opportunities, replacement risks, or no relevant signal.
**Finish:** Name the titles, skills, language, and salary signals that repeat.
- 3
3.3 Coffee Chats
~90 minHold 3–5 conversations. Warm-up → role & org → advice → next step.
**Three reliable openers**: 'How did you get into this work?' · 'What skills help someone thrive on your team?' · 'If you were in my shoes, what would you explore next?'
**If AI is relevant to the role, ask how it changes the team’s work.** To close: 'Based on what you know about my interests, **who else should I talk to** — and could you **introduce me to one person**?' **Every conversation ends with a next step.**
- 4
3.4 Synthesis & Hypothesis 2.0
~25 minStep back. What is the market telling you?
**Step back** from the roles and the conversations. **What is the market telling you?** Look across your role scans and coffee chats for **patterns** — words that keep showing up, doors that opened easily, doors that didn't. Then **update your hypothesis**: keep what's holding, cut what isn't, and name what to test next.
- Reread your synthesis: which pattern would you bet on?
- The most useful sentence anyone said in a coffee chat: write it somewhere you'll see it.
Ready to put pen to paper?
Download the full Career Confidence workbook with the worksheets for this module — or sign in to complete them inside the hub with your coach.