the next generation of job matching

Hey y’all!

Mariam from Forward here 👋

In today’s edition:

  • 3+ Remote Jobs with $60K+ in annual salary

  • How to approach elevator pitches as your character arc

  • Register for a free networking workshop on Jan 22nd

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This week’s curated job postings

Texas-based & remote, early career, and transparent salary

Check out all live early career job openings on Forward’s job board, updated weekly.

Career Tip of the Week

New year, not-new-but-better-positioned you!!

As you re-introduce yourself to the world this year, the most important thing is to tell your story in a way that is clear, confident, authentic, and impactful. This is where the elevator pitch comes in.

An elevator pitch should answer three questions:

  1. What is your professional background, at a high-level?

  2. What is your most recent and relevant work?

  3. What goals do you have that I should know about?

One of the biggest mistakes I see people make when introducing themselves is trying to cover EVERYTHING they have done. You are obviously more than a 60 second elevator pitch, but it’s important to hit someone with the most compelling and important parts of your story first and then go deeper.

Your elevator pitch should be different if you are going into an interview, a coffee chat, a networking event, or even just talking to your nosy relative who wants to know “so what do you do for a living again??”

If you want to see some examples, click here.

📣 We are doing a free networking workshop on January 22 @ 6:30 pm CST!

Over 90 minutes, we will cover:

  1. How to find people to network with

  2. How to reach out to folks

  3. How to craft and deliver an elevator pitch

  4. How to maintain your new connections!

Overheard from a recruiter

I’m having conversations with recruiters, hiring managers, and other talent decision-makers weekly, and want to share tidbits of what I’m learning with y’all here too! 

FYI - these aren’t direct quotes, but a summary of a longer conversation!!

"Focus on any practical experience you do have - clubs, independent study, volunteering, etc., to make your skills as tangible as possible."

- Recruiter

You may be opening up your resume in 2025 worried that you don’t have relevant experience. You have more relevant experience than you realize!!

Especially if you are early career or pivoting, it is important to use your resume, cover letters, and interviews to talk about the impact you’ve had in previous roles (even if they aren’t directly relevant). A lot of people talk about “irrelevant experience” in an apologetic way; don’t do that!

For example - if you are applying to a job as a product manager but you’ve mostly had experience working in retail, here are three things you could emphasize to connect the dots:

  1. How you had to collaborate with diverse stakeholders to get things done

  2. How you created training/communication materials to onboard new folks

  3. How you taught yourself an entirely new product or service to better serve customers

Hiring managers and recruiters know you based on the stories that you share. Tell a story that truly demonstrates what you are capable of and what you can do!

Refer a friend to this email newsletter, and upgrade your career journey

  • If you refer 5 friends to this email newsletter, you’ll get a free resume review session

  • If you refer 15 friends, you’ll get a $50 digital gift card

  • If you refer 25 friends, you’ll get a speaker

Take a break

Job searching is hard work. You deserve a break. Here’s how I took time to rest and recharge this week!

Spending so much time at home, I wanted to invest in the little nooks and crannies in my house that make me happy, especially as I start my day.

As a new year’s pick-me-up, I bought this beautiful plant and pot from Plant Party in Austin. I light the candle, play a little morning jazz, and take my time with breakfast.

Now, if I could just break the habit of watching The Real Housewives as I drink my coffee every morning…

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Thanks for showing up this week! We appreciate you. See y’all same time next week!

Mariam Matin

Connect with me on LinkedIn!

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