During this Chinese New Year, I had a chat with my niece. She’s graduating in six months, and like most fresh grads, she’s worried.

She told me:

“I’ve been applying, but it’s so competitive. What if I don’t get a job?”

That hit me. Not just because of her concern—but because of how predictable this problem is.

It’s not that she isn’t trying. It’s that the strategy she’s using—what most schools teach—is broken.

What schools teach:

1. Take a personality test (MBTI, RIASEC, etc.)

2. Pick a career path based on your traits

3. Refine your resume and portfolio

4. Apply to as many jobs as possible

Sounds logical, right? Except…

Here’s how hiring actually works:

Companies don’t start by looking at job boards. They go through a Hire & Seek Pyramid:

1. Internal Transfers (cheapest, fastest)

2. Team Referrals (trusted, low-risk)

3. Industry Referrals (network connections)

4. Talent Pipeline (past candidates)

5. Recruiters (specialized hiring)

6. Job Ads & Online Applications (last resort)

Guess where most grads are competing? At the bottom.

That’s why hundreds apply to the same job postings—and get ghosted.

And it gets worse…

Some job postings aren’t even real.

• Some companies post jobs just to look busy for investors.

• Some use listings to build a talent pipeline for future hiring.

• Some run job ads to gather industry insights, not hire.

So if you’re only applying online, you’re playing a game that’s rigged against you.

A better approach:

1. Clarity first. What do you actually want? What companies excite you? What skills make you stand out?

2. Talk to one person from your dream company every week. Not to ask for a job—but to learn, connect, and get on their radar.

3. Build relationships, not just applications. Hiring managers don’t hire the best applicant. They hire the best-known person for the role.

My niece isn’t lazy. She just wasn’t told the truth about job hunting.

I gave her a new plan:

👉 Forget mass-applying.

👉 Talk to people at companies she admires.

👉 Focus on getting referred, not just getting noticed.

Because when you work the hiring funnel the right way, you stop being just another name in a pile—and start being the person they already trust.

If you’re stuck in the job hunt, try this instead. And if you want help making it happen, let’s chat.