"We're already planning our Q4 hiring."

This came up during coffee with a design director at a major tech company.

"Budget conversations happened in June. We know what roles we'll need in October and November."

"The candidates who reach out now? They're the ones we remember when positions open up."

You've probably suspected this already.

That the best opportunities don't just appear overnight on LinkedIn.

This perfectly matches what I've experienced throughout my career.

When I landed at DBS Bank - there was no job posting. They were planning a new team and I was already in their network.

NTUC Income - same thing. The role existed in conversations months before it hit LinkedIn.

ContactOut - they'd been thinking about expanding design leadership for a while before formalizing it.

In each case, I wasn't competing against hundreds of applications.

I was having conversations with people who were planning for the future.

It's not about having special connections or insider access.

It's about understanding how design organizations actually work.

They don't wake up one day and suddenly need a designer.

They see business needs emerging.

They plan budget allocations.

They discuss team growth with leadership.

They identify skills they'll need.

Only after all of that do they write job descriptions and post on LinkedIn.

By then, they often already have people in mind.

You're smart enough to recognize this pattern.

Thursday's workshop is perfectly timed for this shift.

While others will wait until Q4 job postings appear, you'll be building relationships now.

While they compete with hundreds of applications, you'll be the designer companies already know.

While they're reactive, you'll be strategic.

7:30am SF | 10:30am NY | 3:30pm London | 10:30pm Singapore

8 spots remaining.

Reply "Timing" if you want in.

Joseph

P.S. That design director also mentioned they rarely post senior roles publicly anymore. Too much noise, not enough signal. They prefer hiring designers they've been watching.