How Top Leaders Land Roles Without Job Boards | Strategic Networking with Penny Pearl

How Top Leaders Land Roles Without Job Boards | Strategic Networking with Penny Pearl

In this episode of Inside Marketing with MarketSurge, Reed Hansen sits down with Penny Pearl, Founder & CEO of 2Actify, executive career strategist, and trusted advisor to technology leaders and PhD scientists navigating high-stakes career transitions.

With over a decade of experience guiding high performers into roles that truly fit, Penny breaks down why traditional job searching is broken — and what actually works instead.

This conversation goes deep on strategic networking, personal branding, and value proposition clarity, with practical frameworks you can use immediately — whether you’re an executive, emerging leader, or highly specialized professional.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why 85% of your job search should be networking, not applying online
• How to articulate your value proposition so others can advocate for you
• The role of behavioral science, nudge theory, and social proof in career growth
• How to uncover hidden job opportunities that never hit job boards
• Why AI shouldn’t replace human connection — and how to use it wisely
• How Penny helps clients land multiple offers in as little as 90 days
• How to measure ROI on yourself during a career transition

👉 Key Highlights:

✅ Strategic Networking – How to lead conversations that create outcomes
✅ Value Proposition Frameworks – Turn your experience into a repeatable story
✅ Hidden Job Market – Reach decision-makers before roles are posted
✅ Career ROI – Track progress, milestones, and confidence growth
✅ Executive Confidence – Learn how to “lead yourself” through transition

🧠 About Penny Pearl

Penny Pearl is the Founder & CEO of 2Actify and an executive career strategist who helps technology leaders and PhD scientists clarify their value, unlock hidden opportunities, and land roles that light them up. Her work blends behavioral science, strategic networking, and personal branding into a repeatable system clients use for the rest of their careers.

🔗 Connect with Penny:

📧 Email: [e-mail]

🌐 Website: https://2actify.com

📞 Free Discovery Call: Available via email (no pressure, real strategy)

📈 At MarketSurge, we help you turn strategy into systems — and systems into growth.
If you want smarter marketing, better positioning, and results that compound, you’re in the right place.

🧠 Want to talk strategy or see what’s working right now?
🎯 Book your 15-Minute Value or Free Coffee Call:
👉 https://link.marketsurge.io/widget/bookings/15minutevalueorfreecoffee

🌐 Website: https://marketsurge.io

🎙️ Podcast: https://marketsurge.transistor.fm/


#strategicnetworking #leadershipcareers #executivejobs
#careergrowth #networkingtips #hiddenjobmarket #leadershipdevelopment #careersuccess #jobsearchstrategy #professionalnetworking #personalbranding #businessleadership #careerpodcast #thoughtleadership #careeradvice

Creators and Guests

Host

Reed Hansen

Reed Hansen is a seasoned digital marketing executive with a proven track record of driving business growth through innovative strategies. As the Chief Growth Officer at MarketSurge, he focuses on leveraging AI-powered marketing tools to help businesses scale efficiently. Reed's expertise spans from leading startups to Fortune 500 companies, making him a recognized authority in the digital marketing space. His unique ability to combine data-driven insights with creative solutions has been instrumental in achieving remarkable sales growth for his clients. ​

What is Inside Marketing with MarketSurge?

Welcome to Inside Marketing with MarketSurge — your front-row seat to the boldest business insights, marketing breakthroughs, and entrepreneurial real talk.

Hosted by Reed Hansen, Chief Growth Officer at MarketSurge and a digital marketing veteran who's helped scale everything from scrappy startups to Fortune 500 giants, this podcast dives deep into what’s really moving the needle in today’s marketing world. Find us at Marketsurge.io

Each week, we’ll break down the latest marketing and business news (minus the fluff), explore tech trends you actually need to know, and feature unfiltered conversations with the most interesting minds in entrepreneurship and marketing.

Whether you're a founder, a marketer, or just a curious hustler looking to level up, this is where growth happens—loudly, smartly, and with just the right amount of sass.

Subscribe, tune in, and let’s scale something legendary. 🚀

Speaker: Welcome to Inside
Marketing With Market Surge.

Your front row seat to the
boldest ideas and smartest

strategies in the marketing game.

Your host is Reed Hansen, chief
Growth Officer at Market Surge.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Hello
and welcome back to Inside

Marketing with Market Surge.

I'm your host, Reed Hansen.

I'm the Chief Growth Officer at Market
Surge, and today I'm excited to welcome

Penny Pearl, who is the founder and CEO
at two actify and an executive career

strategist who spent over a decade guiding
technology leaders and PhD scientists

through high impact career transitions.

She uses a unique blend of behavioral
science, strategic networking,

and personal branding frameworks.

Penny has helped hundreds of
professionals articulate their value.

Unlock hidden opportunities and
land roles that light them up.

Penny, we're so glad to have
you Welcome again to the show.

Penny Pearl: Thank you.

I'm really excited to talk with you.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge:
Yeah, me as well.

And penny and I, we know each other well
and I'll just as a disclaimer, we actually

had a podcast recording a few months
ago and due to technical issues on the

platform I was using we're re-recording.

So I feel like I know you
already excited to hear.

What's new and what's changing.

But maybe start with some background.

What inspired you to launch to Actify and
how did you use your own career journey to

inform the services that you offer today?

Penny Pearl: Yeah.

I've always been a big believer in
networking and in fact, that's how I

found my first role right after college.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Penny Pearl: And always asking, who
else do you know in your network that

you can introduce me to or refer me to?

And I went to one company,
there wasn't a fit.

I asked the question I got.

I literally got in the car
and went to the next place.

I spoke with the hiring manager and was
offered the job on the spot, and that's

the way I help my clients operate.

Not to be afraid to take the lead,
ask what you need to ask, and

don't feel like you're always the
recipient because, especially if

you're in a leadership position.

They're expecting that behavior.

So that was one thing.

And secondly when our daughter was going
to college, it was very clear to me how.

Young individuals are taught
to apply online for school and

then apply online for a job.

And so I thought, wow, there's really
a need here for something like this.

So I got involved in higher
education, worked my network.

I'm a graduate of Rutgers University in
New Jersey, and so I knew some people in

the sciences area and I got introduced
to a special program at Rutgers.

Spoke with the person managing the
program, it's called I Jobs, and she

immediately saw a need for helping
students go about a career search.

With unique approaches in addition
to applying online, and I've been

helping biomedical scientists at
Rutgers for about nine years now.

From there, I moved on to working with
technology and operations leaders.

Lo and behold, one of the things
that I found out is even though

these experienced, innovative.

Amazing individuals who changed
the world, they needed some

assistance in leading themselves
when it came to a career search.

You don't have a company, you're doing
it by yourself, and sometimes you're

afraid to talk about your amazingness.

So that's what I help them with.

So I work with a lot of leadership.

I work with biomedical scientists and
what I want to help them with and what

works for them is to get comfortable
networking and presenting their value.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Okay.

So you know, this touches on the
behavioral science aspect of what you do.

A few concepts that I've seen you use
things like nudge theory and social proof.

How do those apply in scenarios
where aspiring leader somebody

looking to show their value.

how do nudge theory and social
proof apply to help you build your

own personal brand when you're
reaching out to decision makers?

Penny Pearl: Okay, so when I say
taking the lead it means that you are.

Sitting in front of somebody and they're
expecting you to display your confidence,

understanding of yourself, and be able
to take the lead in the conversation.

So instead of being a recipient
and a follower, especially if

you're in a leadership position,
and even if you're not, you need

to take the leadership position.

It's important that you guide the
conversation because let's face it,

when you're in an interview or you're
in a networking conversation, you have

a limited amount of time to help that
person understand your expertise and

how you can be a resource for them.

So many times you can leave a
conversation without action items.

You get to the point where you say, I
wish I had said this or I had said that,

but if you go in with those objectives
in mind to make sure that you

understand what they do and how you
can help them with your expertise.

You're guiding the conversation
so that there's an outcome,

including action items, 30 minutes.

That's all you've got usually
in an interview, right?

So you've gotta understand what are the
biggest challenges, where can you help?

It's being assertive and confident,
but you have to know what you

should be assertive about first.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay let's go

Penny Pearl: Okay?

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: The, many
executives are really struggling

to describe or define their impact.

do you have a repeatable process that,
can help an executive be able to develop

that story or, know what to pick out, know
what to highlight, and what to emphasize?

Penny Pearl: Yes, it's called value
proposition, which has a history

in technology because, and product
managers as an example are very

familiar with value proposition
when a company develops a product.

As they're developing it or before
they develop it, they have to

understand how the audience is
gonna benefit from that product.

So they have to establish value criteria.

Why would somebody buy this?

Why is the company investing in this?

It's the same thing as an individual.

When you are putting yourself out
there, it's really important that

what you're really good at and what
you wanna be doing, and to be able to

articulate that so that it's repeatable.

So for example, if we met for the first
time and you said, tell me about yourself.

What do you do?

I need to know how to respond to that.

Say I help executives find a new role
faster and actually establish a strategy

for what they wanna do today and tomorrow.

So I teach them skills that allow
them to professionally develop their

career, and it lasts a lifetime.

If I can articulate the.

Expertise that I have and the outcomes,
then you can refer me to somebody else

or introduce me to somebody else who
might be looking for a new career.

Say, I just met this person
who works very quickly in.

Helping executives find a new career?

Are you interested in talking with them?

Can I introduce you?

Very short, sweet.

But you get what I'm saying,
as opposed to a 20 minute

diatribe of everything that I do.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Concise is good.

Penny Pearl: Yes.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Go on.

Penny Pearl: Presenting your value, but
first you have to understand your value.

So one of the tools that I offer
to clients, it's a free tool.

It's called a value proposition worksheet.

And in a value proposition worksheet, your
job is to think, reflect on the things

that you've made the most impact with.

How have you grown a company?

How did you affect your coworkers?

Where did the department shine
as a result of your work?

Many times people will say, I
really don't know what I've done.

I don't really understand the value.

But that's not good enough.

You've got to identify what it is,
because when you go in an interview,

let's face it, you're gonna be
asked those questions, right?

So you have to prepare.

Many times I've spoken with
technology leaders and.

When we're going through the exercise,
they forget to mention, oh, I have 20

patents with my name written on it.

Forgot to mention something.

So key.

So what you do is you try to
identify those highlights and then

make qualitative statements that
are compelling about that impact.

Let's say qualitative might be as
a result of this new standardized

system I've developed, the company
adopted it throughout, and we

were able to save three days of
production time on building a product.

Okay, that's qualitative.

Then you learn how to represent something
quantitatively, and that's where, based

on this new program, the company was
able to generate another million dollars

or $500,000 during each quarter as a
result of some of the work I've done,

so numbers or a qualitative statement.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Penny Pearl: And it's knowing those
stories, that's really important so

that people can identify with it.

And when you can relate it to a
challenge that they've been having, it

makes an even greater impact to them.

You learn about those things through
research and also asking the right

open-ended questions to solicit those.

Those needs, those challenges that
you can address, and when you're in

an interview or even a networking
conversation, it's really important

that you pull that information out
because that's what's important to them.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

That's great.

So a slight pivot.

I'm, when I'm thinking about
job searching, I'm conscious

of like where it's done.

There's job boards,
LinkedIn those are the.

Default, but where would you advise
your clients to look for roles

that aren't publicly advertised?

And then how do you help them make
networking an effective tool outside

of these written, published job roles?

Penny Pearl: Sure.

That's a great question and I'm glad you
said networking because that's where.

85% of your time needs to be spent today.

We see those sad stories by
individuals who are applying online.

Thousands of resumes being sent out to
no avail, but think about what you're

doing when just rely on applying online.

You're going through an applicant
tracking system, which makes

a judgment about your resume.

Right off the bat, you may not
even get seen by a recruiter.

If you do get seen by a recruiter, does
a recruiter make a hiring decision?

No.

Why are you spending all
your time doing that?

Take that time and work your
network in a very strategic way.

If you know the type of role through
your value proposition and knowing

your expertise that you wanna look
for, then reach out to people that

are in hiring positions that can
make a decision as to whether or not

you're gonna be an asset to them.

And then you have to deliver your story.

strategic networking means you know,
your audience, you reach out to them

after you have done your research for
the problem that they're generally

facing and how you can be the solution.

It's a very simplistic way of putting
it, but there is a process that

you do that with, that I help my
clients with, for example, and I'm

working right now with a client.

Who is reaching out a lot online, and
I have a whole toolbox of templates,

and so what I do is I say, look at my
templates, create your own templates,

share them with me, and then I help with
the editing of that so that they are.

Compelling with the intention of
solving a problem, and you're asking

for a connection first, conversation
second, because it's conversations.

That's what leads to a hidden
opportunity, which is what you're talking

about, or a referral or introduction
to somebody who has a problem that

they understand that I can solve.

Okay, so that's the general
idea, but you gotta do it a lot.

And as in, you can't just send out three
and expect to have a lot of activity

going on, and you have to learn how to
communicate in the right way in writing.

To get people interested enough
to have a conversation with you.

So good written community case
skills that go right to the point

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Okay.

Now.

Penny Pearl: in a friendly way.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: and this is
a good point where we can talk a little

bit about the AI in the job process.

ideally you want to, do as much human to
human networking to get to where you are.

But oftentimes you are forced
to go through the screening

process, which in many.

is powered by ai.

Do you have any guidance or tips for those
who have to submit written content that

they know is going to be scanned by ai?

Anything that they can do to better
interact with those AI filters better?

Penny Pearl: It's almost
like fighting AI with ai.

Let them duke it out.

To be perfectly.

Honest and clear.

I'm not a proponent of that because when
you get into that, you lose control.

What I'm a proponent of is first reaching
out to the people that know you and

the work that you do, people in your
network, and engage in a conversation

with them so that they can either see
a fit for what you're doing now or.

Introduce you to somebody.

Secondly, it's really important
to have that personal touch.

Now, I use ai, don't get me wrong, and
I'm a proponent of it, but it has to come

at a certain point in the job search.

So what I'm talking about when I
say writing a letter, it's short.

It's maybe four sentences long.

So you've gotta make
every single word count.

You've gotta sound like a leader.

You've gotta sound like you
know what you're talking about.

And.

Indicate the intention that you have.

For example, if you're gonna reach
out to somebody that you have

worked with in the past, you wanna
give them a reason, a solid reason

for them to reengage with you.

Yes.

Part of the call is gonna be about.

Talking about the past a small bit,
but you wanna bring them forward.

This is what I'm really good at now.

This is how I help people.

Where in your organization
might there be a fit?

And who can you introduce me to?

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Penny Pearl: A lot of this automation when
it comes to meeting people in networking

first of all, if you're doing automation
a lot, you have to do a lot of it because

many people are gonna recognize it.

Many other systems are gonna recognize it.

But what if you developed your
skills that you're gonna be able

to use for the rest of your career?

By making a very compelling message
one-on-one, because let's face it,

ultimately somebody is gonna make
a decision to bring you on board

because they like what you stand for.

They understand what you do,
they trust you, and they know

that you're gonna succeed.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Definitely.

Penny, talk, just as one final
question is how do you track ROI for

your clients and for your business?

It's difficult because not
every effort you don't.

Always just target one role and get
that role, and that's success or not.

You usually cast a wide net.

But are you able to keep metrics
or milestones that show that what

you're doing is working or that your
client's efforts are paying off?

Are there any good guidelines that way?

Penny Pearl: Yeah.

All along the way.

I partner with my clients.

So it's not like you have six
sessions or 10 sessions, and

that's the only time we meet.

We are both rolling up our sleeves
in order for them to get the type of

activity that's gonna generate offers.

Along the way.

I have a system of things
that they need to be doing.

I have tools that are templates.

I show them how to do things.

I interact with the things that they're
creating and I edit them and we have

discussions about them so that they
get to the point where they're able to.

Themselves, automate the process, send
out 50 invitations, and have a high

rate of return, which is a rate of
investment on responses for those letters.

How do they strategize the next step?

So we talk about that.

I work at a different pace
depending upon the client.

Because the clients that I work with.

Don't always know exactly how to do
things, so we work together so that

they can build on their skillset.

A lot of this is professional development.

The bottom line is we keep our eye on the
goal, and that is in say, three months.

The objective is for you to have
two offers so that you can decide.

Which job is gonna work for you
or negotiate between the two?

And this is the outcome that most of
my clients that actually are willing to

do the work, that's what they wind up
with and they wind up in a really good

situation, even though it's painful, have
to negotiate two different job offers.

It's a nice problem.

So keeping your eye on the goal
and then measuring the milestones.

Where are we at?

Are you reaching out?

To 10 people a week, are you saying the
right things to get the conversations?

When you have those conversations,
how are you conducting those

conversations so that you're leading
it to the outcome that you need?

Getting a referral, getting an
introduction, getting in front

of somebody for an interview.

So that's one way of measuring.

It's just the constant communication.

But they also know what they,
the activities they need to be

performing to get to that point.

And if they're not, I
need to find out why.

And then help them overcome those hurdles.

Because these are things that are
gonna affect the rest of their

career, not just that next job.

It affects their confidence.

I love it when a client gets their next
job after we have worked together and then

their next job by themselves after that.

Because then I know that they learn the
system, that they're more confident,

they know how to work the process.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Absolutely.

Penny Pearl: Yeah excuse me.

It's really important in terms of.

Measuring ROI,

an individual has to be committed
to investing in themselves.

Warren Buffet says that's
the best investment.

I think many times people are afraid to
commit because they lack trusting that

they're gonna carry through with things.

And when you carry through with the
things that I guide you on, and I also

help my clients do certain things because
not everybody knows this intuitively,

even though they're capable when
you carry through on these things.

You're gonna get the outcomes
that you're looking for, and

you keep building on that.

But sometimes you have to go a little
bit beyond what you would normally do.

You have to ask questions,
you have to take control.

You have to take the lead in a call
so that at the end of that 30 minute

conversation, you and the other party
have a win-win, and you have action

items, and you're gonna get the results.

Calling somebody.

Having a great conversation is
a wonderful, but when you hang

up the phone and there's nobody
that's gonna do anything it

wasn't the best use of your time.

So I'm really big on that.

And speed, quantity, and quality.

Those two things are gonna
find you your next role faster.

I did the same thing with my.

In fact, I have a worksheet that I help
my clients with, not only to understand

how they present an ROI to a client.

Let's face it, executives do return on
investment all the time when they're

proposing a strategy for the company.

What about doing an ROI on yourself
when you're in a career search?

So I show them exactly how to do that.

I have a formula, I have a
calculator they can use, and it's

gonna definitely set them apart.

I did the same thing for my business.

If we can get you to where you
need to be fast, your return

on investment is tenfold.

Because instead of waiting 10 months
to find a job, you find a job,

maybe two of them in two months.

That's a great return on investment,
so I'm a big believer with that

and very familiar with how to
get somebody to understand that.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Penny, there's a lot of wisdom here and
I appreciate you sharing so much today.

If people would like to work with
you, learn more accelerate their

own career trajectory be able to
tell a story, where are the best

places that they could find you?

Penny Pearl: Sure.

The best is email Penny, P-E-N-N-Y,
at the number two actify.com.

Actify stands for to activate and
yeah, so they can email me and

I offer a free discovery call.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Yeah.

Penny Pearl: It's not a pressure call.

I understand how important it is for
them to get to know me and for me to

get to know them because I like to work
with individuals that are willing to

put the work into the whole process.

And no promises are made unless
both people are committed.

So this discovery call, I think
is a really good beginning, and

then we can decide from there if
they wanna go to the next step.

Reed Hansen, MarketSurge: Thank you.

Yeah, we'll definitely take
Penny up on that offer.

I think anybody that
is looking to advance.

Could really benefit from
this thoughtful approach.

And it really, it just helps to have
a good sounding board to construct

your story and your value proposition.

So thank you so much Penny.

I appreciate you coming on the podcast
and I'll share all these links in show

notes but do please reach out to Penny.

Thank you.

Speaker 2: Want to stay ahead of what's
actually working in marketing right now.

Head over to Market surge.io

and see how we're helping businesses
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That's market surge.io

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