Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

How to turn curiosity, clarity, and AI into your most powerful job search tools.

Job search isn’t just about landing your next role—it’s about understanding who you are and how you want to show up in the world. According to Andrew Seaman, Senior Managing Editor for Jobs and Career Development at LinkedIn, that process begins with curiosity, not certainty. “People assume they need to apply to dozens of jobs with a perfect résumé,” he explains. “But the best applications are rooted in self-awareness and strategy—not spray-and-pray.”

Instead of rushing to the next opportunity, Seaman encourages job seekers to slow down, ask better questions, and prioritize conversations over checklists. From informational interviews to profile updates, clarity is key—knowing what you want and telling a story that shows why you’re the right fit. With tools like LinkedIn’s Job Match and natural-language job search, candidates can now assess how they align with a role—and where they can grow. “It’s not just about being qualified,” Seaman says. “It’s about showing the value you bring.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Seaman joins host Matt Abrahams for our Catalyze Your Career miniseries to share how to job search with intention. Using Matt’s “Four I’s” framework—identifying, investigating, initiating contact, and interviewing—they explore how strategic storytelling, thoughtful networking, and AI tools can help you stand out in a crowded market.

Episode Reference Links:
Connect:

Chapters:

  • (00:00) - Introduction
  • (02:24) - What’s Changing in Job Search
  • (03:44) - Identifying Roles with Curiosity
  • (06:44) - Investigating Companies & Roles
  • (08:08) - Initiating Contact Effectively
  • (11:24) - Crafting a Strong Narrative
  • (12:36) - How Job Match Can Help
  • (15:56) - Strategic vs. Shotgun Approach
  • (20:55) - Best Career Advice Received
  • (23:08) - Career Regrets & Lessons
  • (24:37) - Conclusion

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Creators and Guests

Host
Matt Abrahams
Lecturer Stanford University Graduate School of Business | Think Fast Talk Smart podcast host
Guest
Andrew Seaman
Editor-At-Large for Jobs & Career Development at LinkedIn News

What is Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques?

One of the most essential ingredients to success in business and life is effective communication.
Join Matt Abrahams, best-selling author and Strategic Communication lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business, as he interviews experts to provide actionable insights that help you communicate with clarity, confidence, and impact. From handling impromptu questions to crafting compelling messages, Matt explores practical strategies for real-world communication challenges.

Whether you’re navigating a high-stakes presentation, perfecting your email tone, or speaking off the cuff, Think Fast, Talk Smart equips you with the tools, techniques, and best practices to express yourself effectively in any situation. Enhance your communication skills to elevate your career and build stronger professional relationships.

Tune in every Tuesday for new episodes. Subscribe now to unlock your potential as a thoughtful, impactful communicator. Learn more and sign up for our eNewsletter at fastersmarter.io.

Matt Abrahams: Advancements in AI are not
only revolutionizing work, they're shaping

careers and opening up new possibilities.

My name is Matt Abrahams and I
teach strategic communication at

Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Welcome to Think Fast
Talk Smart, the podcast.

Today I am excited to once again
be joined by Andrew Seaman, senior

Managing Editor for Jobs and
Career Development at LinkedIn.

Andrew joined me in episode 151.

Andrew oversees a team of journalists and
editors at LinkedIn who are focused on

helping people navigate work and life.

Through his Get Hired podcast, which
he has kindly had me on a few times,

he and his team helped thousands of
people get jobs and advance careers.

Welcome back, Andrew.

It is really exciting to have
yet another conversation.

Thank you for hosting us in
this beautiful studio of yours.

Andrew Seaman: Of course.

Thanks for having me.

Matt Abrahams: I'm really excited
to have a conversation that's

part of our Catalyze Your Career
miniseries, sponsored by LinkedIn.

Should we get started?

Andrew Seaman: I'd love to.

Matt Abrahams: Clearly the world
is changing in terms of how people

find jobs and the tools they use.

I'm curious, what are you seeing as
changing in the world of job search and

what should people be thinking about?

Andrew Seaman: Right now, it's
definitely like a transition period.

Obviously we have a lot of things
happening in the macro economy, so

you have hiring that is stable-ish,
but we see dips and accelerations

here or there, but it's not an easy
time to be a job seeker right now.

And then you also have the fact
that a lot of places aren't hiring.

They weren't doing that already, but then
at the same time, you have companies that

are being a little bit more cautious.

So you have those factors at play, but
then you also have this looming idea of

AI, and we don't know what we don't know.

So it's hard to say exactly when and
how people will be affected by it.

We know that it's already having an impact
on some people, there's so many different

things at play and it's uncertain.

And then you also have a lot of people
who are gonna be graduating soon, so it's

gonna be a really competitive market.

I think overall on LinkedIn,
we've seen a forty-five percent

increase in applications overall.

You have a lot of competition
going on for jobs that aren't as

plentiful as people would hope.

Matt Abrahams: And so really
thinking about your strategy and

your approach can be really helpful.

Part of my teaching job is to prepare my
MBA students for not just their impending

careers, but for their job searches.

And when I speak with them, I break down
job searching into four I's, identifying

a potential job, investigating the company
and the role, initiating contact and

applying, and then finally interviewing.

I'd love for you to use my
four I structure to help me

answer some of these questions.

So, what are the things that job
seekers can do and what tools can

they leverage to help with each stage?

So when it comes to identification,
what are some things you would

recommend that job seekers do and
what tools are available to help them?

Andrew Seaman: The first one is
definitely being inquisitive.

I think knowing what's out
there, knowing what resonates

with you, utilize your network.

Obviously you could do that on LinkedIn,
but there are so many different ways you

could reach out to friends and family.

You could reach out to former
coworkers, and I think the trick is

to be genuine in those outreaches.

Because so many people, they do an
outreach, but it's more or less, hey, I

saw a job at your company, gimme a job.

And nothing makes a networking
conversation or a conversation

sort of spoil faster or even a
whole relationship because that

person just ends up feeling used.

So what I often tell people is just let
your genuine curiosity guide you and let

people know like, hey, I'm looking for
work, and see what they offer you and

say, oh, you should talk to so and so
because they have this really cool job.

Whatever you do, when you ask and you
bring someone in for a conversation,

be more interested in them.

And obviously you could end with, I'm
looking for new opportunities, so if you

have any suggestions, please let me know.

Like don't make too big of an ask.

Asking for information is totally
valid and it's a light lift

for that other person, but I
think that's the biggest part.

And also what I tell people
is search on LinkedIn.

Our search is changing right now, so
we're gonna be rolling out AI job search.

So traditionally when you job
search, you would say, I want to

be an accountant and I wanna be an
accountant in Savannah, Georgia.

And then there'd be other filters that
said, I wanna work at a big company or

these are the requirements that I have.

And you know, you had to be pretty
good at searching and you could set

up an alert and all that other stuff.

But the way that our engineers
are now making the search work is

through basically natural language.

So it's an AI job search, and what you
could say is, you could basically say,

okay, I want to work in accounting
in Savannah, Georgia, and I'd

like a minimum salary of whatever.

And this tool basically goes
into LinkedIn's files and says,

okay, we have these positions.

Here you go.

So it's much more natural.

Matt Abrahams: So it sounds to me
like the key to identifying potential

jobs is through conversation
rather than direct request.

And that those same skills you might
use when I'm talking to a friend,

or a friend of a friend, I can use
with AI, and that will also help me

find the things that I'm looking for.

So taking the time to be thoughtful
about identifying the jobs and not

being so direct and blunt, perhaps at
least with people, could be helpful.

So the second step I talk to my students
about is investigating, doing the

research, because if you are gonna get
an interview, it's important to know.

What advice do you have about how people
can better investigate the companies and

the roles that they're interested in?

Andrew Seaman: I think again,
it comes back to conversations.

Nothing's going to give you
better information than someone

who's living that experience.

So you wanna look for people who are
at that company who are maybe in a

similar role, and even if there's not
a job open or they're not advertising

for a role, you want to reach out
and just set up those conversations

and say, hey, would you be open for
a ten, fifteen minute conversation?

And these conversations could be super
beneficial because even if you don't

know that person, if you get in front
of them or you have a good conversation

with them, they could give you a lot of
information about what their day-to-day

is like, what the company's like.

Are there any green flags where, you
know, something really resonates with you?

And you could use AI too.

Like you can keep a running
list of like, oh, here's a job

description that I really like.

Add that to a file and then you could
have AI and analyze it and come up with,

here are the main things that people are
looking for in this field or profession.

So it's really doing digging and
coming up with a good idea of what

the companies are, what they're
looking for, and then finding out

what it's actually like on the ground.

Matt Abrahams: I think this investigation
is really important, and I really

like that idea of starting to flag
job descriptions that you see and

start looking for what's common across
them that might be attracting you.

In a previous conversation you and I
had, we talked about coming up with

questions and I think as you investigate
a role or a company, really thinking

through your questions to get at what
you're really interested in is important.

A lot of people, I think, stay too
high level with their questions,

but being really specific and
give you important insight.

So let's move to the third step
in the four I's model, which

is really initiating contact.

What advice do you have about how
do you actually set up the first

meeting or ask for that meeting.

How does contact initiation work?

Andrew Seaman: It works
in a few different ways.

What I would say is look at the
job description, see what it says.

On LinkedIn there are a few
tools that they've rolled out

recently that can be beneficial.

So one thing that we've been hearing
a lot from people is basically that

they don't know if a job is real.

And people get those text messages,
I don't know if you do, but hey,

I'm a recruiter for so and so
and there are all these scams.

But, so on LinkedIn they wanted to
basically have people more reassurance

that like, this is a real job.

This is a company that's actually looking.

So now when you go into the job
descriptions or like job search

results, there'll be little notes
that say, oh, this is a verified job.

They're actively looking at resumes.

This is how long it
takes to get back to you.

So it might also even say the
person who's hiring for the

role, if they're a recruiter.

So make sure that you're actually
looking at the whole job posting

to get a sense of, can you use any
additional information from there?

My biggest piece of advice is
first apply because a recruiter

can generally not do anything until
your information is in the system.

So a lot of times people will see a job
post on LinkedIn or somewhere else and

they'll say, ooh, who do I know there?

And it's great to work those channels,
but also you wanna make sure your

application gets in as soon as possible.

And then what you can do is
then use your contacts and say,

hey, I saw this job, I applied.

Can you gimme any insight?

And even if they give you a referral
afterward, like usually, you know,

that person could message the recruiter
and say, hey, I know this person.

Can you add me as a reference?

But what I would also say is if they
list the recruiter, if they list any

other details, you can find them also on
LinkedIn and say, send them a message and

say, hey, I just applied for this role.

I am really interested in it.

Almost like, you know, your cover letter.

So make sure that you're sending those
messages, even if they don't reply to you,

it's still worth your time to do that.

Matt Abrahams: What I'm hearing there that
I think is so important, many things you

said are really important, but putting
yourself in the position of the recruiter

or gatekeeper is really important.

'Cause we think as soon as I see a job I
want, I'm gonna try to find connections

and figure out how I can get that job.

But in fact, there are well-known
procedures that those companies

and those jobs have to follow.

And if you're not playing that game,
if you will, you're in trouble.

So I like that idea of work your
network, but make sure you get it

through and make sure that you're
using language that is enticing.

'Cause essentially it's
like a movie preview.

You're trying to get people interested
and excited to take a little more time.

And thinking of it that way, I think,
changes everything because many

people just wanna list an itemize
instead of saying, hey, here's

something I spent some thought on.

Andrew Seaman: Yeah.

And I think we've talked about this
before and it's something that I've

been telling a lot of people, think
outside the box of like, don't just

think that just because you've been
an accountant in your entire life

that you have to be an accountant now.

And what I sort of suggest to people
is if you're making a career change,

but also even if you're not, have
your narrative that supports why

you're the best candidate for these
roles, and make sure you're leading

with that with your messages.

Because if you just say, hey, I'm
interested in this role, you might get a

look, but they may not look too deeply.

They might say, okay, you probably
sent that to fifteen other recruiters.

But if you have the narrative that
says, listen, yes, I'm making a career

change, but here's why it's beneficial
to me, or you set it up as saying,

I was made for this role, whatever
your story is, I think it makes them

think twice and say, oh, you're worth
fifteen seconds instead of five.

Matt Abrahams: I think it's not just for
people changing careers, but somebody

who's starting in a career to really think
through what is the story you tell versus

what are all the qualifications in check
boxes I do, and taking the time to do that

as you initiate contact are important.

We've talked certainly a lot about
interviewing in the previous episodes,

so I'd like you to focus your response
on how have the tools changed?

Are we approaching interviewing
differently now versus

the way we might have?

Andrew Seaman: I do think we've moved into
a space where it is more of a conversation

of, is this the right fit for both of us?

I think that's a good thing because
employment is a business agreement

and you want both parties to be happy.

The other thing is I think we have
many more tools to analyze what they're

actually looking for, so obviously
job descriptions are super powerful.

Not all job descriptions are great.

I'll get asked quite a bit like who writes
these, and I'll usually say, usually what

happens is I said, some hiring manager
who's never written a job description

before in their life will write down
the requirements that they want.

They'll pass it along, it'll get
cut and pasted into something

else that already existed.

And I said, you end up with this
Frankenstein thing that isn't perfect,

but somewhere in there are the nuggets
of what that hiring manager wants.

So just like we sort of talked about
earlier, analyzing a bunch of different

job descriptions, you do want to
sometimes really take a look and say,

okay, what in here is very specific?

And I think those are the pieces that will
actually come from the hiring manager.

At LinkedIn, we have now
a tool called Job Match.

And essentially when you're
looking at a job description, you

could say, what does AI think?

Am I a fit for this role?

And it'll show you, these are your weak
points, these are your strengths, or this

is where you align on your application.

So it can actually show you like the
things you need to address or prepare

for in an interview, to say, I'm not
really good with conflict management

right now, but I've been taking
courses to figure out how to actually

do that so that way when I do take
charge of a team, I'll be prepared.

Matt Abrahams: I hear two really
important things there that the actual

interview itself is a conversation.

And it's a conversation that these days,
I think two things are true, it's a

little more equal in terms of status.

So I'm not letting the
employer really run the show.

I have to take an active part, and I
think they're a little less formal.

I think ever since the pandemic,
these things have become

just a little more informal.

Again, leaning into this
idea of conversation.

So as you prepare, you need to think,
how do I have a conversation versus

how do I just answer the questions.

And I got excited when you talked about
having a tool, an AI, help you see

where you match and where you don't.

And I think we can use a tool, I think we
can use other people, but to really get

some external validation or encouragement
in areas where you might be deficient

for that role, that can be really helpful
because that sets you up for success.

One of the things we've talked about
in a previous conversation is looking

at people's career paths, they're
doing a job that you're interested in

doing and seeing how they got there.

That's another way of trying to
figure out, where could I focus

my efforts to better qualify?

So I really appreciate those two pieces.

Andrew Seaman: This is actually
my favorite way to use this tool.

When people are looking at a job
description and they click that button,

and if it says, you're not really strong
with the majority of these requirements,

and you look at it and say, but I am.

And actually what it does is it uses
all the information from your profile.

So if you're not actually presenting
yourself appropriately on your

profile for the jobs you want, it
can show where your weak points are.

So maybe you don't think
of something as a strength.

Or just there's something that's
not occurring to you to actually

put on your profile or advertise
about your professional strengths.

It can actually show you those holes
and like how you're presenting yourself.

Matt Abrahams: So Job Match, doesn't
only help you identify how good of

a match you are for the job, but it
helps you identify where perhaps your

profile or the way you're presenting
yourself could be strengthened.

So you might say, I feel this is true
about me, but the system is saying

we don't see it, so then you have
to, again, adjust your narrative.

Thank you.

So going through the four I's of
identification, investigation, initiating

contact and interviewing, is really about
being conversational, creating a narrative

and leveraging tools like AI to help.

If we take a step back, the job search
process can certainly be overwhelming.

Do you have advice and guidance about
how to simplify or make it at least less

stressful and easier for job seekers?

Andrew Seaman: Yes.

I think the first thing is that you really
need to have a strategic job search.

So a lot of people, they think the job
search is a numbers game, and especially

in this environment where you're
facing hiring rates that are either

going down or staying the same while
we're seeing increased competition.

And it leads to a vicious cycle
because you end up just applying

everywhere with very generic
resumes that are not targeted.

And then the result of that is
that you get more discouraged.

So you send out more generic
resumes and things like that, and

it just keeps going and you feel
worse and worse about yourself.

So having a targeted job search where
you say, okay, this is what I want.

And the way I recommend people do that
is once they have those conversations,

then they sort of settle on, okay, I do
wanna work in sales in the healthcare

industry, find the positions that you're
most interested in, and you could use

that AI job search to say like, hey, I
wanna find sales jobs in healthcare in

Tallahassee, or something like that.

And it'll give you a bunch of job
descriptions and you could take those

and put them in any free AI tool and
say, how can I construct my resume?

What is the most important traits
of someone working in this area?

And really focus your job search
on selling yourself as that coming

up with that narrative of, okay,
here's where I'm coming from,

here's how I'm pitching myself.

And again, you could use AI for that.

Don't ever take what it just spits
out and say, hey, here's my stuff.

But use it as almost like that job search
coach and use your time to really go

after the jobs that you really want.

You know, that you hope that
they'll just give you a moment.

Because right now so many
people are applying to all jobs.

And in fact, that's one of the complaints
I think we hear most from employers, is

we're just getting so many applications.

And that was actually one of the reasons
we created Jobs Match because we wanted

people to be able to know whether or not
they are actually a good match for that.

So what I hear from employers is
the really good resumes stand out.

Because if you're going through so
many that are so lackluster, when you

find one that is actually like, oh wow,
this person checks most of my boxes

and actually wants to do this work.

It's just like the
shining beacon for them.

So put your effort into actually
doing a job search that is going

to lead to where you want to go.

And then also understand that a
successful job search is more than

just applying, it's talking to people.

It's setting up those conversations.

And I always suggest
thinking of it as odds.

What can you be doing that is going
to increase your odds of success?

You're never gonna be guaranteed
anything or be guaranteed on a timeline.

But what you could do is say,
okay, if I do X, it's going to

gimme a little bit more of an
edge, and that will be networking.

That'll be taking courses online or
even signing up for other courses

in local colleges, volunteering to
gain additional experience, or also

just taking time to go for a walk.

So it's really about just
understanding that the job search

process is a holistic thing.

And a lot of people say it's a full-time
job, and I'll always tell them yes, but a

full-time job usually comes with weekends,
so don't be afraid to build those into it.

Because all of those things will
make your life more tolerable

during a very difficult time.

And then I think the most important
part is have a support network.

Matt Abrahams: All of that
is really good advice.

The defining of success of a
job search is really important.

It may or may not be getting that one job.

It might be planting the seeds
that open up other opportunities.

It might be connecting with a
broader community that can lead to

a job or at least lead to support.

I think we, we put a tremendous
amount of pressure on ourselves

when the solo goal of a job search
is to find that job instead of to

make yourself a better candidate
and to be open to the possibility

of other things that come your way.

And then that notion of being
strategic where instead of doing the

shotgun approach and just sending
out everything, really focus, can

actually give you more of a sense of
control and make it more manageable.

So I think that advice is
really good because getting

a job is a wonderful thing.

But if you get to that job fatigued and
frustrated and stressed, then the best

job is not gonna at least start that well.

Before we end, I'm asking everybody
who's participating in this Catalyze Your

Career miniseries the same two questions.

Are you ready?

Andrew Seaman: Yes.

Matt Abrahams: What is the best career
advice you've ever received and why?

Andrew Seaman: When I was younger,
I remember someone who was a vice

president of my college and I felt
really insecure about, even as a college

journalist, going and interviewing people.

And he said, the benefit you have is
that when you're new to a role, or young,

people will always underestimate you.

And you could always over deliver.

So even though I'm not young or
new, I always tell myself that

when I'm trying new things.

Because when you're new to something that
people don't expect you to be good at it.

And I always remind myself, I'm
always going to at least over

deliver beyond their expectation,
their base level expectation.

So I think that's the best
career advice I ever received.

Matt Abrahams: Leverage the newness and
come at it with the focus on trying to

be the best you can be, knowing that the
expectations might be a little lower.

Very good.

Second and final question, what
is the one thing you wish you

would've done differently in
the way you managed your career?

Andrew Seaman: I think I would
have been more proactive when I

was younger, whether it was asking
for raises or career development.

My first raise as a full-time professional
came to me because they felt bad for

me because I had never asked for it.

I literally went into like my
yearly review, and I had recently

changed managers at that point.

She goes, we're giving you a raise.

And I was like, oh boy.

And she goes, you've never asked for one.

And I said, I didn't think I
had to, and I don't know why.

It was just this weird thing
where I was like, I have to ask?

So I think I would be much more proactive
in being an advocate for myself.

Matt Abrahams: Being proactive and
being an advocate I think captures

a lot of what we talked about today.

Andrew, thank you very much.

The introduction to all these really
cool tools, Job Match, AI assistance,

the proactive approach, thinking about
your job search as the narrative.

Really important advice, and I hope
those listening can take value if

they're looking for a job currently
or if they're just thinking about

what's next for them in their career.

Thanks so much.

Andrew Seaman: Thank you.

Matt Abrahams: Thank you for joining us
for another episode of our Catalyze Your

Career miniseries, sponsored by LinkedIn.

Please listen to the prior two episodes,
episode 184 with Catherine Fisher

and episode 187 with Dorie Clark.

To learn more from Andrew
Seaman, listen to episode 151.

This episode was produced by Ryan
Campos and me, Matt Abrahams.

With special thanks to the LinkedIn
crew, especially Emily Reeves.

Our music is from Floyd Wonder.

With thanks to Podium Podcast company.

Please find us on YouTube and
wherever you get your podcasts.

Be sure to subscribe and rate us.

Also follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram
and check out FasterSmarter.io for

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