Case Study
He Hadn't Applied to a Job in 10 Years. 80 Days Later, Landed a $210K Offer.
Previous Firm
PwC
Previous Role
Manager, Global Structuring / Transfer Pricing
Target Role
Corporate Development
Target Industry
Financial Services / Professional Services
Connor is a PwC Manager in Los Angeles who had been in a very specialized, niche practice for over six years. He was doing well on paper, strong brand, strong comp, CFA, but he hit a point where he realized, “If I keep going deeper into this niche, I’m going to limit my options long-term.” The biggest issue was not motivation, it was clarity. Connor had not applied for a job in years, he had not run a modern job search, and he genuinely did not know what roles he could target without taking a step backward in level, pay, or location. He came to us for structure, momentum, and a clear plan, and within roughly eight weeks he went from “I don’t even know where to start” to landing multiple interviews for $200K+ roles, including roles he would not have known to apply for on his own. Within 80 days of working together, he signed a $210K offer as an Assistant Vice President in Los Angeles.
THE CHALLENGE
1) He was stuck in a niche and didn’t want to be there forever
Connor worked in a specialty area inside PwC, and the deeper he went, the more he felt his future options narrowed. His words were basically, “I don’t want to do this niche thing for the rest of my life, what else is out there?”
2) He hadn’t job searched in a long time, so everything felt fuzzy
Connor hadn’t applied for a job in about 10 years. His mental model of job search was the old college pipeline, one-page black and white resume, cram everything in, hope something works. He didn’t know what roles were realistic, and he didn’t know where to start.
3) High constraints: level, comp, and city all mattered
He wasn’t looking for “any job.” He needed something that made sense with his experience and seniority, he talked about earning $200K+ already, and he wanted to stay in Los Angeles. That combination can make a pivot feel impossible unless you get very targeted.
OUR APPROACH
We kept the process simple and execution-driven.
1) Start with clarity, not random applying
The first step was a deep intake on Connor’s background, strengths, deal-related experience, constraints (LA), and what he wanted to avoid. From there, we mapped realistic target lanes and produced the deliverables that gave him direction, not guesses, including a job market analysis and compensation calibration.
2) Rebuild the core assets so the market understands his value
Connor’s old resume assumptions were normal, one page, mostly responsibilities, old-school format. We rebuilt his resume into a modern positioning doc that actually sells his impact, and iterated with feedback until it felt like a strong “master resume” we could customize from.
We also aligned LinkedIn positioning so the story matched, niche background, broad finance skill set, and credible pivot angles.
3) Run a weekly execution engine that doesn’t rely on his time
Connor was working full time, so we built a cadence that delivered output consistently:
• surface a batch of relevant roles weekly (he mentioned 15 per week)
• customize the resume to match each posting, using the master resume as the base
• keep feedback loops tight so the system improves every week
The point was momentum. Connor didn’t need more theory, he needed a machine that keeps moving even when he’s busy.
4) Support the “human” side of the search
As interviews started coming in, we supported interview prep, messaging, and how to communicate the pivot clearly. Connor called out that he didn’t have job interview experience at his current level, so getting a dialed narrative and answers mattered.
THE RESULTS
The offer: Connor signed a $210,000 base salary offer as Assistant Vice President at J.S. Held LLC in Los Angeles - exactly the comp level, title, and city he needed.
What happened along the way:
7 interviews within 8 weeks, including for roles he said he "wouldn't have known to apply for on his own"
Inbound recruiter outreach on LinkedIn, including two messages in one week for $200K+ roles
Clear target lanes so he wasn't guessing anymore
A resume and story that matched his current level, not his college self
Consistent weekly execution that created momentum without requiring his time
