The Challenge
Facing burnout, Mark needed to change careers
After over a decade in recruiting roles, Mark Speir felt burnt out and ready for a change. The weight of managing emotionally charged layoffs and working in the tech industry throughout 2023 left him drained and questioning his career path.
It was the nature of the beast in tech in 2023. I think the industry, coupled with the realization that remote work is kind of lonely to me, was also another part of it.
The isolation of remote work had taken a toll on Mark's mental health. He craved human interaction.
My team was fully dispersed across the US with no office here in AZ. My home office is where I'd be for 50 hours a week.
Compounded by personal issues, Mark knew it was time for a change. To focus on his own well-being and find a new position outside of recruiting, he made the difficult decision to leave his job without another lined up.
It was just kind of a perfect storm. My mental health wasn't doing great. And then I was feeling a bit lonely. I was like, 'I have to find something new.'
As Mark began to explore new career opportunities, he found himself drawn to the more technical aspects of his work in recruiting—things like applicant tracking system implementations and HR technology projects. He also considered roles in customer success and workforce planning, where he could leverage his relationship-building and strategic thinking skills.
However, as he began his search, Mark quickly realized that transitioning to a new field would be more challenging than he anticipated. Despite his extensive experience in recruiting, Mark struggled to showcase his transferable skills effectively to stand out.
I always thought I would have an easier go when job searching after being in recruiting, but then once it's actually you, it's harder.
What Mark's job search looked like before Teal
Before discovering Teal, Mark faced some challenges in his job search: the chaos of tracking his applications across multiple platforms, the time-consuming task of tailoring his resume for each position, and the frustration of disappearing job postings. These obstacles left him feeling overwhelmed and discouraged.
Challenge #1: The chaos of application tracking
Mark's job search lacked a clear structure and organization, leading to a chaotic and inefficient process. He spent 50-60 hours each week scouring job boards like Indeed and LinkedIn, saving interesting positions across multiple platforms, and struggling to keep track of his applications.
Prior to Teal, it was just kind of scattered, seeing what comes through email and then foldering them from there. It was very manual.
The lack of a centralized system for managing his job search left Mark feeling disorganized and overwhelmed. He constantly switched between different email folders, job sites, and documents, trying to stay on top of his applications and deadlines.
It was heavy. I was going into Gmail, saving a job to a folder, and then thinking, 'I need to follow up here. Which one did I apply to? Have I applied to this role?' And after that, double checking again. So it was just a lot of back and forth between emails, different email folders, and different job sites.
Challenge #2: Time-consuming resume tailoring
As a recruiter, Mark also knew the importance of tailoring his resume to each specific role. However, the process of crafting customized applications was time-consuming, especially as he tried to pivot into new industries.
I had to really tailor what I was doing and focus on those correlations of how I sell myself and ultimately figure out what makes the most sense to get on the radar.
Challenge #3: The frustration of disappearing job postings
Like other job seekers, one of Mark's biggest frustrations was the disappearance of job postings after he had applied. Without a way to save the job descriptions, he often found himself ill-informed when trying to prepare for interviews or follow up on applications.
It was like you'd save it on Indeed, you'd save it on LinkedIn, and then go back to it, but then the posting would come down.
Despite his best efforts, Mark's job search felt like an uphill battle. He worked long hours and applied to numerous positions but saw little progress. The constant rejection and lack of feedback left him feeling discouraged and unsure of how to move forward.
The uncertainty and some of the hurdles you really have to overcome with a pivot are figuring out what makes sense and how to showcase yourself from there. That was a big stressor.
Mark knew that to succeed in his job search, he needed a more efficient and effective way to manage his applications, tailor his resume, and showcase his transferable skills. So he tried Teal.
The Solution
Leveraging Teal's Chrome Extension, Match Scoring, and AI
Mark first discovered Teal through LinkedIn posts. He noticed several connections landing new roles and crediting Teal for their success. Intrigued, he decided to explore the platform himself. And while he didn’t sign up for Teal until he was in the thick of his job search, once he realized how he could benefit, he decided to give it a shot.
Being a recruiter, I knew I should’ve kept my resume more up-to-date. And then it seemed a little daunting once I got to it in terms of really going line by line. I was like, I have to freshen this up and reshape this. And then I started reading into Teal and figured out that this tool will match my resume to whatever I’m trying to do.
Mark was immediately impressed by Teal's user-friendly interface and comprehensive tools.
There are a lot of pieces to Teal I could really, really focus on. It feels good to use as opposed to other things, whether Excel sheets or something else that can be a little clunky.
He started by using the Teal Chrome Extension to easily save job postings from various sites into the Teal Job Tracker. This allowed him to keep all of his potential opportunities organized in one place. He was also able to keep notes on his application status and rate his excitement level for each role.
Mark used Teal's Resume Builder to create a base resume with all of his career experiences and accomplishments. Then, he used Teal's Matching Mode to tailor his resume for each specific job, focusing on his most relevant skills and experiences.
Once I started getting into it, I thought, 'Wow, this is a lot more robust than I anticipated!' And so between the extension and then into the platform, Teal is very user-intuitive.
Listen to Mark talk about his #1 tip for using Teal's Resume Builder to save application time below.
Using Teal's Job Application Tracker, Mark no longer had to worry about disappearing job postings. The Tracker automatically saved job descriptions, so even if a listing is taken down from LinkedIn, a company website, or an applicant tracking system website, the posting would always be accessible for revisiting and reference.
Mark also subscribed to Teal+ and took advantage of the unlimited AI. Rather than copying and pasting between his resume and an external program, he'd use AI to help write his cover letters. Teal's AI pulls from work experience and a job description, so each letter is tailored to a unique job.
Some companies still require cover letters, and whether I agree with it or not, in order to be considered, I'd need to pull something together, and that was a big part of Teal+that I thoroughly enjoyed.
By leveraging Teal's tools, Mark was able to bridge the gap between his recruiting background and his desired roles in HR technology and customer success. He used keyword matching to showcase his transferable skills and frame his experiences in a way that resonated with his target industries.
The Teal resume that landed Mark a new career
Why it works: From the get-go, Mark's resume highlights the target title he's going for—showcasing his clear career objective: to shift from recruitment to HR tech and leverage his industry knowledge. With a brief professional summary, he grabs attention without being overly verbose. Mark uses 3-5 resume bullet points to highlight his key accomplishments, keeping his resume clear and concise. He also uses metrics to illustrate his impact—making his achievements concrete.
The Impact
Doubling job application rate and landing a new role
Integrating Teal into his job search process had a significant impact on Mark's results.
Finding a job is a full-time job. Teal makes it feel like a part-time job.
With Teal, Mark was able to dramatically reduce the time he spent on each application from an average of two to three hours per application to just one hour per application.
Using Teal, I saved 50 to 60 percent of my application time.
"The biggest piece is the velocity, which is how often you're able to apply to roles because tailoring can take so much time."
The impact of using Teal extended beyond just the time savings and increased application volume. Mark also found the platform's tools helped him stay organized, motivated, and focused.
I need that excitement at the beginning of the day, like just get going, right?
Teal's user-friendly interface and comprehensive features made it easy for Mark to manage his applications, tailor his resume, and showcase his transferable skills on one platform—no more toggling between folders, emails, and programs.
By leveraging Teal, Mark saved time, increased his application volume, and improved the overall quality and effectiveness of his job search. This combination ultimately led to his success in landing a new role in HR technology just three months after starting his search with Teal.
The Outcome
A new job with a better balance
Just three months after starting his job search with Teal, Mark landed his new role as an HR Technology Analyst at a top-rated insurance company. He credits Teal with helping him navigate his career transition and effectively showcase his potential in a new field.
I got the offer at the end of March, and that's a pretty solid conversion rate for a three-month window using Teal.
Mark's goal wasn’t just to get a job, it was to get a job that met all his criteria. His new role aligns perfectly with his skills and interests, allowing him to focus on the technical aspects of HR that he's passionate about. The position also offers exciting opportunities for growth and development.
One of the most significant benefits of Mark's new job is the improved work-life balance. After years of feeling isolated and burnt out in his remote recruiting role, he can work in a hybrid environment with collaboration and human interaction.
Looking back on his job search, Mark credits Teal for helping him find the right role as quickly as he did. He also recognizes that a successful career transition requires hard work, strategic thinking, and the right tools.
At the end of the day, Teal isn't going to get you the job. You still have to use the program. In part, I still think it's an application numbers game, but using Teal really saved 60 percent of my time.
The Tips
Insights from a recruiter turned job seeker
As someone with experience on both sides of the hiring process, Mark has valuable insights to share with fellow job seekers:
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