If you've been diligently working on your mindset, networking outreach, and portfolio over the last three weeks, you are already far ahead of the competition.

We're now in the first week of December, and by now, the job search slowdown is likely noticeable.

If you followed the advice from last week, you've shelved the high-stress application volume and started focusing on a crucial Strategic Preparation step: auditing and polishing your core materials. Well done!

The air is getting colder, the holiday decorations are going up, and if you’ve been job searching for a while, you might be feeling another shift: the slowdown.

We’ve completed the journey.

Congratulations! Your pushing forward and you’ve actively stepped into the professional dark. And what can happen when you move in the dark? You trip.

We've acknowledged the fear (the darkness), and we've gathered our resources (our skills as a flashlight). Now comes the hardest part: moving.

Last time we established that the professional "dark" isn't an empty void; it’s a field of untapped potential obscured by the fear of the unknown. Now it’s time to equip ourselves to walk that field.

We all feel it. That knot in your stomach when you think about a career pivot, asking for a raise, or launching a risky project. That feeling is what we call "the dark."

You've done the work. You’ve identified your non-negotiables, mastered the polite and firm "no," strategically navigated conversations with your boss, and erected defenses against disruptive colleagues and technology.

We've covered setting boundaries with yourself (your non-negotiables) and with your boss (the strategic "no"). Now it's time to tackle the two forces that constantly chip away at your focus and your personal time: well-meaning colleagues and relentless technology.

Setting boundaries with your manager can feel like navigating a minefield.