Career Briefs: The Oracle Wake-Up Call — And What to Do Next

Hot off the presses: This issue contains a 4-month job search roadmap, think like an orchestrator not an executor, gig worker pay discrepancy and more...

Author

Sarah Johnston
April 08, 2026

Dear Reader:

If you were one of the 30,000 people who woke up on March 31st to an email from "Oracle Leadership" telling you your role had been eliminated — I want you to know that I see you.

No meeting. No warning. No conversation with your manager. Just a message before breakfast, and then the access was gone.

That's a shock to the system — professionally and personally. And if you're feeling a complicated mix of anger, grief, relief, or just plain anxiety about what comes next, every single one of those feelings makes sense.

This week, I want to skip the usual advice and just sit with you for a moment.

You didn't see this coming. You built something real at that company — relationships, expertise, a track record. None of that disappears because of a restructuring decision made in a boardroom to fund data centers. Your value is not in that email.

And when you're ready — here's what I know about what comes next.

Step 1: File for unemployment benefits. Today.

I know what you're thinking. I don't need that. I'll find something quickly. That's not for someone like me.

I hear you — and I want to gently push back. Unemployment benefits exist for exactly this moment. You paid into the system for years. This is not charity; it's a bridge you earned. And the reality is that even the most experienced, well-networked executive job searches take time. Filing immediately protects you financially so you can search strategically rather than desperately. A desperate job search leads to bad decisions.

Don't let pride cost you money you're entitled to. File this week.

Step 2: Get your resume and LinkedIn in order — but don't disappear into it.

Your resume needs to tell the story of where you're going, not just where you've been. Focus on quantified impact — revenue generated, costs reduced, teams led, transformations driven. If you're not sure where to start, I put together a free course on LinkedIn Learning: Guide to Writing a Modern Executive Resume — it's a practical, no-fluff resource built specifically for leaders and managers.

If you want hands-on help, my team offers bespoke resume writing services, as well as budget-friendly resume reviews starting at $145. Either way, don't spend more than two weeks on this step. A good resume gets you in the room. Relationships get you the offer.

Step 3: Build your recruiter network — strategically, not desperately.

Most executives rely on one or two recruiters and wait. That's a mistake. I typically recommend identifying 10–25 recruiters who specialize in your function or industry, and reaching out proactively — not to ask for a job, but to introduce yourself, share your story, and stay visible.

Recruiters work for companies, not candidates. They are filling very specific roles at very specific moments in time. The more of them who know your name and your background, the more likely you are to be top of mind when the right search opens. I wrote a detailed guide on exactly how to find and connect with the right recruiters: Insider Tips to Find and Connect with Recruiters — it walks you through where to look, how to approach them, and what to say.

Step 4: Go wider and deeper on your network — and focus on decision-makers.

Here is the most important reframe I can offer you: your job search success should not be measured by applications submitted. It should be measured by conversations had with people who could actually hire you.

Decision-makers are, by definition, people with the authority to create or fill a role. They may not have an open position today — but a strong conversation plants a seed that can grow quickly. Most executives significantly underestimate how many people in their network fall into this category, and how willing those people are to help.

The challenge is knowing how to find them and what to say when you do. I put together a video and article on the most common networking mistakes executives make — and more importantly, how to fix them: Top Networking Mistakes Executives Make — and How to Fix Them.

Step 5: Protect your energy and your timeline.

Four months is enough time to land something good — if you use it with intention. The executives who struggle are the ones who apply to everything, hear nothing, and quietly give up. The ones who land are the ones who stay focused, stay visible, and keep having conversations even when the pipeline feels slow.

Some weeks will feel like nothing is moving. That's normal. Keep going.

As always, I am rooting for you,

Sarah

Table of Contents

Is the Resume Really Dead?

Business Insider recently declared that hiring managers have stopped reading resumes. I pushed back — and here's why it matters for your search.

The resume hasn't been replaced. It's been repositioned. LinkedIn gets you discovered. Conversations get you considered. Your resume is what gets shared internally, forwarded to decision-makers, and referenced when you're not in the room. It's the one document that travels with you through every stage of the hiring process.

The real problem isn't resumes — it's generic ones. In a market flooded with AI-generated applications that all look the same, a targeted, well-crafted resume is more of a differentiator than ever.

Three things your resume must clearly communicate: the scope of your responsibility, the outcomes you've delivered, and what makes you distinctly valuable — positioned for where you want to go, not just where you've been.

AI Is Screening Candidates — This Recruiter Spills All

If you're in an active job search, this post is a glimpse behind the curtain. Fractional HR leader Sarah Sheikh Jauhar recently built an AI recruiting agent for a startup that screens every inbound application automatically — scoring candidates against a structured rubric, ranking them, and serving up a prioritized shortlist to the recruiter before they've had their morning coffee.

What that means for you: a human may not be the first set of eyes on your resume. An AI is evaluating your skills match, experience level, and role-specific signals before deciding whether you make the cut. The executives who get through aren't necessarily the most qualified — they're the ones whose materials are clear, specific, and closely aligned to the language in the job description.

This is exactly why generic resumes don't work anymore. The more precisely your resume reflects the role you're applying for, the better your odds of making it to an actual conversation.

Exploring the Gig Work Gender Gap

Revilio Labs' latest report, "The Gig Work Gender Gap," sheds light on an intriguing trend: women are entering the gig economy at higher rates than men but tend to price their services lower, even when their experience and reputation are on par. This pricing strategy might be a form of risk management, as women may prefer the security of a consistently filled calendar at $18 per hour over the uncertainty of charging $22 per hour and facing potential gaps in work. Additionally, women might be adjusting their rates based on market feedback, lowering their prices if initial higher bids don't attract clients. This report invites us to consider the complex dynamics at play in the gig economy and how they uniquely impact women freelancers.

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The Executives Who Get Ahead Next Will Think Like Orchestrators, Not Executors

This piece from Niklas Jansen is worth five minutes of your time — especially if you're thinking about how to position yourself in the next chapter of your career.

The premise: AI agents are already running businesses, managing research, shipping code, and handling customer service — with no human employees. Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, is proposing that his engineers receive a token budget worth half their base salary, with the expectation they use it aggressively. His message is blunt: low AI usage is a performance problem.

What that means for executives: the definition of competence is shifting. The most valuable leaders won't be the fastest executors — they'll be the ones with the judgment to know what to ask for, the taste to evaluate whether the output is good, and the ability to orchestrate AI to multiply their impact.

If you're updating your resume or preparing for interviews right now, this reframe matters. The question hiring managers are increasingly asking isn't just what have you done — it's how are you working? Being able to speak fluently about how you use AI tools to lead faster, decide smarter, and scale your output is becoming a differentiator at the executive level.

The future is already here. The question is whether your personal brand reflects that.

AI Is Eliminating Tasks. It's Not Eliminating You.

If the headlines are making you anxious about your long-term employability, this piece from HR analyst Josh Bersin is worth your time — and it might change how you're thinking about your next move.

His argument, backed by labor market data: AI doesn't destroy jobs. It transforms them. Software engineering job openings have held steady despite widespread predictions of collapse — and salaries in the field are up more than 15% in the last year alone. Medical imaging jobs? Up 35% year over year, even as AI handles initial diagnostics.

What's actually disappearing is the routine, repetitive layer of work — entry-level coding, basic testing, manual screening. What's growing are roles that require judgment, communication, strategic thinking, and the ability to orchestrate AI effectively. Bersin calls these "Superjobs."

The practical implication for your search: the executives who will land fastest and strongest are the ones who can clearly articulate how they use AI to lead better — not the ones who are waiting to see how it all plays out. Your next interviewer will likely ask about it. Be ready.

Congratulations to our Women’s Bracket Challenge Winners!

In a championship showdown, UCLA Bruins women's basketball took down South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team to claim the title—hope you trusted your gut (or just got lucky at the right time).

Thank you to the 73 Briefcase Coach readers who participated in our bracket challenge.

Huge congratulations to our bracket champions:
🥇 David2408400
🥇 Bayoubarbie91

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