Define the job you want

Lesson 2 of 12 · Part 1 of 4

You wouldn't let an SDR cold-call the Fortune 500 without defining who they're targeting. So why are you applying to every role with your title in it? Define the target, then the search gets shockingly easier.

from sales · ideal customer profile8 min

Why ICP is the whole foundation

67% of candidates can't describe their ideal role in one sentence. That single stat explains most slow job searches.

Vague targets spray. Sharp targets convert. The 9 questions below are the ones Shep asks you, and the output is a spec you can use everywhere: interviews, network messages, cover letters, DMs.

You can have more than one ICP, we suggest 1-3. Maybe you're going for account executive, SMB sales manager, and customer success manager. That's three resumes, three approaches, three target lists. A separate process for each job type you're going for.

"Open to anything" sounds flexible. To a hiring manager, it reads as unfocused.

The 9 questions (answer all of them)

Don't skip any. The ones that feel hardest are usually the ones doing the most work.

Without written hard-no's, a likable hiring manager and a slick deck will talk you right back into the situation you're trying to leave.