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Elite Edge | Vol 2 Week 1
Happy New Year! 🎉
I hope you walked into 2026 rested, clear-headed, and at least a little optimistic — even if the market didn’t magically fix itself at midnight.
Before we get into tactics, I want to start this year with a promise.
👉 In 2026, I will continue to do the research for you — so you don’t have to.
Not just headlines. Not recycled LinkedIn advice. Not motivational fluff.
My commitment this year is to:
Translate what’s actually happening in hiring rooms and boardrooms
Give you practical, tactical career advice you can apply immediately
Curate the best of what I’m reading and listening to so you stay informed without drowning in noise
Tell you the truths most people won’t — because they’re inconvenient, political, or uncomfortable
If you’re here, you’re not looking to “manifest” a better career.
You’re here to understand the game and play it well.
I’m Deepali Vyas, your Elite Recruiter — and welcome to Vol 2.
🔥 The Market Reality (Starting 2026 Clear-Eyed)
Let’s reset expectations early.
Hiring didn’t stop.
It narrowed.
What that means:
Fewer open roles
Higher expectations
Less patience for ramp time
More pressure on leaders to show impact quickly
At the same time:
Fractional, advisory, and “prove-it” roles are quietly growing
Companies are replacing underperformers from 2025
New budgets are opening — with sharper scrutiny
January through early April is one of the most strategic windows of the year to reposition yourself.
If you wait until things feel “stable,” you’ll miss it.
📊 Career Timing You Should Actually Know
Best times to actively explore the market:
Mid-January → Early April
Late August → Mid-October
Why January matters:
New fiscal approvals
New leadership mandates
Pressure to deliver by Q2
Why people miss this window:
Their story isn’t ready
Their LinkedIn reflects the past, not the future
They’re waiting for job postings instead of conversations
The market doesn’t reward readiness.
It rewards positioning.
🧠 Your January Career Audit (30 Minutes, No Excuses)
Before you make any moves this year, get honest.
1. Power Audit
Ask yourself:
Where do I actually influence outcomes?
Where am I indispensable but invisible?
Who benefits from me staying exactly where I am?
2. Market Signal Audit
Does my LinkedIn describe where I’ve been — or where I’m going?
Can someone understand my value in 10 seconds?
Am I positioned as execution… or leverage?
3. Optionality Audit
If your job disappeared tomorrow:
Do I have 3 people who would pull me into work?
Could I generate income without permission?
Would my reputation survive without my title?
If this exercise makes you uncomfortable — good.
That discomfort is telling you where to focus.
🎯 Prescriptive Advice (Not Motivation)
If you want 2026 to be different:
Stop optimizing for loyalty — optimize for leverage
Stop waiting to be recognized — engineer visibility
Stop asking “Am I ready?” — ask “What problem can I solve right now?”
High performers don’t job search.
They re-introduce themselves to the market with intention.
📉 Layoff Watch (Quiet Signals I’m Seeing)
No panic — just pattern recognition.
What I’m seeing continue:
Quiet reductions in:
Tech operations
Internal strategy and PMO roles
Middle management without revenue ownership
RTO mandates still acting as a filtering mechanism
Performance language tightening across industries
If your company suddenly:
Obsessively talks about productivity
Adds layers of approvals
Expands your scope without changing your title or pay
That’s not culture.
That’s pre-work.
📚What I Read This Week…
📰 Forbes — Job Seekers Are Using Dating Apps To Get Ahead—Here’s Why That’s Risky
A new ResumeBuilder survey found 1 in 3 people are using dating apps like Tinder and Bumble to network for jobs — and shockingly, many are succeeding. Nearly 40% landed interviews, 37% received job offers, and 38% said the professional connection became physical. While it highlights how broken the hiring system has become, the article makes clear this strategy carries serious ethical, reputational, and power-dynamic risks, especially for women.
🧠 Gizmodo — AI Ruined the Job Market, So People Are Using Dating Apps to Find Work
This piece connects the dots between AI-driven hiring filters and desperate job-search behavior. As résumé scanners reject qualified candidates at scale, referrals have become the only reliable bypass — reinforcing inequality for those without strong networks. Dating apps are emerging as a workaround, not because they’re smart, but because AI has turned hiring into an algorithmic gatekeeping exercise where humans rarely get a chance.
Would you use a dating app for your job search? 🤔
🎙️What I Listened to This Week… (Podcasts)
😂 Meme of the Week
🧠 Elite Truth to Start the Year
Your job is not your identity.
Your title is not your power.
And loyalty without leverage is just delayed risk.
Next week, we’ll tackle:
👉 When is the right time to quit — and how do you know before it’s obvious?
You’ve got the Edge. Now sharpen it.
Until next week,
— Deepali Vyas
Your Elite Recruiter
Doing the research so you don’t have to.
✨ ANNOUNCEMENTS ✨
📅 January Live Webinars with the Elite Coaching Team
🎯 The Career Game Plan
For job search, promotions & strategic pivots
A tactical session focused on how hiring and promotion decisions are actually made — and how to reposition yourself for momentum in 2026.
Live Dates
Saturday, January 17 at 10:00am EST
Wednesday, January 21 at 7:00pm EST
🚀 The Portfolio Career
Fractional · Consulting · Advisory · Project-Based Work
A strategic session on building multiple income streams and accelerating optionality through fractional executive, consulting, and advisory work.
Live Date
Saturday, January 31 at 10:00am EST
💼 This Week’s Elite Job Drops 💼
💼 Exclusive Job Drops — Before They Hit the Market
These openings are under the radar — not on LinkedIn, not on job boards. I’m sharing them here first, straight from my insider network.
✨ ELITE RESOURCES ✨
Big dreams deserve big bucks.
We’re putting up a year’s salary for one amazing Creator or Entrepreneur to make their 2026 the Year of the Dream. The challenge is simple. Post a video about your business (or business idea!) and enter for your chance to win $100,000.
We’re not giving this money to just anyone. We want to see authenticity and how your business can positively impact your community. This is about doing good and doing well.
At Stan, we empower people who truly want to work for themselves. To live out their passion. To dare to dream.
The challenge runs until January 31st but we suggest you enter today. You never know when your dream will become a reality.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. For full Official Rules, visit daretodream.stan.store/officialrules.
As you walk into reviews, resets, or job conversations in January, remember this:
Your résumé and LinkedIn are not documents.
They are signals.
My Resume Fix, LinkedIn Overhaul, and Power Presence Package are live — built with my elite recruiting and coaching team to help you show up clearly, confidently, and competitively.
I know my personal calendar is limited — which is why I’ve expanded an elite coaching team, trained in the same frameworks and hiring realities you see in this newsletter.
👉All services + coaching info: https://www.deepalivyas.com/products
👉To learn more about concierge coaching, please email: [email protected]
🌟 How To Work With Me 🤝🏻
🎥 FOLLOW ME
🔥 ELITE RECRUITER ON THE MARCH TO 1 MILLION
We’re almost there! If you’ve found this newsletter useful, help me scale it:
Share, forward, comment, or repost. Every action gets us one step closer.
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I would love to know what you thought of this newsletter and any feedback you have for me. Do you have a favorite part? Wish I would add something? Felt confused? Please reply and share your thoughts!