By Marc W. Polite
Greetings, my readers. On this week’s author profile, we meet Cass Murray. Cass is the author of “The Job Seekers Pocket Guide to Getting Your Paycheck Back: Cause Job Boards Are Dead.” Utilizing her years of experience as a recruiter, Cass offers this guide to assist job seekers in today’s tough employment market. Below, we hear more from Cass herself about the motivations for this book, and her background.
Polite On Society: Who is Cass Murray? Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Cass Murray: I was raised by a single mother who faced her own personal struggles, often leaving us alone for days at a time. No one told me to ‘go to school’ as I was the live-in babysitter. I had no goals other than getting through to the next day. Fast forward to today, I have a BA in Sociology, 20+ years in agency and corporate recruitment and am currently a Technical Recruiter for Jeff Bezos rocket company, Blue Origin (my dream job).
POS: You have just released a new book. The Job Seeker’s Guide to Getting Your Paycheck Back- Cause Job Boards Are Dead.” What motivated you to publish this?
CM: I understand the frustration of feeling beaten down by endless job rejections, it brought me to depression. But I transformed that despair into determination by shifting my perspective and treating my job search like a recruiter would. I asked myself, “How can I position myself as top talent and get in front of hiring teams?” It certainly isn’t a resume revamp in 2025! We can’t trust a basic resume to ‘advertise’ our achievements in today’s world. Better to use social media to network with the people who can get you the job you really want!
POS: You are spirited about helping people in their careers. How do you maintain that enthusiasm when so many people see a job search as a grueling process?
CM: I see every layoff as an open door to opportunity. It’s the one time you can get back into the game (ahem) negotiating process and boost your salary, benefits, whatever, especially if your company isn’t up to the task. When you think strategically, you can plan your own career destiny rather than wait for a layoff to be unseated and defeated. When you are on the other side of hiring, you understand the nuances and can hack the process. That’s what I educate people how to do to so they are ready if the axe falls.
POS: This is an especially challenging time to be a job seeker. What is one thing you recommend to help the job searcher function while still be proactive about seeking employment?
CM: Focus on an offer you would accept, rather than throwing your resume around. Matter of fact, keep it tucked away and engage with more people. Think how YOU can make an impact in your industry. What makes you special? That is what this book helps job seekers realize.
POS: Often in your messaging to job seekers, you discuss Mindset Shift. Explain the importance of this for us.
CM: Job seeking is a grueling task and can make job seekers feel so ALONE. When you are proactive think about it more like ‘self care’ for your career, you begin to see how you can start building your career plan for the future. Looking for your next opportunity CAN be filled with excitement- when you aren’t worried about BILLS, what others will think, etc. Once you reframe your thinking, you can feel excited about learning more about how you can help companies achieve their objectives and that’s a lot of what it takes to be a rockstar.
POS: Is there anything else you want our readers to know about you and your book?
CM: ‘The Job Seeker’s Guide to Getting Your Paycheck Back – ‘Cause Job Boards Are Dead’ educates job seekers on how to avoid mainstream job boards and guides them toward rockstar status in their industry. More recruiters and career coaches know applying to saturated job boards is a waste of time as more job seekers use AI to apply for hundreds of jobs per day. Now, the competition embracing alternative ideas is low. No one else is teaching this so NOW is the time to act because everyone deserves more from their career search.
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I’d like to thank Cass for taking the time to educate us on some the ins and outs of today’s job market. “The Job Seekers Guide..” is now available on Amazon.