Career Confidential: Job Coach Jodi Murnick

Jodi Murnick’s path to becoming a career coach was 25 years in the making. It began with a chance lunch conversation at her University of Georgia sorority house in 1998.

Murnick, a second-semester senior with a psychology degree, admittedly was unsure of what came next. “Strangely, neither my parents nor I were that concerned about it,” she says. Then she met a friend of a friend who was visiting for the weekend.

After 20 minutes of conversation, the friend, a recruiter, told Murnick she’d be great at the job and offered her one of three interview slots in Austin. That spontaneous conversation launched a winding career path that would eventually lead to the creation of Jodi Murnick Coaching, which she officially launched this past June.

The Career Rebrand

Based in Short Hills, where she’s lived since 2007, Murnick specializes in helping young adults navigate the increasingly complex terrain of early career development. Her journey from uncertain college senior to sought-after career strategist mirrors the very transformations she now guides her clients through.

After that fateful lunch conversation at the University of Georgia, Murnick started her career as a college recruiter at a startup software company in Austin. She then helped launch a network of online city guides called Citysearch.com in the late 1990s—back when “dot com” still sounded like the future.

After earning her MBA at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin, where she also met her husband, Murnick ventured into corporate America as a brand manager, interning at General Mills and later working at Pfizer Consumer Healthcare and Johnson & Johnson.

When the demanding pace of corporate life no longer aligned with raising her three children—Jacquelyn, 18, Evan, 16, and Taylor, 14—Murnick made what she calls “the difficult decision to leave.” Through a local connection, she found a boutique consulting firm where she could put her brand management skills to use, becoming an early adopter of hybrid work back when that meant unconventional rather than standard operating procedure.

“I would build PowerPoint presentations with my babies at my feet and then put on my high heels to present my ideas in conference rooms at large consumer packaged goods companies,” she says.

Connections as Currency

Throughout her career, Murnick began to notice a pattern. “I saw high-potential young adults struggle when they didn’t get the coaching they needed at work,” she explains. “As things became more competitive, it was clear that people who couldn’t articulate their ideas—or didn’t have the confidence to advocate for themselves—were missing opportunities. And since about 80% of jobs are found through networking, I tell my clients all the time: ‘Connections are your currency.’ The key is not to treat networking as transactional. It only works when you build relationships with genuine interest.”

Embracing the Evolution

It’s hard to miss all the gloom and doom around the job market these days. “Times are challenging—but there is also a lot to be energized about,” Murnick says. “Capable, resourceful, driven jobseekers are still finding great opportunities.”

She believes that this job market feels different from past downturns because it isn’t being driven by a single, defining crisis. “What we’re experiencing now is more complex,” she says. “Economic uncertainty is colliding with rapid AI adoption and a fundamental shift in how work gets done. This isn’t a hiring freeze. It’s a recalibration. And that distinction matters, because it changes how jobseekers need to approach the process.”

As Murnick has learned—both in building her own network and in coaching working professionals—success today comes from putting yourself out there, showing up genuinely, and building momentum one intentional move at a time. In this recalibrated job market, that’s not just advice—it’s the rule.

SIDEBAR

Tips for Navigating the New Hiring Landscape

• Welcome to Work 2.0
Job roles are evolving, and while digital skills are now baseline, your real advantage is human. Hiring managers want initiative, strong communication, and the curiosity to adapt—proof you can keep learning as the work changes.

• Momentum as Mantra
Hiring is more deliberate and timelines have stretched, but the jobs are there. Don’t let the wait shake you—stay active, keep networking, and remain visible so you’re top of mind when decisions move.

• The Resume Rewrite
Forget the checklist. Your LinkedIn and resume should read like a highlight reel. Employers want problem-solvers, not just degree-holders—use projects, internships, and side work to show ownership, impact, and results.

• Work With Intelligence
Use AI as a smart assistant for the heavy lifting—research, drafting, and prep—but don’t outsource your voice. The strongest applications sound genuine and land with a polished, personal touch.

• The Art of Resilience
Companies don’t just want smart—they want steady. The stories that matter to them are the ones where you faced change, learned fast, and kept going. Show how you respond under pressure, and you’ll stand out in any applicant pool.

Photograph by Melissa Spector