Real talk: The economy sucks and I have a sinking feeling that things are about to get way, way worse for a lot of folks before they get better.

That's not to say that we won't recover. In many ways, we will. Businesses will open back up, jobs will come back, and we will return to something resembling "normal" at some point... but there's a confluence of factors that really concerns me.

This pandemic and economic downturn is hitting at the peak of another crisis that we haven't been talking about... The job search crisis.

For the last few years, job boards like Indeed and ZipRecruiter have been growing. These platforms have effectively commoditized both jobs and job applicants, making the experience terrible for all parties involved.

Applicants apply to as many jobs as they can, only to never hear back from any of them. Hiring managers spend their time wading through hundreds of irrelevant applications from candidates who apply to 100 jobs per day.

As the downturn deepens, these problems will get worse.

But certain folks aren't going to have these problems. Certain folks are going to juggle interviews with several companies and entertain multiple offers. Certain people will actually get a raise in their next job, even during a historic economic downturn.

Some will say that's because they're that much more talented than you. Others will say it's because they know the right people.

I'm here to tell you that both of those arguments are bullshit.

Those people have one thing that you don't... A story. I want to help you change that. That's why I'm launching Pro's Prose, a content machine dedicated to helping you turn your unique story into your competitive advantage in the job market.

Before I got into the tech and business world, I was an artist. The truth is that I love writing and performing far more than I love marketing, and the best work I've done in my career looks more like my work as an artist than it does as a business person.

This has been especially true when applying for jobs. I have had a disproportionate advantage in the past because I knew how to tell my story in a way that would get hiring managers excited about me. The goal of great storytelling is to get the audience excited about the protagonist. It's not that hard, once you understand the basic principles.

But most people don't know the basic principles. They have been fed a lie by educators, hiring managers, and job boards that if they work hard enough, get the right degree, and deliver results, that they will be rewarded with great job offers. Meanwhile, incredibly talented, hard-working people keep sending their resume into the black hole of death.

I want to reverse this trend before it's too late.

I want to take the lessons I've learned from studying the greatest storytellers of all time and teach you how you can apply those lessons to landing your dream job.

I'm starting with a free email course on storytelling in job interviews. In this course, I'll share the principles that make you fall in love with the protagonist in romantic comedies, the type of song that drives the plot of the world's greatest musicals, and the character-building tactics that allow great authors to imagine compelling characters that you want to learn more about. In every email, I'll give you specific actions you can take to apply these principles in your next job interview, and editable worksheets that you can use to craft your own narrative.

From there, I'm going to share content with you every week about the impact that great storytelling has on business, and how you can harness that power for yourself. I'll be releasing exclusive content for my email list, ranging from how to answer common interview questions to the lessons that ancient Sumerians can teach us about writing a great resume.

Things are bad. They're going to get worse. We'll get through it together. The one thing that no one can ever take away from you is your story. Let's put it to work for you.