Career Content Strategist / Instructional Designer

About the Project I’m the founder of The Job Seeker’s Vault, an online career and job-search education product designed to help people navigate the process of finding work. A version of the product already exists and contains a substantial amount of material covering areas such as resumes, LinkedIn, interviewing, networking, job-search strategy, using AI, salary negotiation, and other parts of the hiring process. However, I originally built much of the product myself with the help of AI, and I do not want to assume that the existing curriculum is the best version of what it could be. I’m looking for an experienced career content strategist / instructional designer / career education expert who can come in, independently evaluate the entire product, research how the job market and hiring process work today, and substantially rebuild the Vault into a genuinely excellent, current, practical job-search program. This is not simply an editing or proofreading project. I want someone who is capable of challenging the existing product and saying: * This advice is outdated. * This section is too generic. * This topic is missing. * This should be removed. * These sections should be combined. * Job seekers need to understand this before they understand that. * Hiring has changed in this area and the course should reflect it. * This lesson should become a checklist, worksheet, template, exercise, or practical workflow. * This advice may technically be correct, but it is not useful enough for someone actively trying to get hired. You should be comfortable substantially changing what already exists. What I Want You to Do Audit the Existing Job Seeker’s Vault Go through the current product and evaluate the full learning experience. I want you to assess: * accuracy * relevance * depth * usefulness * organization * clarity * duplication * outdated guidance * missing information * unnecessary content * quality of examples * actionability * overall curriculum structure I want an honest assessment, not an assumption that the existing structure should be preserved. Research the Current Hiring and Job-Search Environment The rebuilt product should reflect the current job market and hiring environment, not how job searching worked several years ago. You should be comfortable doing independent research into areas such as: * how recruiters currently source and screen candidates * ATS and application filtering * modern resume strategy * LinkedIn and professional positioning * networking and referrals * recruiter outreach * interview processes * assessments * AI interviews * AI-assisted recruiting * how employers are using AI * how candidates should use AI effectively and responsibly * changes in entry-level and professional hiring * application strategy * job-search volume * personal branding * online presence * skills-based hiring * salary research and negotiation * layoffs and career transitions * current recruiter and hiring-manager behavior * job-search scams and low-quality listings * remote, hybrid, and location-based hiring * anything else that a serious job seeker needs to understand in the current market I expect important recommendations to be based on credible current research and real hiring practices rather than generic career advice. Redesign the Curriculum After understanding the existing product and the current hiring market, determine what the ideal Job Seeker’s Vault curriculum should actually look like. That includes deciding: * what major sections should exist * what order they should appear in * what should be removed * what should be rewritten * what should be added * what deserves deeper coverage * what should be simplified * where templates, checklists, examples, exercises, worksheets, or tools should be included * how someone should move through the program without becoming overwhelmed I care more about creating the right product than preserving my original structure. Heavily Edit and Rebuild the Actual Content This is not just about recommendations. I want someone who can actually go into the product and improve it. That may involve: * rewriting lessons * expanding weak sections * replacing outdated advice * adding new lessons * improving examples * turning theoretical advice into concrete actions * creating frameworks * creating checklists * creating templates * creating exercises * removing repetitive or low-value material * making complicated topics easier to understand * improving the overall flow of the program The final product should not feel like generic AI-generated career content. It should feel like a high-quality job-search program created by someone who deeply understands both hiring and how to teach people effectively. The Standard I’m Looking For My goal is not simply to have “a course.” I want someone entering the Vault to feel that they have access to an extremely comprehensive and current system for understanding how to find work today. If something important about modern job searching is missing, I want you to catch it. If something I currently teach is wrong, outdated, weak, or oversimplified, I want you to tell me. If the structure should change completely, I’m open to changing it. I am specifically hiring someone because I want expert judgment beyond my own. Ideal Background You may be a strong fit if you have experience in several of the following: * career coaching * recruiting / talent acquisition * career services * resume strategy * interviewing / hiring * instructional design * curriculum development * workforce development * adult education * career-tech * education products The strongest candidate will understand both the real hiring market and how to structure educational content. Someone who is only a copywriter or general content writer is probably not the right fit. Research Expectations I want the product to remain grounded in current information. When making major factual or strategic changes, you should be able to explain: * why you are making the change * what has changed in the job market * what evidence or professional experience supports it * whether the recommendation is broadly applicable or depends on industry, seniority, geography, or candidate type I do not want unsupported claims presented as universal hiring rules. Working Style This will be an hourly engagement. I am looking for someone who can work independently, think critically, make recommendations, and actively improve the product rather than waiting for detailed instructions on every section. I want someone who can take ownership of the quality of the curriculum and help shape what the Vault should become. This may become an ongoing relationship because the hiring market will continue changing and the product will need to evolve with it. When Applying Please answer the following: 1. What is your professional background in recruiting, career coaching, career services, workforce development, or hiring? 2. What experience do you have with instructional design or curriculum development? 3. Have you previously built or substantially redesigned a career-development, job-search, or professional education program? Please provide examples if possible. 4. How would you approach auditing an existing job-search course before rewriting anything? 5. How would you research and verify what has changed in the hiring market? 6. Give me one example of job-search advice that you believe has become outdated, oversimplified, or misunderstood in the current market, and explain why. 7. Are you comfortable removing or completely rewriting existing material when you believe it is weak? 8. How many hours per week are you currently available for an ongoing hourly engagement? Important Please do not apply if your primary approach is simply putting the existing material into ChatGPT and rewriting it. AI can absolutely be part of the research and production workflow, but I am hiring you for judgment, subject-matter expertise, research, curriculum design, and critical thinking. I want someone who can make the product meaningfully better, not simply make the existing writing sound better.