Ex-Governor Jane Swift's 10 Job-Search Rules: What Actually Works

A candidate dressed professionally on a Zoom call with 20-30 attendees — most cameras off, most unprepared — got the job at MLB Replay when it opened, chosen from that very pool. That story comes from Jane Swift, 61, former acting governor of Massachusetts from 2001 to 2003 and now CEO of the Boston-based nonprofit Education at Work, who shared ten pieces of job-search coaching she's given her three daughters in an as-told-to essay for Business Insider.

Who is giving the advice?

Swift was elected lieutenant governor of Massachusetts in 1999 and later led Middlebury Interactive Languages as CEO from 2011 to 2017. Education at Work, her current organization, helps students become financially independent through paid, flexible placements with companies that need their talent. Her daughters are proof of the method's range: Elizabeth, with a math degree from UMass Amherst and a master's from Emmanuel College, is now a video operations engineer at KISWE; twins Lauren (psychology, Northwestern) and Sarah (Trinity College, plus an MSW from Case Western Reserve) work as a consultant at Echo Group and Edmentum and a business analyst at Education at Work respectively.

What does she say about the AI-era application?

The market is competitive, and AI lets applicants fire off high volumes of applications. That volume makes it harder for employers to spot the right candidate — and since some use automated screening tools (software that filters résumés before a human reads them), tailored, clearly written applications matter more than ever. Swift's rule: personalize every email, skip generic copy, and add a short "why you" paragraph referencing a specific experience or a recent company update. Find a warm connection — a named recruiter beats a generic inbox.

What are "win themes"?

Pick two or three strengths you want the interviewer to remember, then rehearse a concrete example for each. Transferable skills count. Swift's daughter Lauren, who worked for the Northwestern football team, makes a point at donor events of explaining how that experience translates to the work she wants. The same logic drives Swift's career-journal advice: log your mistakes, star the entries where you fixed them, and mine those starred entries for interview stories.

What about interviews themselves?

• Dress one level up. Ask the organizer for the office dress code, then treat "business casual" as a baseline, not the finish line.
• Research the people, not just the role. Ask what they enjoy about the company, or why they switched from a previous employer.
• Show, don't tell. Instead of saying "I'm empathetic," Elizabeth draws on volunteering extra hours with a camper with Down syndrome as a summer counselor.
• Manage nerves with tactics. Sticky notes beside the camera, a sip of water, a neat notebook with key points — and no iced coffee, which Swift flags as a spill risk unless you're interviewing at a coffee company.

Why apply to "junior" postings?

Full-time opportunities often get advertised as paid internships, Swift argues, so apply on the job description rather than the title. A Williams alum told her at a 1996 event: "You will learn the most about the job and career you want from the job you hate." She's carried the line ever since — knowing what you don't want matters as much as knowing what you do. Her final pitch is durability: problem-solving and communication skills never stop developing, and candidates who can show how they incorporated feedback and grew will keep converting conversations into offers as automated screening reshapes hiring.