Hank AzarianConsulting
EST. 2010

FIXING THE BROKEN JOB MARKET

5 jobs I'd be crazy not to apply for today, and the two I did.

I was reading Annie Lowrey's Atlantic piece, "AI Has Ruined the Job Market," about how automated mass-application tools and machine-learning resume screeners have created an infinite loop of noise that buries actual talent.

And I kept coming back to one question:

What if job search could work differently?

01 — THE THESIS

Curated Applications.

Right now, the entire incentive model feels broken. Candidates are pushed toward an AI automation arms race. Companies are buried under volume. The process still pretends to be personal: private applications, discreet outreach, tailored resumes, customized cover letters. But at scale, it has become AI talking to AI, with humans pushed further away from the actual decision.

So this is my experiment.

What happens if I apply to fewer roles, but make the reasoning more visible?

I'm not sure if this works better than sending another AI-assisted resume into the pile. But it gives me a better way to show why the role makes sense, what I see in the business, and why I think I can help.

Let's find out.↓

02 — THE SPOTLIGHT

The two roles I chose

01Spotlight

Product Builder, AI CMO

Owner.com

Why it made the list

Diagnostic-to-action product for restaurant operators. It earned a spotlight because it maps directly to my SMB product, organic growth, AI workflow, and operator-decision work.

Why I applied

This role sits at the intersection of product strategy, AI implementation, go-to-market, and measurable revenue outcomes for owner-operated businesses. That maps directly to the work I have been building toward: SMB product, building and scaling organic growth systems, AI-native operating prototypes, and decision tools that turn fragmented signals into prioritized action. The team is small, the charter is wide, and the timing feels right.

Evidence Library

Target customer profile:The strongest-fit operator is the local SEO-invisible restaurant owner. This is a business with real offline demand that suffers from weak digital capture across search, listings, and direct ordering.
Trigger moments:The product becomes urgent when “best breakfast near me” favors a chain, direct ordering is hard to find, Google hours are wrong, or third-party commissions expose how much margin is leaking.
Jobs to be done:Help me reclaim direct local demand without adding technical work, operational downtime, or another platform to manage.
Cost of inaction:The restaurant keeps losing margin to rented demand, missing local mobile search, weakening first-party customer relationships, and making isolated fixes that do not compound.
Product opportunity:Owner already does much of this through the Grader by diagnosing digital leaks and quantifying revenue upside. The opportunity is to push further into execution by sequencing fixes and making the transition from insight to implementation feel increasingly automatic.
Why I can help:My background connects SMB product, organic growth, AI-native workflows, and operator-facing decision systems. This maps directly to turning insights into product features.

*Based on a proprietary ICP Builder Pro analysis for Owner.com’s Grader.

Status

Brief complete. Application in progress.

View Job Posting →
02Spotlight

Director of Growth

Atomic / Golden Child

Why it made the list

Trust-led growth for a premium consumer brand. It earned a spotlight because it maps to my work testing which messages, proof points, and triggers move people to act.

Why I applied

I am fascinated by roles that sit at the intersection of consumer positioning, growth experimentation, lifecycle strategy, and customer trust. I have been building toward a more unified way to test which messages, proof points, and customer triggers actually earn trust across search, AI answers, and customer-facing pages. This feels like a real-world application of that work. The company is early, the category has real emotional stakes, and the growth story requires both precision and taste.

Evidence Library

Target customer profile:The strongest-fit customer is the premium dog parent seeking a premium alternative to kibble. They treat their dog like family but do not want to become full-time pet nutrition researchers.
Trigger moments:The product becomes urgent after a routine vet visit, an aging milestone, an ingredient scare, digestive frustration, pickiness, or a quiet moment of guilt over whether “premium” food is actually good enough.
Jobs to be done:Help me feed my dog something healthier, fresher, and easier to trust without cooking from scratch, decoding every label, or rebuilding my daily routine around pet nutrition.
Cost of inaction:The owner stays stuck between processed kibble, overwhelming DIY prep, expensive subscription alternatives, and the quiet worry that convenience is costing their dog something.
Product opportunity:Golden Child can win the bowl-upgrade moment by making personalization simple, making the food visibly trustworthy, and making the subscription feel like relief instead of another responsibility.
Why I can help:My current work focuses on testing which messages, proof points, and customer triggers earn trust across search, AI answers, and customer-facing pages.

*Based on a proprietary ICP Builder Pro analysis for Golden Child.

Status

Brief drafted. Target selected.

View Job Posting →

03 — THE FIVE-ROLE SHORTLIST

The five-role shortlist

RankCompanyRoleCore opportunityStatus
01Owner.comProduct Builder, AI CMODiagnostic-to-action product for restaurant operators. It earned a spotlight because it maps directly to my SMB product, organic growth, AI workflow, and operator-decision work.SPOTLIGHT
02Atomic / Golden ChildDirector of GrowthTrust-led growth for a premium consumer brand. It earned a spotlight because it maps to my work testing which messages, proof points, and triggers move people to act.SPOTLIGHT
03DoorDashDirector / GM, DashPass OpsRetention and P&L ownership for a major subscription engine. Shortlist because it is a strong recurring-revenue growth role, but not one of the two deepest evidence fits.SHORTLIST
04PlaidWeb Marketing LeadWeb growth across trust, education, developer intent, and conversion. Shortlist because it is highly aligned, but narrower than the selected spotlight roles.SHORTLIST
05Virgin VoyagesDir. Digital Strategy & eCommerceDigital revenue strategy for a differentiated travel brand. Shortlist because it is a strong eCommerce fit, but less central to the AI/search testing thread.SHORTLIST
01SPOTLIGHT

Owner.com

Product Builder, AI CMO

Diagnostic-to-action product for restaurant operators. It earned a spotlight because it maps directly to my SMB product, organic growth, AI workflow, and operator-decision work.

02SPOTLIGHT

Atomic / Golden Child

Director of Growth

Trust-led growth for a premium consumer brand. It earned a spotlight because it maps to my work testing which messages, proof points, and triggers move people to act.

03SHORTLIST

DoorDash

Director / GM, DashPass Ops

Retention and P&L ownership for a major subscription engine. Shortlist because it is a strong recurring-revenue growth role, but not one of the two deepest evidence fits.

04SHORTLIST

Plaid

Web Marketing Lead

Web growth across trust, education, developer intent, and conversion. Shortlist because it is highly aligned, but narrower than the selected spotlight roles.

05SHORTLIST

Virgin Voyages

Dir. Digital Strategy & eCommerce

Digital revenue strategy for a differentiated travel brand. Shortlist because it is a strong eCommerce fit, but less central to the AI/search testing thread.

04 — LET'S END YOUR SEARCH

Need sharper growth strategy?

Let's talk about how I can help.

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