Career & job search coach · Santa Clara, CA & online

No more accidental careers.Future-proof your next move with work you'll actually love.

I spent six years deciding who got hired. Now I coach professionals to find work aligned with who they are—helping you run an intentional search for roles that are fulfilling, sustainable, and built to last.

Tom Vinkler
Former tech recruiterSenior Recruiter and Recruitment Manager, 6 years
M.Ed., Counseling PsychologyRutgers UniversityBridging evidence-based behavioral psychology with practical hiring strategy.
AuthorZen and the Art of Job Hunting, October 2026
AI job search, from the insideCo-founder, Hirello.ai — AI career & job-search platform

How I help

With you for the whole search, start to signed offer

This is a tough job market, and a strategy only works if you understand it and follow it. So I don't hand you a plan and disappear. I walk you through each step, explain why it matters, check that it's working, and adjust it with you when it isn't. You'll always know what to do next.

Job search

Get seen by the people who hire

Most applications vanish because they look like the other 900. I show you how recruiters actually screen, then build a search that reaches hiring managers directly.

  • Target list of employers worth your time
  • Outreach messages that get replies
  • Feedback that gets your resume and LinkedIn through a recruiter's 30-second scan
  • Interview prep and salary negotiation
Direction in the AI era

Figure out what's next, and what lasts

AI is changing which jobs exist and what they ask of people. We work out what you want, which of your skills carry over, and where they'll still be valuable in five years.

  • Strengths and interests, mapped to real roles
  • Transferable-skills map for your pivot
  • Short experiments to test a direction before committing
  • Using AI tools well, and knowing where they mislead
Calm and joy

Stay steady through the search

A long search wears people down: the silence, the rejections, the money worry. We build a rhythm you can sustain, and look for the parts of work that actually make you happy.

  • A weekly routine with real stopping points
  • Handling rejection and long silences
  • Networking that works for introverts
  • Finding meaning in the job you take next

The philosophy behind every session

Cut the noise, elevate the signal.

From the hiring side, most job searches are noise: hundreds of identical applications nobody reads. A good search sends fewer, clearer signals to the right people.

NoiseSignal
Easy Apply as applicant #945A short note to someone on the team
"Results-driven team player"One specific result, with a number
Self-rated skills listA small piece of work that shows the skill
100 applications in a week10 conversations in a month
Cover of Zen and the Art of Job Hunting by Tom Vinkler: stacked stones on raked sand, a stepping-stone path leading toward a city skyline
Coming October 2026

Zen and the Art of Job Hunting

Finding Joy and Fulfillment in Challenging Times, and Navigating Your Career Beyond 2026

A grounded, practical roadmap for navigating job search fatigue, AI hiring noise, and career reinvention without burning out.

How it works

Simple to start

1

Free 20-minute call

Tell me where you are. I'll tell you honestly whether I can help and which package fits.

2

Strategy and positioning

We settle on your target roles, then I help you reposition your resume and LinkedIn around them.

3

Interviews and offers

Practice interviews, quick answers when recruiters call, and help negotiating the offer.

Packages

Choose your level, then your level of support

Each level has three packages. Start with the smallest if you like: its full fee counts toward a larger one if you upgrade within 7 days.

Which describes you? Pick one to see its three packages.

Strategy Audit

$400 one-time

A focused start: one session and a plan to follow.

  • Strategy1 session, 60 minutes
  • RoadmapCustomized roadmap and job search strategy playbook
  • SupportEmail, replies within 48 hours
  • Upgrade creditFull fee counts toward a larger package
Get started

Card, or monthly payments with Affirm

Standard

$1,950 one-time

Sharper positioning and a search strategy, with regular sessions.

  • Strategy5 sessions, 45 minutes each
  • MaterialsFeedback and positioning for your resume and LinkedIn
  • Feedback rounds2 rounds
  • Interview prepNot included
  • SupportEmail, replies within 24 hours
  • Offer negotiationEmail templates only
  • GuaranteeNot included
Get started

Card, or monthly payments with Affirm

4interviews

The interview guarantee

The Accelerator package at each level guarantees four interviews with real decision-makers, within 90 days (mid-level) or 120 days (executive). If that doesn't happen, I review your materials and positioning with you again at no charge and keep coaching you until you sign an offer.

Questions

Before you book

What are my payment options?

Pay in full by card, or choose Affirm at checkout to pay monthly. Affirm shows you the plans it can offer, typically from 6 months up to 36 months on the larger packages. Approval, terms and any interest are set by Affirm, and checking your options won't affect your credit score.

Do you guarantee I'll get a job?

No one honestly can. What the top package at each level does guarantee is interviews: four with hiring managers within 90 days on the mid-level Accelerator, or four with decision-makers within 120 days on the Executive – Accelerator, as long as you keep up your weekly outreach. If we miss that, I review your materials with you again at no charge and keep coaching you until you sign an offer.

Are sessions online or in person?

Online by video, so you can be anywhere. In-person sessions are available in the South Bay on request.

Who do you work with?

Mid-level professionals, managers and senior individual contributors through to directors, VPs and executives. Tech and corporate backgrounds especially, since that's where I recruited.

What if I'm not sure which package fits?

Book the free 20-minute call, or start with the smallest package at your level. If you upgrade within 7 days, everything you paid counts toward the larger package.

About

Hi, I'm Tom

Before coaching, I sat on the other side of the desk—screening thousands of applicants as a tech recruiter and leading teams as a program manager at companies like Cisco and Uber. I saw firsthand how easily talented people get lost in broken hiring systems, and how exhausting an undirected search can be.

I’ve spent over twelve years studying and practicing Buddhism, Zen, meditation and the mechanics of the mind. That combination shapes everything I do and hopefully I can also help you build a disciplined, intentional search for work that is aligned with who you are, and will also help you stay mentally steady through the uncertainty.

I work with clients worldwide from Santa Clara, California, where I live with my wife. When I’m not coaching or building career tools, you're likely to find me on a dojo mat or a tennis court.

Based in
Santa Clara, California
Sessions
Video worldwide · in person in the South Bay
Book a free 20-minute call LinkedIn