I got a spam email this morning.
A staffing agency pitching their AI talent services. I almost deleted it.
But then I looked closer.
These cold email agencies do their research. They know what makes companies respond. They’ve tested thousands of messages.
So what did they lead with?
Speed.
Two of their three bullet points were about speed:
- “Reduced time-to-market by 50-60%”
- “Integrated AI models within weeks, not quarters”
That’s what companies care about. Not just skills. Speed.
What this means for you:
When you talk about your projects — on LinkedIn, in interviews, in your portfolio — don’t just say what you built. Say how fast you built it.
“Built a predictive model in 2 weeks.” “Deployed an LLM integration in 10 days.” “Went from idea to working prototype in one weekend.”
Speed is a selling point. Use it.
The second thing they did:
The email ended with: “Would you like to see a case study relevant to your industry?”
Not a generic case study. One specific to the prospect’s industry.
What this means for you:
A portfolio project is good. A portfolio project in your target industry is better.
If you want to work in healthcare — build something for healthcare.
If you want to work in finance — build something for finance.
If you want to work in retail — … *you get the point
Yes, it feels risky to specialize. But generic candidates get generic responses.
I’m not saying you HAVE TO specialize…
…but, all else being equal, specific will win. Every time.
Learn from the spammers 😉
Speed and specificity,
Kirill
PS: Now how to build a project that actually gets you hired …