I think the real answer here is to stand out. She's spectacular, but doesn't market herself well because she's good at everything and doesn't give him an easy hook.
There's something weird about this situation, though. Why is she asking him for job referrals when he obvious doesn't know anything personal about her? He doesn't know anything that she likes or dislikes... This might as well be their first meeting. (And might have been!) Sounds more like a recruiter than a friend.
But it's not a recruiter, because a recruiter would just submit her to anything that even slightly matches... Which for her is everything.
So while I think the advice is good and on-target, I think there's a pretty small window of usability.
That's the opinion the author is rebutting here, and I agree with him. It's not enough to just stand out. You have to tell people how you stand out, and what you want. Narrow your scope, have high standards. Of all the things you've done in the past, pick the one or two things you liked the absolute best and pursue whatever it was that made those things awesome.
There's something weird about this situation, though. Why is she asking him for job referrals when he obvious doesn't know anything personal about her? He doesn't know anything that she likes or dislikes... This might as well be their first meeting. (And might have been!) Sounds more like a recruiter than a friend.
But it's not a recruiter, because a recruiter would just submit her to anything that even slightly matches... Which for her is everything.
So while I think the advice is good and on-target, I think there's a pretty small window of usability.