We need to take a step back now that you’ve found a job the you want to apply to. At this point, from the company’s perspective your application would just be another number among many. A lot of luck would be required to get you noticed, even if your experiences are perfect for the role! The order your resume is looked at plays a role, the current mood of the hiring manager when the see your resume could make or break it, and even the way your resume is read by potential automated tracking systems can hold it back.
We could just toss your application into the pool and hope for the best… But instead, let’s make our own luck!
Remember when we identified people on LinkedIn who work at this company and are in a similar role that you would be in? Well it’s time to turn those potential connections into real connections.
But how will we know who to connect with? And how will we know what to say to them?
It’s time to get out that researchers cap again!
But before we get too far into this I want to add some clarification and honesty. This is not a get a job quick scheme. In fact, it might be closer to the opposite. Making real connections takes tactfulness and patience—there is a real person on the other end of each interaction. Try to think from their perspective as you go through the networking process. If there is something that you wouldn’t want someone to ask or say to you before you really know them, then you may want to avoid that for now. Whether you are meeting people at conferences, job fairs, or connecting on LinkedIn you want to build real relationships and not just use people for your gain. Check out this article by David Burkus about 8 Questions to Ask Someone Other Than “What Do You Do?” and if you are interested, look into his book Friend of a Friend which can be found on my Resources page!
Now let’s get started for real!
Go back into the connections spreadsheet we made in the last step and find the tab for the company you’re interested in. Look through the details for all the potential connections from that company. Be sure to go back to their profiles if you need a refresher on their background and skills and add anything new you learn to the “Notes” column of your spreadsheet. Highlight the names of the people you decide would be best to connect with. Here’s what you should be looking out for:
- 2nd level connections
- Alumni from your college
- Someone with a publication or previous employment that is similar to research you’ve done or just really interesting to you (not something related to their current job)
- One person in Human Resources/Recruiting
- One person who is the same level that you’ll be applying for
- One person who is above the level you’ll be applying for
Now that we know who our audience is let’s open up a text document and start thinking about how to introduce yourself to these complete strangers.
YOU ABSOLUTELY DO NOT WANT TO MENTION THE JOB IN THIS FIRST INTERACTION. No one is going to do you any favors before they even know anything about you.
Instead, think about what you have in common with these people (which should be easy now with the research we’ve done and notes we’ve taken!). Maybe you did a project in school that is directly related to a paper they published in their past. Maybe your best friend Kyle is somehow connected with one of these people. Maybe you had an internship at one of their previous companies. Maybe there’s something happening in the industry that is exciting and you’d like to get their views on it. Check out their activity on LinkedIn and see if you have any similar interests that you can comment on. Any of these things (and more) can be used as an introductory statement. In a future post I’ll show you some sample messages so you can get an idea of how to word these intro statements.
Remember to keep the focus on them and be concise. No one wants to read a giant paragraph from a stranger.
Once you’ve got something that sounds good feel free to test it out on a trusted friend or family member to see if they agree that it’s not too aggressive. Remember, these are people that you want to work with soon and you want them to want to work with you too. Once you’ve got your message edited it’s time to send and wait!
You don’t need to get a response from everyone you message, but hopefully one will respond. When they do, try to keep the conversation going and show sincere interest in what they are doing.
Wait a few days after the conversation comes to a standstill.
Now it’s time.
You want to gently bring up the fact that you are applying for a job at the company. Start by mentioning how interested you are in what they are doing. Then talk briefly about how you are applying for a job in such-and-such-a-group and would love to hear from them what that group does.
Never directly ask for help getting a job at their company. It will immediately turn them off to you. You’ve got to earn it. If you’ve been super amazing, they might offer help without you even asking. 😉
And that’s what we’re going to do in the next several steps!
