Getting to The Interview Part 3

This is the third part of a 5-part series.

The accumulated layoffs of the last year have made the job market unusually competitive. As always, networking is the key, but what does "networking" even really mean? And, what do we need to do, to elevate ourselves above the competition?

I'm a career coach for the San Francisco Job Forum. There are seemingly limitless job search resources available online, but the people we help don't want to read volumes of information - quite the opposite - they want the least amount of information necessary to get their next job. That will be the goal in presenting this short series of articles - to distill the best and latest wisdom into bite-size chunks.

There's a lot to cover so we'll break it down into 5 parts:

1. Know What You Want And Who Will Help You
2. Build Your Team of Advocates
3. How To Approach Companies Where You Have Advocates <- this part
4. How To Approach Companies Where You Do Not Have Advocates
5. Putting It All Together

The articles will focus primarily on what you need to do in 2023, up to getting an employer's attention and getting an interview.?

Part 3: How To Approach Companies Where You Have Advocates

In the last installment we looked at steps to turn our contacts into advocates for us. In this Part 3 we'll apply for a role at a company where we have an advocate.

Prerequisites

• You already have a good LinkedIn profile.
• You already have a good baseline resume.?
• You've used something like Jobscan.co or Jobalytics to optimize your resume for the job posting.?

This article won't go into those details - there are already plenty of good online resources addressing those points.

Also, in 2023 you should try to apply within 24 hours of the job being posted - because there are a lot of people applying and the job poster may stop taking applications faster than in the past.?

Let's assume ...?

• You've found a job posting that matches your skills and experience.?
• It was only just posted today.?
• It's at a company where you have an advocate.?

You want to submit an application - but wait! First you need to get your advocate to provide a referral - a special link that will ensure your application actually gets viewed.

Because of the time-sensitive nature of this job application process, you may want to establish some kind of protocol with your advocate. Explain to them the urgency, and that you will text them when you find a job posting well-matched to your skills and experience.

Moving along, now you have ...

• Contacted your advocate;
• They've emailed you the link for a referral application;
• You've tailored your resume to the job;
• Prepared a cover letter; and?
• Submitted your application.

Whew! That's a lot!?

But wait! - you aren't done. Now you need to contact the hiring manager.

Research Step 1: Identify the hiring manager for the position

In your best-case scenario, your advocate has already discovered who the hiring manager is, and has let you know. If not, then try this:

• Go to LinkedIn?
• Type the company name in the search box
• Click on ‘people’ and ‘all filters’
• Narrow the search further by business function, location, and other relevant keywords

Research Step 2: Find details about the hiring manager and the company

You are looking for information you can use in your communication with the hiring manager, and to learn about ways you can use your skills to the company's benefit.

- The hiring manager: Look up the hiring manager on LinkedIn - and other social media - for points of connection between you and them (shared interests, common/parallel history).

- The employer: Look them up on Wikipedia, Yahoo Finance, Hoovers, and Bloomberg. Also google the company, click the News button, and restrict the results to the last month.

Preparation: Drafting the Message

• Write a concise and professional subject line.
• Address the hiring manager by name.
• Keep the message concise. On a Mac or PC, limit it to one screen - don't make them scroll to see your entire message.
• Mention that you're going to apply to a posted position, with the link to the position, and mention if someone referred you.
• Mention your last employer and job title.
• Briefly connect your experience to 2-3 of the most important requirements of the role (often the top 3 bullet points of the job description).
• Ask: "What are the greatest challenges facing you and the organization?"
• Attach your resume but not a cover letter - that'll come later.
• Include your name, contact details, and LinkedIn profile at the end.

Execution

• Send a test email to yourself - to make sure the format, font, and attachments display correctly.
• Ideally, email the hiring manager on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, 7-10 AM their time - this is when you're chances are best, to get their attention.

Hopefully you'll get a reply. Opinions will differ on this next point, but if you don't get a reply, I recommend AGAINST sending a follow-up. You've done your best and they are very busy - but you've probably gotten their attention.?

IF you do get a response, and IF they answer your question about their greatest challenges ... that's gold. Use that information to frame all of your talking points going forward in the interview process.

Here's a sample email to hiring manager - edit it to match your own communication style.

Dear Ms/Mr <name>,

<Referral's name> felt that I would be a good fit for the <posted job title> role and suggested getting in touch with you before I submit my application.?

I have been <previous role> at <previous firm> and would now like to register my interest in your role.?

Your time permitting, I would be very interested to get any quick insights on the greatest challenges facing your team and this role.

I hope that my LinkedIn profile and resume (attached) will highlight my value.

Sincerely,

<your name>

<contact info>

<linkedin profile>

That's it for now. The next installment will focus on how to approach companies where you do NOT have advocates, so watch for it in the next couple days.

The individual articles:

1. Know What You Want, and Who Will Help You
2. Build Your Team of Advocates
3. How To Approach Companies Where You Have Advocates <- this part
4. How To Approach Companies Where You Do Not Have Advocates
5. Putting It All Together

#connections #network #career #jobsearch