Job Searching: Tips and Tricks on Getting your Dream Job!

He applied to 300+ jobs in 2013 and got rejected from all of them.

Two years later, he was in final rounds at Microsoft, Google, & Twitter.

The result?

An offer from Microsoft with a $70k+ raise.? some of the nine (9) steps, He used to make it happen.?

1. Understand Who Companies Really Hire.

?He used to think the most qualified candidate got the job.

That's not true. Companies don't hire the most qualified candidate. They hire the person they believe will deliver the most value.? His new goal? Be that person.

2. Choose 15 Target Companies

?To illustrate value, He had to narrow his focus and stop applying to random jobs online. Instead, He made a list of 15 target companies.

? Then aimed to learn everything he could about:

- Their goals

- Their challenges

- Their major initiatives

3. Find 150 Prospects??

He knew he needed a referral. An internal advocate would help him skip the line and maximize his value. So he made a list of 10 contacts at each company. He aimed for potential hiring managers and teammates.

10 contacts * 15 companies = 150 total contacts.

4. Start Making Contact??

He didn't ask for a referral up front and made his initial outreach about the other person:

- Engaged with their content

- Recognized career transitions

- Asked for advice and followed up with results

After a few touchpoints, he then asked for a call.

5. Identify Opportunities For Value??

He used these calls to perform discovery and ask his contacts about:

- Their journeys

- The biggest challenge their team is facing

- The six-month goals for their team??

?look for any opportunity where he could illustrate tangible value.

6. Research, Research, Research

With his potential opportunity in hand, he will start researching.? His favourite tactics were:

?- Surveying customers/prospects

- Performing competitive analyses

- Gathering credible industry data

Then he will prepare my pitch.

7. Crafting A Pitch Deck??

He packaged his pitch in a short slide deck and introduced the problem/opportunity and backed it up with industry data.? Again

?shared 2-3 ideas or solutions with an execution plan. Then sent the deck to his contact and asked for a referral.

8. Examples of Ideas

For Google, he created a personalized pitch strategy for a potential client.

For Twitter, he shared 5 ideas for monetizing their existing audience.

For Microsoft, he surveyed SMBs and turned the feedback into a strategy to help Microsoft Ads reach more SMBs.

9. Referral + Value = Opportunities

Now, he was walking into interviews with 2 things:

1. A referral from an internal advocate

2. A clear, tangible illustration of my value that directly related to the company's goals

The focus was on that, not my non-traditional background.

10. Landing The Offer

In the end, Microsoft extended an offer and he officially became a Partner Manager at Microsoft Ads.

That job took his total compensation from $70k / year → to $130k / year.

All without “traditional” experience and without applying online.

These strategies can be replicated everywhere.

You’ve gotta drill down your favourite companies, network, and get referrals. It’s possible for you!

credit:?Austin Belcak