Have you given up on joining a company that actually means something to you because you’ve applied in the past and have never heard back from those applications?
Now isn’t the time to fall back on a highly paid contract role: a role just to pay the bills. Instead, why can't we just go after what we really want?
If you’re looking to get more soul-aligned interview requests from the competitive mission-driven companies we’re all yearning to work for then keep reading.
You deserve this.
You can do this.
Let's go.
Step 1: Spend the time adjusting your personal brand
The first thing you want to do is adjust your personal brand. Reel and entice them in by really spending the time honoring the work you’ve done up until now…and the first place you’ll do this is via Linkedin.
Headline:
Make sure you’re calling yourself what the market calls the role you’re targeting in your headline space.
Meaning if you are a Project Manager that manages programs in the Supply Chain space, and your dream role at GOOP calls the role Supply Chain Program Manager then you need to update your headline to this:
- Supply Chain Program Manager at YOUR COMPANY NAME I Project & Program Management
If your company already has Program Managers and although you assist with and have a toe in Program Management but your role is mostly Project Management then go ahead and change your headline to this:
- Supply Chain Project & Program Management at COMPANY NAME
Recruiters and Hiring Managers at these competitive companies don't have time to assume you’re doing the role if you don’t have that title already…this is the reason a lot of you are on the market longer than you need to be.
Just make it really clear that you’re the person for the role by calling yourself exactly that. If you’d like to keep your company-assigned title on your resume you can do that but I would suggest at least having the market title in parenthesis next to it ie:
- Project Manager (Program & Project Management / Supply Chain)
The last areas you need to adjust before ever applying to these dream companies are your experience section, your bio, and your skill section.
Your Experience Section
Go ahead and use a job description to write the bullet points you’ll add to your resume and LinkedIn.
Just swap in their bullet points and add details as relevant - ie any metrics, team names, win’s, all of it.
Try not to use a job description from that actual company. Find a similar role and use that to build the CV.
This is the easiest way to be the ‘right fit’, to have the keywords they’re looking for on your CV.
For your summary section
You need to give them a reason to fall in love or at least in deep like and respect before they ever get a chance to speak to you.
- Talk about why you started down that career path...
- Why you excel in it..
- The bigger reason behind staying in it…
Share what you do when you’re not working. E.g. what boards you sit on or pro-bono work you do that feeds your soul.
Think of yourself as a Public Figure, treat your LinkedIn bio as a press release describing who you are, what you’ve accomplished, what you stand for, and your values.
Don’t skip this step because we all know how easy it is to excuse missing requirements and still hire the person based on that know, like and trust developed during the interview process.
Give them a head start on falling in like with you by giving them access to who you are before the interview.
Now that you’ve gone a step above the average applicant by actually sharing about yourself and speaking their language by using their exact language in your experience section, let's talk about what you need to do to get these interviews.
Step 2: You need to message the recruiters.
I’m sorry, but you do; and once you do you’ll see how easy it was, how rewarding and you’ll never approach a job search in the old way again…
So the formula is this…
- apply for the role,
- look the company page up on LinkedIn
- and then go to their People page.
- From there you’ll use the search bar to find any employee that has Recruiter, Talent Acquisition or Human Resources in their title.
You’ll want to connect with 1-3 recruiters at that company…staying away from Recruitment Managers, since they aren’t the ones doing the on the ground recruitment for these roles. Once you connect with them, choose to add a note and in the note section use any of these ‘scripts’ below to start a conversation.
Script for in-house Recruiter, Talent Acquisition Specialists or Human Resources at the company:
Hi, ____, I'm sending a short note regarding the ____ position at ____. I sent an application over today and was hoping to check in with you to see if it was still available? Thank you so much for the time! (Your Name) (Your Email)
Script for Non Recruiter/Friendly Face At The Company/HR:
Hi, ____, I'm sending a short note regarding the ____ position at ____. Is it at all possible to forward my profile to the HR responsible for hiring? I understand we are not acquainted so this may be a big ask! Either way, thank you so much for your time. (Your Name) (Email)
Script for Founders/HR:
Hello, ______ I'm sending a short note regarding the ______ position at ______. I'd love to be considered for this opportunity. Please let me know if there is anything additional I can do to be considered? Thank you so much for your time. (Your Name) (Your Email)
The point of the connection request and message isn't really to have them answer that question, but, instead, to get real human eyes on your amazingly qualified LinkedIn page.
When I was a Recruiter (investment banking, Amazon, Sony) I would visit the person's profile who sent the message and if they were a fit I would immediately send them an interview request.
If they connect with you but don’t respond to your message then follow up and share that “you’re following up because this role stood out. You’re discreetly applying and would love to be considered for this role, this team”
Keep it real, share why this role is important to you and send them good energy as you press send. If they still (very rarely) don’t respond then send them light and love and move on to the next role. You have no idea why and sometimes it can have nothing to do with you.
That's a Wrap!
I hate to see smart, ambitious, and motivated women enter the job market with high hopes, end up spending 3 + months there and finally accept some contract role or role with a company outside their actual interests.
In this job market, you really have to fight for your ‘dream role/company’ by being proactive with your job search. Message those recruiters, make sure your profile and resume are ready to be seen, and lean into knowing that even though it isn't easy, it is possible to manifest the role that was meant for you. You got this.
Elpha and I wrote this article to make sure you have a good shot at getting hired at the companies you actually want to be employed by.
Since Covid, #metoo, and even George Floyd, we’ve collectively as a human race and our US-based job market done a 180 in how we are attracting new talent and retaining them. Put your best foot forward so that you reap the benefits of this new job market.
Keep your eye on the prize and go for it.
If you want to join other like-minded job seekers feel free to join Elphas amazing forum or join my private free job search community on FB. I go live every Tuesday answering your job search questions as you navigate your search.
See you there.
