Do You Remember How You Got Your First Job?

For many people, landing their first job is almost as easy as applying online, going for an interview, and finally receiving a job offer. This is the dream scenario for almost two million young graduates in 2016, and the figures show that this should be relatively simple to achieve. The employment market for college-educated workers over 25 is currently steady at around 2.4% and according to the Society for Human Resource Management, 37% of employers plan to pay graduates from 2016 more than graduates from 2015.

The research also shows that companies hired three times more job seekers that came from network referrals than those who simply applied for the job. While this may not be a surprise, it is a reminder of the importance of networking. However, networking is no longer confined to stuffy events or family introductions, as in the digital age, job seekers can now utilize tools like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Meetup Groups to expand their networking opportunities.

Julia’s success story:

Julia Clark is an account executive at a reputable marketing firm in New York City, who knows how to play the digital networking game. She worked hard to find employment after graduating, but did not have any contacts in New York’s marketing industry to help her to get ahead. “Everyone, and I mean everyone, wants to hire someone they know or are referred to; out of the 100 or so applications I submitted to companies, I imagine about five were actually read,” says Julia.

Julia was able to network her way to a job that initially seemed out of her reach in just 10 weeks. She made use of five tools that helped her find, engage, and organize networking opportunities, which eventually led to interviews and multiple job offers. Simply applying for jobs and hoping for the best is no longer enough to land a job; you must go out and get the job that you want.

We are going to demonstrate how Julia was able to use five tools to create a professional network from scratch and then proceed to land the job that she wanted in just 10 weeks.

The process:

Julia had been using job boards for months, but had just been applying for jobs and waiting to hear back. However, this tactic was not going to yield the results that she wanted because her resume was not being viewed by hiring managers, so she made a list of the top 100 companies she wanted to work for and decided to go after the job she wanted.

Julia devised a plan to apply to, and then, to send out a cold email to the companies that she most wanted to work for. Often, companies do not advertise job posts until late in their search, so reaching out to these companies in the early stages would place Julia in an “invisible job board.” To create your own job list, you should ask yourself important questions such as what you want to achieve from your job, where you see your career heading, and what kind of company you see yourself working for. Afterward, research your ideal companies using LinkedIn and other company aggregation sites.

Research your list and find your prospective team members:

After producing your list, it is time to do some research on companies. Firstly, identify the companies on your list that are hiring by using websites such as newyorkjobs.com to determine if your desired companies are hiring for the position you desire in New York. Secondly, find individuals to work within the department that you most desire. Instead of contacting HR, you should communicate with your prospective team members since it is the team that will decide who gets the job. The ideal person to contact will possess some type of affiliation with you, such as a mutual friend or school affiliation.

Reach out:

Once you have your prospective team members, the next step is to communicate with them. You should reach out and either let them know that you have applied or ask if they’re looking for additional assistance. The idea behind reaching out after applying is to get them to review your resume and have a quick 15-minute chat. You do not need to receive a job offer immediately; you just need a foot in the door. For anyone with a connection within the company, reach out to them to request an introduction. If you do not have a connection, then try to find a commonality, such as the school that you went to or your previous company.

Do not forget to follow up:

Your follow-up is crucial because your initial email may fall on deaf ears and receive no response. Hiring managers are extremely busy and may experience forgetfulness, which could cause them to forget about your email. Thus, sending a reminder after a week or so provides them with another opportunity to look over your email and resume.

Lastly, track your outreach efforts and job hunting workflow, maybe with a tool like Trello to ensure that you contact and follow up with the appropriate companies at the appropriate time.

What was Julia’s tool stack?

After only a few weeks using these cold emailing tactics to reach out to companies, Julia secured over ten phone conversations with managers in her industry, which was turned into interviews and finally led to her dream job. Julia used a variety of tools to help her reach out to hiring managers.

LinkedIn: This is essential. If you have no LinkedIn account, then create one. You do not need an over-the-top profile; instead, it should give readers a good idea of who you are, what you’ve accomplished, and what you’re looking for.

Email Hunter: This tool helps you to find the email addresses of people at targeted companies, which is useful information in job hunting.

Rapportive: This tool helps you to find social information about prospective coworkers and verifies if an email address is accurate.

ReplyUp: This free tool is fantastic. It allows you to create automated follow-up sequences so that you remember to reach back out when your emails are not responded to.

Trello: This tool will assist in organizing your job hunting workflow to ensure that you contact and follow up on the appropriate companies at the appropriate time.

In conclusion, while job hunting can be an uphill task, utilizing networking tools makes it possible to land more opportunities than when merely relying on sending job applications online. Cold emailing to companies and following up accordingly are some effective techniques that help to build professional networks from scratch. These strategies, coupled with the right tools, eventually lead to the landing of one’s dream job in a considerably shorter time.