How to Get Past the Online Application Bottleneck
Learn how to blaze right past the hardest part of the job hunt process (online applications!) and dramatically increase your chances of an interview.
So you’ve been applying online…
The perfect job has been posted on LinkedIn. There are over 200 applicants. You know you have the skills, but you don’t know a single person at the company. Your only hope is to cold apply online, make a wish on a shooting star, and hope to hear back. We’ve all been there.
The sad truth is this approach rarely pans out (if it has for you, please tell me your secrets!).
This guide is designed to teach you how to skip right past the “apply-and-wait” phase, and jump right into screening interviews.
I will explain to you why cold applying does not work - especially at big companies, how to write a message to send to get a response, and why you stand out for following this protocol.
1. You found a posting.
You found a job posting online that tickles your fancy. First thing’s first, do you meet 75% of the requirements for the role?
I say 75% of the requirements, because recruiters/talent acquisition will often times post strict requirements for a role to limit the number of applications, ultimately reducing resume’s they need to shift through. If you don’t believe me, my first job required 7+ years of experience. I had zero.
The heuristic I use is, “If I had the confidence of a white man who graduated from Harvard, would I apply for the role?” If the answer is “yes”, then by all means, apply for the job!
2. Now find a recruiter.
Before you apply online, type in “Talent Acquisition {company name}”, “Recruiter {company name}”, or if in a tech role “Technical Recruiter {company name}” in LinkedIn. It will look like this:
Find the ‘People’ section of the results, and you will see a list of many employees with that title on LinkedIn.
3. Connect with the recruiter.
Find a person that you feel is related to the role you are interested in at the company. This can sometimes be figured out by the content they share on LinkedIn, and even the location of the recruiter.
Press the magic ‘Connect’ button. To make this clear, press the following button:
Be sure not to Follow the recruiter. you want to Connect with them. You’ll see why in just a moment. When you send the Connect request, send it WITHOUT writing a note.
You will get prompted to write a note. DO NOT WRITE A NOTE. I repeat, do not write a note. Select the button that says “Send without a note”.
The reason to send a connect without a note is because when you send a connect with a note, the recruiter will see this and not connect with you until they have the time to respond to your note (which they will almost never have time for). If they accept your connect, then it puts the message as ‘read’ and now it appears as though they have ghosted you. They do not want to ghost anybody. There is good intent behind their reasoning, just know your odds of getting an acceptance are dramatically higher when sending without a note.
4. Apply to the job online
Now back to the job you have your eye on. Go ahead and apply to the job online. You will need to do this regardless and the sooner you do, the better. Do your best to tailor your resume to the posting itself, and leave out an ‘Objective’ statement from your resume. Every single person has a sensational objective statement - having it in there will not make as big of an impact as you’d like. Save the precious resume space to elaborate on your skills and experience that make you the perfect fit for the role.
5. Email the recruiter
This is where steps 2-3 come into play. Once the recruiter has accepted your Connection request, go ahead and grab their email from their profile. How do I do that you ask? This is how. Go to their profile, find the ‘Contact info’ link.
Click on that link and a pop-up window with personal information will display. If you are connected, their work email will be available in their contact info. An uncommonly known fact: LinkedIn requires individuals in talent acquisition/recruiting are required to have their work email address available to their connections. The whole reason we connected with this individual earlier was to get ahold of their email address.
With the coveted email address in hand, send them the following email.
Feel free to add your own personal flair - keep it short and sweet though! Be sure to attach the same resume you applied to the job with, and if applicable, attach the job reference number. Big companies often times have the same job title on many positions - all under different divisions.
Pro tip: send the email at 9am (recruiters time zone) on a weekday. 9am is the ideal time. It is after all spam emails hit their inbox and before they get fully into their workday.
6. Follow up.
If you have not heard back from the recruiter in about 3 working days, go ahead and send a friendly follow up. A short message like this will do.
Always keep your emails friendly and accommodating. At the end of the day we are all human and can get overwhelmed with work at times. Do your best to be understanding of any delays from a recruiter.
Why does this process work?
The goal of every recruiter is to find the best possible candidate for each role. If a role gets loads of online applications, like more than several hundred, sometimes recruiters don’t have the time to sift through every single one. Often times they will turn to the job search themselves, and research for the ideal candidate online. By doing this process, you are saving the recruiter time in two ways - by sifting thoroughness resumes, and saving them time from searching for the ideal candidate online.
Recruiters are gauged on their performance based off how many excellent candidates they find for each role. It makes their job incredibly easy if you find yourself for them - if that makes any sense. They will love you all the more for it!
Do not be alarmed if a recruiter passes you onto another recruiter within the company. Typically each recruiter is responsible for individual postings - its hard to identify which recruiter is responsible for the role you are applying to. The best case scenario is that the recruiter passes you on directly to the hiring manager. Do not be scared of this either, in fact this is ideal because at this point, you have essentially entered first round interviews.
Important Tips
Speed is everything.
Schedule everything as soon as possible, like it is the most urgent thing in your life! The faster you apply to the job after its posted, the faster you reach out to the recruiter, the faster you start screening interviews, and the faster you get to final rounds, the better! Your chance of getting the offer are dramatically higher if you move through the process quickly for two reasons: it demonstrates great work ethic, competency in the field, and interest in the company, AND it prevents the chance of another quick-acting applicant to get the offer before you.Keep your messages short.
Recruiters are people, like you and me. They appreciate concise emails, not paragraphs. Up your chances of getting a positive response by keep your emails short, kind, and to-the-point.Know the company in and out before any interview.
In the same way that we crammed for tests before finals week, cram as much information about the company before your first phone call. Understand their guiding principles, company culture, areas of expertise, who their competitors are, and their performance over the last year. If the company is public, a great place to start is by reading the transcript from the latest earnings call.Passion will take you further than you imagine.
Every team wants to hire a person who is passionate about what they’re hired to do and their company. Somebody who has passion will care about the quality of their work and take the time to up-skill where needed. Do not be afraid to show your passion for the field and company.Honesty is the best policy.
Be honest with the recruiter on why you reached out. Be honest about your interest in the company. Be honest about your skillset, but also be proud!
Au Revoir!
I wish you nothing but joy, success, and personal growth through your job hunt. Until we meet again!