How to get hired at your target company.
Applying to random jobs is a hopeless strategy.
Just think about it.
You and 437 other people apply.
Some might contact a Recruiter to try and stand out.
Everyone waits, praying for an interview.
This approach has failed me again and again. It always caused burnout, disappointment, and frustration.
Years ago I finally I discovered a better way:
I started making targets (specific companies).
I spent months building relationships at those companies.
Eventually I started getting noticed. In some cases opportunities came to me.
In this week’s blog I’ll give you a blue print to 1) make a list of target companies and 2) start building relationships that lead to opportunity.
____________________________________________________________________________
In this example let’s pretend you’re from Little Rock, Arkansas and your target role is “SOC Analyst” or “Cybersecurity Analyst”. If you’re from a really small town (like me), expand your search to include a nearby metro area or your entire state.
Start with a “people” search on LinkedIn.
Type in your target job title (play around with different word choices - “soc analyst” - “soc specialist” - “security operations” — etc.)
Filter by “people”
Filter by your location (you’re more likely to get hired in your local area because many opportunities are onsite or hybrid). BTW, I’m not saying don’t apply to remote jobs!
Scan through profiles and pay attention to company names that keep popping up.
Pick 20 companies and do some quick research.
Look at their careers page. Are they hiring?
Check the website. Look at their mission, product, line, and recent news. Does this information leave a good impression? Does anything excite you?
Look at their social media accounts. What type of content is being shared?
Look them up on a job review website and make sure the feedback is consistently good (Glassdoor, Fairygodboss, Vault, Kununu, CareerBliss, Jobcase, Blind, Comparably, InHerSight, etc.)
After this exercise you should have narrowed your list down to 10-15.
Side note: you should definitely include “dream companies” on this list that may be outside of your area. Shoot for the stars! For example, I know a ton of people that want to work where I do: Dragos. It’s a fully remote company that hires around the world.
Set up job alerts
Don’t miss out when your target companies post your job. Applying early helps! Two ways to do this:
Set up an alert on LinkedIn.
If the company has the option for job notifications on their careers page, sign up for that.
Follow the company on social. Pay attention and engage.
Keeping up with what’s happening at your target company is important. Follow their page on whatever social site you spend the most time on (e.g., LinkedIn, Twitter). This is not only an opportunity to stay informed to learn more about them, it gives you the chance to connect and interact with employees (employees are most likely the ones liking and commenting on the company’s content).
Plus, when you interview and you can speak to the company in specifics, it shows professionalism and that you’re interested. Two things that help you stand out!
“Follow” each Recruiter on LinkedIn.
Not all Recruiters actively post but most of them will share job postings when they come available. By following their page you’ll never miss when they do that. This is an opportunity to get on their radar by liking and commenting on posts. Sure, sending a connection request with a message is great, but that isn’t the best way to stand out. Consistent content engagement builds familiarity and rapport. If you give this enough time, you’ll become a familiar face and it becomes WAY easier to contact the Recruiter when you apply.
Find the people with your job title and connect with them.
This is probably the most important aspect of today’s blog. Connecting with your peers is vital if you want a path into your target company. Whenever I post a job I get employee referrals 99% of the time. Do these referrals always get hired? No. Every company is different but usually referrals will at least get a call from the Recruiter (you get to the front of the line automatically because you know someone on the inside).
Do some digging into who works in your target role within the company. Make a plan to reach out to them and start building a relationship. Here are a few resources to get you started:
Don’t give up.
It will probably take you a few tries to get in. THIS IS NORMAL. Landing a job requires that a lot of things line up all at once. A few years ago it took me 7 months and 3 applications to get into my target company (the place I worked at before Dragos). I’m glad I made the effort because that role was a big turning point in my career. I’m not suggesting you put your eggs all in one basket. Keep your options open and be reasonable. But also, be relentless and consistent.
Prep for the interview when you get the chance.
If you work on this stuff for long enough, you’ll get invited to interview. It’s only a matter of time. Interviews are golden opportunities that you have to take seriously. Here’s a resource that can help you prepare.
Thanks for sharing Josh. It's all about being intentional. Through research and discovery, I learned that one of my target company's had a CEO who blogged. I subscribed, commented and shortly I became a level 1 LinkedIn contact. It opened the door to adding his direct reports. Building better relationships is easy, especially since the world is flat.
Insightful.