Get your foot in the door

Relationships are more important than resumes. Before applying to any company, you should always try to connect with an employee whether it is a friend; a friend of a friend; alumni outreach or someone you met through a conference or job fair. If the conversation goes well, kindly ask for feedback on your resume before applying.

This accomplishes two things. First, it’s an extremely efficient way to customize your resume to different companies. Employees offer highly specific edits (“hey try using this buzz word, we love that”). Secondly, this is an awesome way to internally pass along your resume without even asking. If an employee finds you impressive, kind, and sincere, there’s a good chance they’ll put in a word with recruiters.

Since this needs to feel more organic and friendly, a simple email or private Facebook message should go something like this:

Hey,

Great chatting yesterday! I really enjoyed hearing about your experiences at (Company X) and I’m excited to apply for (Position Y).

I know you’re super busy, but could you spare 2 minutes to share any feedback on my resume before I submit? Even a quick gut reaction would mean a lot.

Best,

This old technique is called the “Foot-In-The-Door”. This phenomenon refers to people’s tendency to more readily complete larger requests after they’ve already agreed to smaller ones. By asking for feedback, you’re doing just that. Requesting two minutes of their time is an easy starting point, especially if you’ve built rapport beforehand. Before you know it, they may help out in bigger ways by making referrals, brokering introductions, and more.

It may not be the fanciest way to get a job, but it is one simple tactic that anyone can complete...and it works.