Standing Out Beyond the Resume
Listen - these are my personal opinions here, this may not work for everyone. When I’m speaking with people who are looking to stand out against other candidates, I use the analogy of swimming upstream when everyone else is flowing downstream. What I mean by this is don’t go the path most traveled, although that is the path of least resistance (click apply - submit resume and finish). I’m not telling you this is the easiest option, but I do believe it will lead to the best results. I’ve personally hired individuals who have used these methods, my VP’s have forwarded me candidates that have used these methods - hope you find at least one of these useful.
Reach out to those on the hiring team. Be thoughtful here - don’t jump the gun. If you’re interested in a particular role, consider those who influence the decision in hiring (not just the hiring manager themselves). These roles may be cross-functional (other departments), they may be people whom the hiring manager reports to, or even others currently working on that team. Here’s an example of an email that was sent to our VP of Sales who then forwarded that email to me (the hiring manager) which I then expedited to HR to get the full rounds of interviews scheduled. Had this person (shout out Michael Garcia) not done this, the interviews would not have been scheduled so quickly and it’s possible they wouldn’t have happened at all given the experience of other candidates who had applied.
“Hey (NAME),
I know Vice Presidents of Sales usually have very little time to seek out qualified SDRs who can ramp up quickly and help them hit their sales goals. Can you relate to this problem?
Noticed that you’re currently hiring at (COMPANY). I’ve already applied for the role online.
Would you be open to talking with me about the sales opportunity on your team?
Hoping to improve my interview chances and in exchange, I promise to be (somewhat) entertaining and share ideas that I’ve learned from other sales managers and mentors.
Regardless, I am more than confident you will choose an SDR that best fits your pains and needs.
Cheers,”
It’s not about just sending the email or LinkedIn message that matters - it’s also the words you say. Two things here - if you don’t ask for things you want, the answer is already going to be “NO”. Secondly, what’s in it for the person on the receiving end? Add value to them so it’s a win-win all around.
This is again - my personal opinion here - and not a deciding factor on whether to hire a candidate, however on the topic of standing out, thank you letters post-interview are never a bad idea. Thank the individuals who took the time to meet with you and consider you for the position. Talk about what excited you about your conversation and where you know you can add value. Roughly ~10% of the candidates I interview do this today, it never goes unappreciated.
Maybe this one seems obvious but similar to the thank you notes, in my experience ~20% of people I interview truly do their prep work in understanding the industry/role they’re applying for. I’m a culprit of this - I did some prep work prior to my interview as a BDR, I roughly understood the day to day of the role itself but I did not understand the industry or market opportunity. Check out the company website ahead of time and study it as if you were going to be quizzed on it - because you might be. It’s ok if you don’t remember every detail of when the company was founded or memorize verbatim the mission statement. Try to understand the problems/solutions the company is aiming to solve/provide - what does it look like today and where are they trying to go in the next 1-3 years. Why is this role pivotal in the success of the business? Etc. All this to say - if you’re applying to 100 companies and you never looked into the company or role you’re applying for ahead of the interview, it usually shows.
Let me know if you found this valuable or if there’s anything you’d add!