How to Land your Dream Job

 

     今天在code school上面看到一个外国人写的文章，写的很棒，瞧一下外国人的思维和我们有什么不同？分享给所有的朋友

      You know how some things are obvious to you, and not so obvious to others? It seems pretty obvious to me how to get your dream job, and in this blog post I’ll show you how. Admittedly, there are lots of ways to get your dream job, but I’ve recommended this method to a few people and it’s worked for them.

1. Find 10 people who have your dream job (or something close to it) at 10 different companies. Linkedin allows you to do an advanced search for people at a specific company with a specific title. That’s where you should start, and create a list of 10 people.

2. Hunt down their email addresses. 

   a. Google their first and last name to check to see if they have a personal website and a contact form and/or email address posted. Check their Twitter profile for this website.

   b. If they’re a developer / designer they might have accounts on GitHub. Google “<first name> <last name> GitHub”. Often emails are listed on GitHub.

   c. If you’re still having no luck, Google around to find the format of the email addresses for their company. Google “email <domain>”. For example, if you were hunting me down you’d Google “email @envylabs.com”. See if there is a pattern, like <firstname>@envylabs.com. Then Google your guesses. For example, you might notice at Envy Labs we often use first names. So you might Google “gregg@envylabs.com” if you were searching for me. Sure enough, if you do this and scroll through the results you’ll find my email is indeed that!

  d. If all else fails, you can totally go stalker (but you didn’t hear that from me). Try calling the directory number on the company website, and say something like “Hey, I’m trying to reach Gregg Pollack, but I don’t think I have the right email address…is it gregg@envylabs.com? Can you verify this for me?”

   e. You can also just guess at emails (I’ve done this a few times for a few reasons). Send an email, wait to see if you get a bounce back. Take another guess, and repeat. 

3. Send them (all 10 of them) a personal email. It should sound something like this:

<first name>

I noticed on LinkedIn that you’re a <title> at <company>, and I think that’s awesome. I’m a big fan of <company> and how you guys <do that thing>, and especially <that one thing that time>. 

I’d love to learn what it’s like to work there, and learn more about how you became a <title>. I know you must be really busy, but I’m going to be near your offices next <day of the week>, any chance I could buy you lunch and ask you a few questions?

<your name>

<your number>

<your LinkedIn profile or personal website>

<your GitHub / Dribbble / or other profile that shows your credibility>

If you don’t live in the same city as this person, ask for a Skype video call or use Google Hangouts (if they’re tech savvy), otherwise just a regular call will have to do.

It’s important that you say NOTHING about yourself in this email, but do notice the links in the signature. You are sending them an email to learn more about their company, how they got to be a <title>, and to do your due diligence to see if this is a good company to work for. That is your intent with this email.

It is also important that you specify a time you want to meet with them. You should not ask, “Are you available to meet with me?”.  Then they’d have to do the work of looking at their schedule and it actually decreases the chance of them responding. 

It’s also fine to ask to meet them for breakfast or coffee, just make sure you specify a time.

4. Wait for responses.  If you email 10 and get back 2 responses which lead to meetings then it’s a great success!

5. The meeting itself.  At the meeting itself, don’t overdress and bring a pad of paper with a few questions written down. It’s primarily your job to be a good listener and investigator. Give good body language, sit up straight, smile, and look them in the eyes. Be likable. Here’s some example questions:

Where are you from?

Where did you go to school?

How did you get a job with <employer>?

What is it like working with <employer>?

What’s not so great about working with <employer>?

What new projects are you working on?

What’s the culture like at <employer>?

Take notes when they say something insightful, and show that you’re listening. Most of all, do not talk about yourself or that you’re looking for a job until they open the door. Most of the time they will open the door after you let them talk for a while. If they don’t, I wouldn’t broach the subject. 

If they do, be honest but don’t sound desperate and don’t ask for a job. Be humble. Everyone needs to be more humble. If they ask about you, it’s fine to say:

I’m currently looking for a job as a <title>, and learning more about the companies in the area.

The mindset you should put yourself in (even if you are desperate) is that you are doing your due diligence with the company.

Try to pay for their breakfast / lunch / coffee. If they beat you to it that’s fine, but I believe the most respectful thing is to always try to pay.

6. The follow up email. When you get home, write them a follow-up email thanking them for their time. Whether or not you talked about job opportunities, I’d write something like this:

<first name>,

   Thank you for meeting me for lunch today! It was really great to learn more about your story, especially that <thing>. Hope to run into you again sometime.

   Do you know if <company> will be looking for any more <title> soon? I’d love the opportunity to work with your team some day.

If you know they’re hiring you could say something like:

I noticed there’s a job posting for a <title> on your website. Any chance you know who is hiring for that position?

At that point you’re trying to get them to give you an introduction to the person who is hiring for the position. If you get an introduction that’s great! Even just an email address is great. Make sure your email to them contains something like:

I had lunch with <original person> last Wednesday, and he/she told me you might be the person to talk to about the <title> job. 

I’d love to learn more about the position. I know you must be busy, but is there any chance I could call you on <day> at <time> to learn more?

<your name>
<your phone number>

<your LinkedIn profile, full credentials, and maybe even resume>

Here you’ve pushed yourself to the top of the stack because you have a reference! Someone at the company knows you!

People who need to fill job positions are busy (that’s why they have a job position open in the first place)! If you can help them manage their time, you might be doing them a favor. 

Also, you are kinda asking for a phone interview. Again, when the phone interview comes then it’s your job to follow due diligence. Ask them questions about the job requirements, what you’d be working on, who’d you be reporting to, what the compensation and benefits are like, what the company culture is like, etc. Again, be likable.

Send them a thank you email, and ask them when you might hear back and what the next steps might be. If you don’t hear back from them within a week just check in with them.

<firstname>,

   Sorry to bug you again, but I wanted to know if you’ve found someone for the <title> position? I would love the opportunity to join <company>, it sounds like a great place to work.

   Looking forward to hearing from you.

7. Do it all again. Send out another 10 emails.

In Conclusion

I could probably keep writing ideas on how to get in the door, but you know what? Many of the talented people I’ve hired I met through users groups. Meetup.com is a great resource for finding events in your area. Go to developer, designer, business, <insert trade here> meetups and ask people questions about where they work. If they work somewhere you’d like to work, then go directly to Step 5. If they don’t have your dream job, ask them if they know anyone at their company that does that job and if they could introduce you. After the introduction, send them an invite to lunch. You see where this is going.

Hopefully this is helpful. If it does help you, I’d love to hear about it. Also, what other techniques have worked for you? Feel free to tweet at me @greggpollack and I’ll post the best here.  =)