How To Get An Interview and Bypass the Resume Screening
Spending a tremendous amount of time sending your resume but not getting any response is defeating. These tips have helped me and my mentees get to the front of the line and land a meeting with the hiring manager.
The approach will vary depending on whether you have a way to contact the hiring manager. This post will walk you through how to find and get the attention of the hiring manager. Let’s start with the ideal scenario where you do. I will go through the more common scenario where you don’t later in the post.
When you are able to reach out to the hiring manager
LinkedIn is the best platform. The hiring manager posts the job and invites people to contact them directly.
Or the job posting shows who is on the hiring team.
Between reaching out to the recruiter or the hiring manager, prioritize contacting the hiring manager. The recruiter may be busy filling multiple roles and the hiring manager will be more responsive — cause they have a stronger interest in bringing the best people to their own team.
How do you get the attention of the hiring manager in a Linked message?
Craft a personal message that shows your interest in working with the company and the manager. A quick search on the manager’s name pulls up his or her interviews and publications. Find out the company’s latest milestone that they are proud of is the best way to compliment them.
“Hi {name}. I saw your LinkedIn post that you are hiring for a Product Manager. After watching the webinar showing your last app update, I’m excited about the vision of the company and bring my X years of experience scaling an eCommerce site. My LinkedIn profile and attached resume will give you a more detailed overview of my work experience. I’m also a big fan of your Substack newsletter talking about the foundational skills of Product Management.
Don’t send a generic message like a sponsored ad.
“Hi {name}. I saw your LinkedIn post that you are hiring for a Product Manager. Please see attached for my resume. I look forward to hearing from you”
When you don’t have a way to contact the hiring manager
The team that is hiring often shares the post on LinkedIn. I get many requests for referrals to work at Microsoft. Sometimes for the same role. A sincere message makes anyone want to read, reply and recommend you first. Here’s how to craft a personal message:
“Hi {name}. I saw your LinkedIn post that your team is hiring for a Product Manager. Curious if this person will be working with you? I’d love to set up a call with you to learn more about the team culture and how the role can contribute to the team. My LinkedIn profile and attached resume will give you a more detailed overview of my work experience.
If they are too busy to meet with you, they can forward your resume to the hiring manager. Help them, help you.
If you are able to schedule an informational call. Ask if they are willing to refer you to the hiring manager at the end of the call.
This meeting is also important for you to prepare for your interview. The more you know about the job, you can focus on sharing accomplishments to prove that you can solve the problems this role is hired to do. If the person is going to be part of the interview loop, you will be more comfortable speaking with them in the actual interview. Even if they won’t be, mention to the hiring manager that speaking to this person has solidified your interest in the role and how you love the team culture (if that’s true).
Do you always start with LinkedIn?
Aside from LinkedIn, many community slack groups share job postings. You can repeat the steps to get to the front of the line.
If you found the posting from the company’s website, search for the same posting on LinkedIn and repeat the same steps.
I like to leverage LinkedIn — cause it’s easy to find mutual connections.
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