10 Steps to Get Any Interview

Many of us become quickly disenchanted by the difficulties of even securing an interview to work at the companies of our dreams. Plenty of unanswered emails, phone calls, and looked over emails seems to tear down our own perception of how qualified we actually are.

Sometimes, we simply don’t attend a University that the company actively recruits at, or are overlooked because our University’s brand doesn’t demand the elitist sense of intellectualism that Ivy’s or other University’s might. Whatever the case maybe, our efforts are overlooked despite our capability to perform.

So how do we get the interview when usually ignored? Here are the 5 steps you need to follow to get the attention of any recruiter:

1. Research Your Dream Job: Knowledge is power. Familiarize yourself with your desired role and create an ACTIONABLE plan on how to learn the skills needed to become qualified for the opportunity. Go to the job posting and list down everything you need to know, and a plan on when you will learn that skill and how much you will practice each day to master it within a set time frame.
2. Learn the Needed Skills and Put them to Practice: If you need to code, make sure you know the proper languages. If you need to be an Microsoft Excel master, make sure you learn the ropes and use your new skills in practical working environments to put your knowledge to the test. Udemy is an excellent resource to learn things on the fly and put them to practice. Afterwards, try applying your newly developed skill in other areas as well to bolster your knowledge.
3. Shape Up Your Resume: Format your resume in a way which shows your experience concisely. Recruiters look at thousands of resumes, and do have the time to read an essay of your accomplishments. Use this format to get started and emphasize the importance of your work experience by QUANTIFYING your impact! The format was taken from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Ross School of Business. Ex: Led global team implementation of new supply chain model and saved the company $20k per quarter.
4. Make a List of the Companies You’re Targeting: Make a list of 5-10 companies you aspire to work at within your chosen position. Do a little backend research about the company so you know what you’re getting into.
5. Download Email Hunter for Chrome: Email Hunter allows you to find the emails of people on Linkedin so that you can send follow-up emails. Show recruiters that you are serious about showing what you have – and about working at their company.
6. Turn on Your Free Linkedin Premium Trial (If not yet used): Linkedin gives everyone a free trial of premium, so if you cannot afford it, make sure to use it for free for a month! This allows you to contact and inmail anyone on the platform – expanding your reach to potential recruiters!
7. Go to Linkedin and Search “Company Name” + “Recruiter”: Search the company name and the word “Recruiter” to find recruiters that you can reach out to. It is even BETTER to search “Company Name” + “Recruiter” + “Your College Name”, as there might be alumni from your school that are already recruiters at your dream company.
8. Search and Inmail them Using the Following Message Format: Develop a short message showing your interest and who you are. Just schedule a call, learn more from the recruiter and show your interest. At the end of the call, ask for next steps and if you can keep in touch. Lastly – THANK THEM FOR THEIR TIME!Recruiters talk to many people who never even thank them for listening – this goes a long way when you are the one to show your appreciation!
9. Make Sure Call is Scheduled, Prepare Questions for Recruiter: Follow my other article on how to prepare for interviews!
10. Send Thank You Email, Follow Up For Next Steps!
    So what do you think? Leave your advice to others in the comments below. We are all in this together!!