(reading time: 7 minutes)

Applying to dozens of open positions by simply submitting your resume won’t get you a job interview.

If you want to invest your time wisely, stop chasing open positions and start building relationships.

The secret? Having as many conversations with as many relevant professional contacts as possible.

You Job Application Isn’t Enough

If you’re in the job market – and especially if it’s been a while since you were last looking for a job – you may have noticed that it’s harder to get a response to your job applications. This is particularly true if you’re in mid-career and over 50.

Getting an Interview Is Not Getting an Offer

Yes, getting your candidacy through to the interview stage is great. Considering that the average job listing gets 100 – 250 applications, you’ve beat out 90% of the other applicants. But the overall chances of you getting the job by applying cold, “over the transom”, are still between 1% – 5%.

Think Like a Hiring Manager: What Would You Do?

If you’re a recruiter or hiring manager trying to fill a position, you’re overwhelmed with applications. Reading through resumes and cross-referencing them with LinkedIn profiles can be confusing and tiresome. What criteria are you going to use to eliminate the wrong candidates from consideration?

Do you only set up interviews with candidates who check all the boxes on the job description? What about previous experience? Companies where they worked? Education? And, of course, age? Even if you only get 50 applications for the position, it’s going to be hard to keep them all sorted out.

So you do what most people would (and do) do in this sort of situation: you call a colleague. Or a number of colleagues. You ask them if they can refer and recommend anyone for this position.

If you’re a recruiter with an up-to-date database, you may already have a handful of qualified candidates you’ve vetted and can recommend to the hiring manager.

Getting a Job is Actually About Conversations

It is estimated that up to 80% of hiring takes place through referrals. This is known as the “hidden job market.”.

The hidden job market is built on relationships.

And relationships are built on conversations.

Most people avoid the conversational strategy because it feels hard. And it’s a lot of work. They would rather hide behind their job applications.

I get it: you feel like you’re being productive and proactive. You’re not having to answer people’s questions (all of which sound the same): “What are you looking for?” “How’s it going?” “Have you tried ‘x’ piece of advice?” “What’s your plan B?” etc.

Like it or not, the only way for you to make any real headway is to engage one-on-one with other professionals in your network.

Pick up the phone (Yes!), send text messages and emails, and DM people on social.

Use a personal CRM app to track your connections and manage your outreach (check out Dex and Clay, two apps that work well with LinkedIn).

What Am I Going To Say?

Indeed, this is the question that often prevents you from reaching out.

You expect that you’ll feel foolish. Talking about getting a job (and needing a job) makes you feel vulnerable. And being out of work feels shameful in our culture. Additionally, the longer you’re out of work, the more vulnerable you feel.

Alternatively, if you’re unhappy in your current job, you can feel vulnerable talking to people about your desire to find a new job. You don’t want the information getting back to your employer. You may feel unsure or unclear about what you’re looking for in a new job.

Your LinkedIn Profile Should Be a Conversation Starter

Your LinkedIn profile, especially your Headline and About sections, should encapsulate your value proposition. They are not simply a summary or a bio that describes what you do and have done. They should read like a mission statement that shares the roles you perform and the value that you have and will deliver.

Drafting a clear, focused profile that highlights strategies over skills, and accomplishments over responsibilities is the best way to set yourself up for the conversations you want to have.

Your Headline & About Section Are the First 10 Minutes of Your Interview

A well-drafted profile will address the key questions that an interviewer will likely ask you at the beginning of a job interview. An interviewer is going to want you to “put the pieces together” for them about your past career accomplishments, lessons, and takeaways.

Your About section is a great place to address this question. It can also include a mission statement that gives the interviewer a sense of where you want to go in your career moving forward.

This also sets up every conversation you’re going to have with existing and prospective colleagues about your career. It’s the information they need to know to feel confident and comfortable about referring you to open positions and introducing you to other contacts.

Your “Reaching Out” Playbook

Here are some tips about how to break the ice and make these conversations feel natural. It helps if you have revised and updated your LinkedIn profile as I suggested above. This gives you something concrete to refer to – it’s a great excuse for why you’re reaching out.

Current Connections

Your current connections are the easiest way to start. These are the initial conversations that will help you build confidence talking about your career and your goals.

Start by going through your connections database and pick the top 50 (+/-) people you feel a rapport with, have a history with, and can rely on to empathize with you and your situation. Then, ask them to check out your updated profile. You’re looking for feedback, suggestions, and introductions.

If they sound responsive and positive, set up a face-to-face meeting or video call to take the conversation further.

Dormant Connections

These are the people you haven’t talked to in a while – maybe years. But if they’re well-positioned to help you and/or connect you to opportunities, why not reach out and see if you can re-establish contact? Again, your updated profile is a great excuse to connect with them so that they can see what you’ve been up to. It may give them an entirely new understanding of who you are and what you can do.

New Connections

Target new connections by looking through your LinkedIn 2nd-level connections (you’ll need a Premium account to do this). These are your “friends of friends” – connections to your 1st-level connections. This is the best springboard to find new connections because you already have at least one person in common. Look for people who have:

• Worked at the same companies you have (or work at companies you want to work for)
• Are members of professional organizations you’re a member of (or LinkedIn Groups you’re participating in)
• Have similar professional experiences or interests
• Have a number of mutual connections

You may want to reach out to one of your mutual connections for an introduction. Or, if you’re feeling bold, send them a cold connection request mentioning the people, experiences, or interests you share.

If they agree to a conversation, don’t pitch yourself or ask them to connect you to job opportunities.

Instead, take the position of a researcher. You’re looking for information about what’s going on in their world, the trends they’re seeing in their business, the opportunities that are shaping up in the marketplace, etc. Ask them for advice or suggestions about how you, with your particular background and direction, could best position yourself for the future.

Bonus Strategy

Another valuable conversational opportunity is the Informational Interview, a meeting that you set up with a more senior-level professional for mentoring and possible referrals and additional connections. See my blog article for more information about how to approach this meeting.

Attract New Opportunities

The more conversations you have, the clearer and more confident you will become about the value you can deliver through your work. The questions and feedback you receive from your connections will help you better understand this value proposition and its usefulness. Your interactions will help you get a better understanding of the opportunities that are out there for you.

What are you waiting for? Open up your LinkedIn profile and identify the first 10 current connections you’re going to reach out to!