So, you've applied to 30+ internships/jobs in the last month, but haven't heard back from anybody. Despite being just as qualified as others, or perhaps even more qualified, you have no job. Where did you go wrong? The quick answer is - nothing. You are involved on campus, work hard, and have a solid resume. Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that you didn't do enough.
The Issue
Your qualifications are not the problem - it's that you have done nothing to stand out amongst the pool of 100+ applications the job has received.
Applying to the job takes 5 minutes. It's the absolute bare minimum to be considered for the job.
Put yourself in the shoes of the recruiting teams at the companies you're applying to. They have hundreds of candidates, limited amounts of time, and only a one-page resume to make a decision off of.
Let's take this a step further. With 100+ resumes to review, it is extremely time consuming to look at every candidate's resume. Thus, recruiting use different criteria to filter the candidate pool down: university, work experience, GPA, technical skills, etc. This will help make the candidate pool smaller, but there are likely dozens of people still being considered. On paper, you and these other candidates are nearly identical.
So, why should a recruiter review YOUR resume?
The Solution
There is one strategy that works nearly 100% of the time: referrals from a current employee of the company you're applying to. Why does this work? The logic is simple: word-of-mouth. For centuries, people have taken recommendations from others. Social media infuencers make a living off of this. A referral to your job is the strongest and most credible signal that you'd be a great fit for the role. I have been personally told by recruiters at companies across various industries that they instantly prioritize reviewing candidates that are referred by their colleagues. At some companies, a referral even guarantees a first-round interview. All in all, a referral is the secret to maximizing your chances of getting interviews and hearing back from the companies you apply to.
Closing Thoughts
Think of recruiting as a raffle. The raffle prize is the job offer. The currency is time. Each candidate has at least one raffle ticket because they all applied to the job. Candidates can maximize their chances of winning and “buy” more raffle tickets by optimizing their resume, applying early, obtaining a referral, and many other things, all of which are worth different amounts of tickets. But do remember - raffles are games of probabilities, not guarantees. Thus, regardless if you maximize your chances of winning the prize, there is still a good possibility that you won't win. The gap between maximizing your chances and actually winning is what we all know as “luck.” Now you're probably wondering - how do I get a referral? That's a topic for another post. Stay tuned!