Send multiple CVs, wait for a response and start again the next day: many applicants know the routine… Another, more modern method gives better results!
You spend an hour polishing your CV, you write a cover letter, you click “Apply” and then… nothing. Not an email, not a call, sometimes not even an automatic refusal. In a job market where some advertisements attract dozens, even hundreds of candidates, many have the impression of talking to a wall. As a result, some decide to completely change strategy and focus more on human contact than on job platforms.
This is precisely what an Internet user tried who recounted his experience on Reddit. For several weeks, he had seen the same advice on social networks: stop systematically responding to ads and instead seek to create contacts in companies that interest him. Curious to see if this method actually worked, he tried it for two weeks. He spotted on LinkedIn 25 professionals working in companies where he would like to find a position and sent them a personalized message.
Of the 25 people contacted, only eight responded. At first glance, this doesn’t seem like much. Yet, this return rate remains good in the current context. Of these eight responses, five people explained that they did not have time. Three agreed to discuss. And that’s where things got interesting. One person gave him very concrete advice to improve his CV. Another was clearly not very comfortable with the exercise. The third explained to him that no position was open in his company, but still offered to send him his CV. A few days later, it arrived on a hiring manager’s desk with an interview involved.
In the message in question, he explains that he is interested in the background of his interlocutor, says that he appreciates his work in the company concerned and simply asks if he can give him 15 minutes to talk. No job application, no CV sent on first contact. The idea is above all to better understand a profession, a sector or the functioning of a company. This type of meeting has a name: “the informational interview”.
Of course, the story doesn’t end with a hiring. The candidate ultimately did not obtain a position. But he has reached the final stage of recruitment, which rarely happened to him when he multiplied the applications on specialized sites. For many users of Redditthis is precisely what makes the experience interesting. It allows you to create contacts, obtain concrete advice and sometimes access opportunities that never appear on job sites.
