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The 2-Hour Job Search

Using Technology to Get the Right Job Faster

Job postings are black holes for resumes
Employers rely on internal referrals for interviews.
The goal of the modern job search is to acquire an internal referral.
Hiring managers satisfice: instead of spending a lot of time finding the perfect candidate, they aim to quickly find a good enough candidate.

The LAMP method

Create a spreadsheet with 4 columns:

1. Company (name)
2. Alumni (Y/N)
3. Motivation (1-5)
4. Postings (1-3)

Spend a total of 2 hours following the following steps:

1. List 40 relevant companies. Enter them in column 1.
2. Alumni - do you have contacts at this company who may advocate for you?
3. Motivation (5m) - on a scale of 1 to 5, how much do you want to work here?
4. Postings - does this company have job postings for your desired title? (3) Or any job postings? (2) Or no job postings? (1)

The following techniques can produce some companies to consider. 10 minutes for each yields a total of 40 minutes for the L step in LAMP.

1. Dream Employers - list your dream employers (don’t waste time with research, just use what comes to mind)
2. Alumni Employers - list employers of your alumni or close contacts
3. Posting Search - list employers with active job postings for your desired position
4. Trend Following -

Tracking Outreach

🚫 Not in a spreadsheet
📧🗓️ Use integrated email and calendar apps

The 3B7 Routine

A standard, replicable email tracking routine.

After sending an outreach email to a new contact, create 2 calendar events 3 and 7 business days in the future. These are reminder appointments to follow up first thing in the morning.

What to do with the reminders

Scenarios:

1. First contact has already responded before the 3 day reminder. We have a booster.
   1. Set up an informational interview for a later date.
      1. Within their availability if they supplied it.
      2. Or respond with your availability if they didn’t provide any. Provide a few example times to reduce their decision fatigue.
   2. Cancel follow up reminders.
2. First contact has not responded before our 3 business day reminder. We most likely do not have a booster.
   1. Initiate contact with a second person at the same employer.
   2. Use the same process as before.

Informational Interviews

🎯 Goals

1. Build rapport
2. Gain useful information

Principles

1. Focus on the interviewee - not yourself
2. The interviewee is the ultimate source of information
3. Avoid negative news & topics

Agenda

1. Small talk
2. Q & A
3. Next steps

🔍 Research | 15 minutes

External preparation - 15 minutes

1. Investor relations pages
2. Annual reports & 10K forms
3. Quarterly results conference calls (SWOT analysis)
4. Press releases of major initiatives
5. Recent news headlines
6. Headlines
7. Google results for recent employer headlines & interviewees

Internal preparation

TIARA - A Framework for Small Talk

1. Trends - what trends are most impacting your business right now?
2. Insights - what surprises you most about your job?
3. Advice - what can I do right now to best prepare for a career in this field?
4. Resources - what resources should I be sure to look into next?
5. Assignments - which projects are most common or important in your work?