Look i’m no stranger to getting rejected by recruiters. Picture this, it’s 2012, -40,000 celsius, I land in Poland. The week before that, I had just turned 18.

Got married, as one does at 18 (ha). And lo and behold as a true migrant from Pakistan, I was in dire need of money. I mean it was bad, I did not have like Jordan Belfort put it: Two nickles to rub together.

Lucky for me, I was in Poland, where almost no company hired purely english speaking people (I need to dial down my sarcasm). So after applying to about 400 different companies in a span of a month and getting 0 answers, safe to say I was getting desperate.

I truly come from humble beginnings, most people don’t know that I picked blueberries at a farm just to have enough cash to pay for the dorm room that I lived in. So needless to say that I needed a gig and that too stat.

And then out of nowhere, I get a reply from Bartosz Mozyrko (Godfather of my son). UsabilityTools, the company where it all started, wanted me to interview for a hybrid SDR/AE role. I didn’t even know what those acronyms stood for. I just applied for any role within a company that was looking for a person who could speak english.

I sucked at the interview. Bartosz and Kuba (my manager to be), asked me about lead generation and I gave them a bullshit answer about how I could ask folks in my university if they wanted to buy what we are selling. It was a totally embarrassingly crazily worst interview ever. haha.

I just didn’t have any knowledge about what I was talking about or what the company did. I’m the same guy who thought I could survive just on a diet of french fries and vodka. Yup.

Not sure what Bart and Kuba saw in me but they gave me a shot at an in person interview and I guess something clicked and they hired me. Those were the good old days, I was looking to earn just $200 so I can pay the rent and have some money to buy groceries, thats it. But these guys went above and beyond and offered me 4x what I was looking for. I also later came to realize that it was the minimum they had to pay an employee haha but regardless for an idiot 18 year old that was a gesture I did not forget.

Why am I telling you this?

Well, as much as it makes for a good story that I applied to 400 different companies and got no responses. Over my career, I have realized and experienced that nowadays it’s not enough to just apply for different roles, you have to go above and beyond. For better or for worse, that is just the state of affairs and the times we live in.

There is so much talent out there, especially with remote work, there are no boundaries anymore. You are not only competing with people from your city or country, you are competing with everyone in the world. And I got news for you, there are people out there that are hungry and have that eye of the tiger and waiting to pounce at every opportunity that comes their way. Similar to how I was back when I started in sales, I just needed someone to give me a shot and I wanted to showcase what I’m capable off.

I always liked what Muhammad Ali used to say:

I will show you how great I am.

And at the risk of sounding cocky, that is what I wanted to show. I wanted someone to train me, teach me and I will work my butt off to show that I was the right horse to bet on.

So, you’re looking for your shot to show how great you are?

Let me try and help you get a step closer, because in my experience, the hardest thing to do is to get your foot in the door. And if you’re just applying to jobs the traditional way, I got news for you: you have already lost.

Let me explain why this matters and what you can do better.

There is just too much talent and no boundaries

Yup, there are a lot of people looking for a job and with remote work that means a much larger talent pool that you are competing against. Which gives employers an upper hand as they have more and more people applying for the same role that 10 years ago only 1/5 of the volume would come in, in terms of applicants.

While remote work is great, I also work remotely, I know first hand the pros and cons of it from the lens of an employer. It means that you are now competing with a lot more people.

So if a company has 1 or 2 recruiters and they are looking to hire for 6-7 open positions. That’s a ton of responsibility on the shoulders of the recruiters, think parsing through the CVs, scheduling interviews, doing the interviews, logging notes, scheduling interviews with the department heads, handing out job offers, rejection emails.

With every interaction and action that the recruiter has to take, you’d be lucky if the recruiter looks at your CV for more than 30 secs. That is assuming you “fit the bill” of the perfect candidate to begin with. A lot of the time, ATSs that companies use, automatically can disqualify you if the profile does not fit the profile that the company is looking for.

Yeah, it sucks but that’s the reality. So let’s play the hand that we are dealt.

How do you circumvent this?

Find out who the hiring manager is for the role. Quite often, just like moi, we will post the job or promote it on our LinkedIn profile. I mean if you’re looking for a Account Executive role and a company is hiring an AE, chances are reaching out to the Director or VP of Sales on LinkedIn or email is your best bet. Or if you can find their email via apollo or by googling, or going to the company website, do that and reach out.

You don’t have to wow the person on that email, although I highly recommend it. Attach your CV, write a quirky email, humor always works (don’t be too much though ha). Craft and send that message over. I know everyone thinks that they applied for the role and that should be enough. I get the sentiment but unfortunately that isn’t enough anymore. Because of the volume the recruiters are dealing with, and how busy every one is.

So go through the door and write that email. I even had people record sample cold calls with a pretend prospect, upload to sound cloud and send it to me. They record videos, they research the company, basically if you’re already reaching out to the VP or the recruiter, then try to make that the best email you can possibly draft. Leverage AI but to a certain extent, you don’t want to sound like, well, ChatGPT.

I mean think about it this way, you’re looking for a gig, right? You can spend 15 mins drafting the message or record that video, it will drastically increase your chances to score an interview. Essentially getting your foot through the door. That right there is all you need.

And yes, VPs are busy, but I promise you that every manager or director worth their salt is always on the look out for talent and while they may take some time to respond, they will, because they also want the best people to be hired and to be on their teams. Who better than people who are going the extra mile?

Just make sure that when you’re reaching out, your messaging is on point and focuses on how you can bring value to the team.

Before you go ahead and ask where can you find the hiring manager, try Linkedin, often times (not always) on Linkedin under the job post you can see the hiring manager.

Once you have details, you can send an inmail or send them an email, that part is entirely up to you. You can also cold call the number on the website and get in touch with the hiring manager. I promise these things are not looked at negatively, quite the contrary.

Show that your experience is relevant

So you know who to reach out to, who the hiring manager is, great you solved the first piece of the puzzle. On to the next one, and this is the crucial element.

Think of this approach as you would a cold email out reach, if you write a templated email willy nilly, is there a chance you will get a reply? Sure. But 1 in 1000th chance. However, if you write a personalized email directed towards the hiring manager focused on what you can bring to the table and experience, the chances of a reply and getting an interview scheduled go up exponentially.

If the job is looking for an Account executive with 2-3 years experience in the enterprise space. Go ahead highlight that. If the company is looking for an SDR, outline why your experience is relevant to that of the role.

Your chances increase dramatically if you can show case why you’re a good fit for the role and how the transition to this role will be a seamless one.

Here is an approach that I would love for you to try. I recently got an email when looking for an SDR and I really liked the message below, the way it was drafted and i’m sure would garner responses from multiple different hiring managers.

Short, concise, and to the point. Shared metrics, what the person has been up to and why they would be the right fit for the role that I’m looking to hire for. Next steps? I made the intro to the HR manager and off to the races.

Look i’m not saying what i’m preaching here is the gospel and it will work every time. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. But what I do know is that this approach will yield you more results than spraying and praying. By simply applying for the role and hoping the hiring manager reaches out to you based on the sheer experience that you have.

Next time you want to apply for a role, try this approach, I assure you that you will not be disappointed.

It’s a HUGE plus if you love the space in which the company operates in

I love backpacks. Yeah, its a weird hobby I have but I love buying and collecting primo backpacks, that I can then use to travel with my kids on low cost airliners and just explore different countries. I also love Jordans, to the point that its snowing right now and I had Jordans on smh.

Point being, if you would start a conversation about backpacks or Jordans, I could speak for hours and discuss anything and everything about them. From, which one is good for which trip, which options people should go for if they are looking to buy sneakers or backpacks, the pros and cons, so on and so forth. My passion for the lack of a better word will be oozing out of me.

Same is the case if you’re applying for a job that you are passionate about. Doesn’t matter if its a company or an industry in which they operate, if you genuinely care about the industry or the company, you will see that the recruiters and the hiring manager will find that passion infectious. So while this may not be the perfect tip, it very much is something I see time and time again, even if the person is less than qualified, the fact that they are passionate about what we do, or the industry automatically makes them stand out from the crowd.

Just please don’t try and create fake sentiment or passion, its a massive red flag and does not bode well. But if you are lucky enough to find a role that really does speak to you, or if you’re really passionate about the company, make sure that you relay that.

It goes a long way. Show case your passion. Most reps don’t understand the product well enough when they are applying for the role and you know what, that is OK. But if you can demonstrate the love for the industry or why you like what the company does, you will almost always be one of the top contenders in the hiring process at any company.

So, there you have it. In a nutshell, remote work has expanded the talent pool globally, increasing competition. Go beyond the standard ways to apply for roles. Tailor your application to the highest relevance and keep messages short, clear, and impactful.

Passion for the industry and role really do matter. Research the hiring manager and the company. Write a standout email or message emphasizing your skills and enthusiasm. Focus on how you bring value, not just what you want from the role.

You do all that, and I assure you will stand out from 99% of the crowd. Most folks aren’t willing to go the extra step. But once you do, the results will show, you will move to the front of the crowd, and your chances of success will increase dramatically.

Happy Hunting!