This as-told-to essay is predicated on a dialog with Courtney Clapper, a 32-year-old technique lead for a main retailer in New York. It’s been edited for size and readability.
I began my job hunt within the fall of 2025, a few months after graduating with my MBA from Cornell Tech. I was making use of for a mixture of roles, similar to product supervisor or digital strategist, and I knew the competitors could be fierce on this tough job market.
From portfolios to video cover letters, I tried all kinds of artistic strategies to face out and exhibit my persona, however they did not work. A easy, free AI device that locates hiring managers’ emails landed me a number of interviews — and a job.
Video cowl letters had been a nice begin for me
My first thought course of when coming into the job market was to think about myself as a recruiter, getting slammed with hundreds of résumés stuffed with knowledge and numbers.
I figured it could be in my greatest curiosity to offer them a sense of what makes me stand out: my persona. So, I recorded myself studying my AI-written cover letters, throwing in a joke or two, and hooked up the video by way of a non-public YouTube hyperlink.
The video tells the recruiters I can converse and current nicely, and it offers them a sense of who I am. This method helped me land an interview at Microsoft. They particularly known as out the video, saying it made them really feel like they already knew me, which I thought was fairly good suggestions.
I nonetheless needed to strive a number of completely different artistic concepts.
Next, I determined to make one thing extra visible — a portfolio
My portfolio was within the type of a timeline. It included footage of all skilled endeavors I thought might assist me land a job, from merchandise I’ve constructed and my time at Cornell to footage of me pitching. My objective was to showcase my ability set and persona whereas additionally creating one thing extra visually attention-grabbing.
I’d additionally heard of individuals getting jobs by placing collectively a slideshow on how they’d enhance the corporate, so I gave it a shot, and it did not actually get me anyplace. Neither of those methods was well worth the time dedication they required.
Referrals additionally got me nowhere. I have a stable community, and that wasn’t making a distinction. Interestingly, I utilized for a bunch of roles at Microsoft, and the one one I received an interview for was the one I did not have a referral for.
I got here throughout a job-finding hack on Reddit
I was studying feedback on Reddit from folks complaining about their job-hunting struggles, and I noticed a few folks saying they discovered success by reaching out to hiring managers instantly.
Some folks stated they cold-called, which made me suppose, “Okay, that’s a little bit too far,” however the emphasis was simply to succeed in out. The thought of emailing them appeared low-risk, so I determined to offer it a shot.
I began by researching on LinkedIn, making an attempt to guess who the hiring supervisor or recruiter may be. Sometimes it was listed, nevertheless it wasn’t the most effective technique. Then I got here throughout a Reddit remark about Apollo AI, a free device that may find hiring supervisor emails. I discovered it to be fairly correct, so I began reaching out with my résumé and canopy letter. It was a sport changer.
The CEO of Sweetgreen responded to my e mail
My messages confirmed initiative and, truthfully, in all probability simply made issues simpler for the hiring supervisor. I reached out to a few folks instantly and received interviewed for 2 jobs.
I even emailed the CEO of Sweetgreen instantly, and he responded by placing me in contact with the hiring supervisor to schedule an interview.
One of my e mail reachouts become my present job, a technique lead position for a main retailer. This technique made issues extra environment friendly as a result of I already had a direct line of contact, so it was simple to comply with up if there was a delay.
I did not get any detrimental suggestions about it and would do it once more
I was questioning if anybody may be weirded out about me discovering their emails, however nobody stated something. They might discover it creepy, however they might additionally discover it resourceful.
If I had been again within the job market, I’d begin with the email strategy. The train of pondering by artistic approaches like portfolios and video cowl letters was enjoyable and received me desirous about tips on how to current my persona most successfully, however in the end, getting in direct contact was one of the simplest ways to be aggressive.
Do you’ve gotten a story to share about a distinctive job-finding hack? If so, please attain out to the reporter at tmartinelli@businessinsider.com.
