So youâve spent hours and hours browsing the internet looking for the perfect job opportunity. Maybe youâve found it, and youâre wondering how to ace the application â nice one. Or maybe youâre getting frustrated because no good jobs for your skillset are being advertised.
This article should help with both scenarios.
Over the last two years Iâve gone through hundreds if not thousands of job applications, resumes, and cold emails. And Iâve built up an internal list of things I look out for in a job application: potential red flags, but also the things that signal someone could be a great hire.
So, in this article I’m going to give you 15 tips for how to apply for a job, even if you donât follow the standard application process.
đȘ 1. Find the Third Door
If your dream job is something traditional like being a doctor or lawyer, itâs kind of obvious what you need to do:
- Work really hard at school and university
- Follow the path thatâs laid out for you from there (junior positions â senior positions).
- Be generally impressive and do good work.
Thereâs no real âshortcutâ to success, or a legit way of skipping the queue. You just have to grind. And most people take that approach to every job. They think itâs a grind, where you have to wait in line with your CV and job application.
But actually for most jobs there are a bunch of ways to skip the queue, and get a great job ridiculously early in your career. Alex Banayan talks about this in his book The Third Door.
Usually you do this by making contacts, building interesting things, being active on the right social media⊠and by cold emailing.
đ„¶ 2. Learn to Cold Email
A lot of great jobs, especially if theyâre specialised and well-paid, wonât be advertised online like on LinkedIn or Indeed. And if they are advertised, youâll be competing against hundreds of other people.
So my third piece of advice is to always take the initiative. Send a cold email or DM to your potential dream employer without waiting for them to advertise a job. That way, you can skip the queue.
But donât be pushy, or beg for a job. Itâs a bit like dating. You donât DM someone youâve never met saying âwould you like to be my girlfriendâ: you have to be a bit more subtle. Show youâre interested in working together, make a solid value proposition, then let them make the next move.
And don’t take it personally when someone doesnât answer. Assume theyâre like you: busy, occupied, distracted. So try again later. It’s amazing how often a second try works.
đ 3. Be an opportunist
This is how my old Personal Assistant Elizabeth Filips got her job. She simply DMâd me on Instagram, after I said I was looking for a PA.
She didnât get the job because she was insanely qualified: she got it because she had a good vibe, offered value, saw my post on social media, and had the guts to send an opportunistic DM.
So, keep tabs on people or companies youâd like to work with (or for) by following them on social media, reading their newsletters. Then you can jump on any job openings, or a CEO saying on Twitter âdamn, our YouTube thumbnails really arenât that goodâ. For really interesting companies, youâre probably doing this already.
You want to get inside their head and understand what they like, what they need, and how you can potentially add value.
đ€ 4. Make it Easy to Say Yes
Do anything that makes it easy for the employer to say âyesâ to you. This is lesson 101 on how to apply for a job that isnât advertised.
Elizabeth did this really well. She said âI know you don’t know what you want from this PA thing, and it’s an experiment. But let’s try it for a month. And if you don’t like my services, we donât have to carry on, no hard feelings.â
And I though, okay, cool. This seems very reasonable.
So basically, do anything that makes it easier for the employer to say yes to you, so you get your foot in the door. And once you have your foot in the door, perform really well! Now youâve potentially got a job that’s way more interesting than a random thing you applied for on LinkedIn.
đïž 5. Build a Portfolio
If you want to get a great job, the first step is often to build your portfolio.
One way to do this is by getting another job where you get paid to create cool stuff. That will build your skills and portfolio. And then youâll stand a much better chance of landing your dream job. Youâll also make some decent money.
This is what most creative people have to do. Like Johnny Harris, who landed an amazing job working for Vox YouTube channel, writing scripts and doing motion graphics, and now has his own channel with 2.7M subs.
A great way of getting this kind of experience is by interning or doing a junior role at your dream company. That gives you the opportunity to prove that you fit in and can do a decent job. And when your dream position opens up, the boss can easily promote you without going through a long hiring process to find a new person.
You can also build a good portfolio by finding jobs on freelancer websites like Upwork or Fiverr. You might even get some unexpected job offers.
đ 6. Shorten Your Resume
This is maybe the most standard advice I give when I give advice on how to apply to a job:Â keep your resume short and sweet, 1 or 2 pages max.
I canât emphasise this enough. Focus on the most impressive stuff on your CV and cut the rest. Itâs better to have two impressive achievements than two impressive achievements and three weak ones.
Most people try to stick in every single detail from their life. But unless the job calls for it, no one  cares that you worked behind a bar for 3 years when you were at uni, or that you got a B in your History GCSE.
Maybe you have loads of experience in various things but it’s not all relevant. Well, there’s no harm having multiple CVs, or tailoring your CV to the job you’re applying for. Send the CV that highlights the most important skills and experience you have for that specific role.
When I look at a clean, 1-page CV with maybe 6 main points on it I feel a sense of relief. It shows the person applying cut out all the unnecessary information.
đ§š 7. Lead with Value
With any application, but especially cold emails, you want to lead with value*.* Make it clear what problems you can solve for the business youâre applying to. This is way more interesting to the person reading than a list of your experiences and motivations.
I get emails every day saying âHi I love your stuff, I think Iâd fit in and I have a great skillset, do you think you could offer me a job?â. Those emails donât provide value, or give me a way to judge how good the person really is at their job. So they generally get ignored.
Write a super easy to read, play-by-play guide of how youâll help the company. Then follow it up with a short paragraph about your experience and why you applied. Now youâve got the perfect cover letter structure.
đïž 8. Go Above + Beyond
The best applications show that the candidate went above and beyond. So Iâd suggest that, if possible, you do something for free so you can show your work.
- If it’s a creative job, make something specific: write a YouTube script, edit a video, design a thumbnail. Then include a link in your cover letter.
- If youâre an accountant, link to a spreadsheet you designed.
- If youâre a PR person, sketch out an ad campaign you think would work for the brand.
Someone applying for my writing internship drafted a whole mock issue of my Sunday Snippets newsletter, about dealing with midlife crises. This stuff is gold, and will usually get you an interview.
đ 9. Match the Vibe
Make sure the tone of your cover letter fits how the company usually communicates. If itâs Goldman Sachs, formal is OK. But if youâre applying to work with a young startup, or a media company like mine, keep it more casual.
Start your email with âDear Aliâ, âHi Aliâ, or âDear Ali Abdaalâs teamâ or âHey Ali and teamâ. Or even better, find out which person on the team will be reading your application, and address it to them.
Donât write âDear Sir/Madam/to whom it may concernâ. It gives a weird, formal vibe and shows you havenât spent more than a minute watching or reading my stuff.
đ©10. Donât Bullshit
This goes for any type of application, just donât bullshit. Look at this application for example:
The person is either bullshitting, or doesnât understand that they need to give specific examples to back up claims like âI am known for inspiring and devising original, thought-provoking conceptsâ. If youâre a famous philosopher, sure, you can say that. But if youâre a randomer writing a job application, donât bullshit.
Also avoid lots of stilted language like âNotwithstandingâ or âto this end, I have endeavoured to further my capabilitiesâ, and sentences with loads of adjectives, like âThe scintillating quality of your phenomenal videos is what prompted my earnest application to your excellent companyâ.
Finally, no weird cliches like âI have a burning passion for educationâ. This sort of thing makes you sound like a teenager pretending to be an adult.
đ€© 11. Donât Be Over-Enthusiastic
When some people apply to a job theyâre just way too enthusiastic, and it comes across as unprofessional. Itâs good to show some enthusiasm, just donât go overboard.
The most extreme examples say stuff like âIâm ecstatic to be applying for this role, this is the opportunity of a lifetimeâ, or âI feel like I was born to do this job, I will leave my home and family to work with you in Londonâ.
Just mention what you like most about what the business youâre applying to. And be specific so you doesnât come across as insincere.
Cristian, my editor (aka Zooc on the team chat), finds too much enthusiasm really annoying:
â 12. Double-Check Your Spelling
At the risk of sounding like a Grammarly ad⊠check your spelling and grammar super-carefully before sending off your cover letter. Ideally, get someone else to proofread your application.
If you make mistakes, itâll either seem like:
a) you either donât know how to write properly, or
b) that youâre sloppy, even with the important stuff.
When youâre applying for a job, even one mistake in a perfect application can raise question marks.
đŹ 13. Create a Video
You don’t need to be a videographer and editor to be able to send in a video application. Just record a Loom, or film a video your phone saying âhey I’ve made a quick video to accompany my application, hereâs what Iâd bring to the teamâ.
Itâs a very quick way of showcasing your personality and standing out from the 1000 other people who applied, and getting the employer to see you as a human being instead of âCandidate no.125â. It also shows you really care about the job, and youâre willing to put in some time for your application.
â 14. Do an Amazing Job
Do your job really well, make solid connections in your industry, and youâll never need to apply for a job again. Thatâs because two things will happen:
- First, youâll hear through your contacts about random specialised jobs that arenât advertised anywhere. Like âoh I heard YouTuber Matt DâAvella needs a new video editorâ. And you can contact that person to let them know exactly how youâd solve their problem, potentially landing yourself a job without having to compete with anyone.
- Secondly, and this is how a LOT of people get their dream jobs; that person who has a problem that needs solving might have heard about or seen your work. And they might reach out to you directly.
Word-of-mouth is the best marketing. Once people start to say âTimmy (or whatever your name is) is a sick music producerâ, landing a job will get easier and easier.
Thatâs it – my complete guide on how to apply for a job. Follow this advice, work on your skills, and hopefully, youâll ace your next application.
Inspiring set of motivations, I must say. Would try to cling to at least one of these precious suggestions.