There are two important lessons here. First one is, networking is very important. She just asked them if they were interested in meeting the first time around. No talk about a job in the first place. She was curious and wanted to know more. The second lesson is, the job ad is often later in the process than what we tend to believe. What do I mean by this?

First Network, then Job Ad

Some job hunters believe that the job ad will be posted when the company has a business need. When they need someone to join their team. This is not usually the case. Instead, the need to hire someone is something that is popping up in discussions among the employers long before that. In this talk, Raman Ramalingam explains this very well. He says, first the company is looking for people to hire in the network and only if they can’t find the person there, they put up the job ad.

This means the job ad can be quite late in the recruitment process. It can be so late that the company really have a big need to hire someone ASAP. While, if you contact the company before then you can come into the process earlier on and basically be the only one doing this.

Because the powerful knowledge I will give you is this – most job hunters are not using spontaneous applications and networking. Even though it is highly effective to do so in the job hunt. I call these things strategic gaps.

So, think about ways to enter the conversation earlier with the employer. Connect to people on LinkedIn or go to networking events to meet new people. What is important is that you continue to work on it. Whenever you have quality in the process, whenever you are reaching out and getting answers on your messages and meeting requests, then it is all about increasing the quantity. Then it is all a numbers game.

Think About Your Input

I encourage you to just set up a couple of meetings with employers. Do it because you are curious about what they do. Then have a short meeting. Online or in person where you talk about the company’s challenges.

The important thing is what you put into the equation yourself. The more people you meet, the higher the chances are that you meet a company that has a business need that maps up with your particular skills. But, this won’t happen all the time. Just like you won’t always get invited to interviews when you are applying for jobs on job boards. This is part luck, part skill. It is important to mention and think about that.

Another advantage in favor of this approach; it helps you develop a long term relationship. If you contact someone because you are interested in their business, then you the relationship is not over if you can’t find a job. However, if you contact them and ask for a job, then the relationship is kind of over after that initial job application.

Do you see the difference?

We want to optimize our activities in such way that we end up winning whatever happens. If the say yes to our fika and there doesn’t seem to be a job, we have still won in the sense that we have opened up a relationship and have had a good time. But, in general, the rejection we get from employers is not possible to do something with. We basically end the relationship there and then. Of course, we can focus on trying to transition into a relationship later but it is so much easier if you are just reaching out with curiosity first.

What you can do now

To replicate what this person did, make a list of companies that you find interesting. Then start to connect to people on LinkedIn and be curious about what they do. Try to get a short meeting or phone call where you can get to know each other more. Focus all your attention on them and then try to understand if there is a match or not.

You can find companies by reading business news, searching LinkedIn, see where professionals like you are working and much more. I am sure you can find some really interesting companies.