A Brilliant Way to Land Your Next Job
Is it feeling impossible to get into your dream company? Or ANY company for that matter? I feel you! The job market is insanely competitive. I have an approach that will help set you apart. It’s how I got into Nike in my 20s.
It’s called project work.
What is project work? It’s a project you do for someone in a company you want to work for that helps that person perform better in their job. It’s a great way to build a relationship with someone in a company you’re targeting and an effective way to prove your skillset. Not to mention this approach can be highly effective at positioning you at the front of the line when an appropriate position opens up in the company.
The easiest type of project work to get is work you can do remotely and independently. Any sort of market research, in person research or online research, is doable and can deliver great value to your contact. Possible ideas include industry trends, competitor activity, or best practices.
For example, let’s say you want to work in consumer electronics, your target is Sony, and you know someone who works there or found someone on LinkedIn. My philosophy is you need to make it difficult for people to say no. There’s a way to handle this situation that makes it much more likely for you to get a yes and this is how:
• Introduce yourself. Be polite, professional, and brief. Tell them a bit about your background and let them know you’d love to do a project for them.
• You suggest project ideas. Don’t ask them if you can do a project for them and make them come up with the idea. That sounds like work for them and that approach will likely put them off. If you want to do project work for someone, you need to go to them with a few ideas. Even if they don’t love any of the ideas, it shows initiative and if they like you and want the help, they can suggest a different idea.
• You do the work for free. Yes, for free. You need the relationship and the opportunity more than they need you. Getting the project on your resume and further building the relationship is your payment.
• You work remotely and independently. There isn’t a desk for you, and they don’t want to have to worry about you or this project. All you need is to clearly agree on what the project is then I suggest a short mid-point check-in via phone or in-person (whatever your contact prefers), and then I’d ask for the chance to present your work to them at the end.
If you do great work, you’ll be on the company’s radar and your odds are much higher of being considered the next time a position opens up. And if the project goes well and you enjoyed it, you can always suggest an extension to allow you to do another project. Side note: if it were me, I’d cap free project work at 6 months before asking if it’s possible to receive any compensation. At that point, they’re clearly seeing value in the work you’re doing so it’s a fair question.
Want more career advice, check out my book or my online course. Both are on sale for under $15!