How to Secure a Job Interview Faster Than Everyone Else

<<Making a strong personal connection with an employer can outweigh almost any negative aspect or lack of excellence in your job submission. Of course, don't think you can submit a crappy resume and cover letter and plan to charm the pants off of the employer. You already have to be the perfect candidate, and there are usually many, so it's all about standing out in the crowd of winners. That's tough. You need to have a combination of a strong background and dynamic interpersonal skills and charisma.

Let me start with the boldest way to do this—and it's also the most dangerous and risky—but it can work great for some. In fact, someone pulled this one on me, and I was rather impressed.


Actually showing up at an employer's office is nervy, but it can also be seen as aggressive and gutsy, illustrating your perseverance as a professional. It can help the employer by eliminating the time-consuming resume rummage and struggle to find someone who you want to interview.

See 6 Things Attorneys and Law Students Need to Remove from Their Resumes ASAP If They Want to Get Jobs with the Most Prestigious Law Firms for more information.

If you simply show up, request to hand off the submission to the employer (if he or she is not busy), and give a warm smile and handshake, you have done the job correctly. More often than not, many employers will talk to you for at least a few minutes, which is like a mini-interview that can lead to landing the job. If the employer is busy, just drop off the submission with reception. This usually guarantees that someone will hand it to him or her—and that can be your way in.

Never take advantage of walk-ins by waltzing in and demanding to see the employer—that's the dangerous part because whether you do that or not, some people will see that as what you're doing, no matter how smoothly you handle the situation.

Then there is the phone approach, which is a safer mode of personal connection because it's only a voice, not your entire self. I should add a side note to this. If you have a terrible and awkward voice, vouch for the walk-in.

Calling an employer after you send a submission is a great way to get him or her to open your submission while you're on the phone. Calling and saying something like "Hi so and so, my name is so and so, and I just wanted to confirm that you received my submission for the so and so position. I'm very interested in the job and hope that we can set up an interview."

This one is also pretty tried-and-true, as it has worked on me, as well as an anonymous CEO who said, "I knew right away that I wanted to hire him when he called me," he said of the candidate. It shows initiative and drive, and usually, employers want you to put forth that attitude for their companies. Grasping the opportunity to pick up the phone and put yourself out there for an employer to see shows something powerful. You'd be amazed at how many people never do this.

Now, of course, these personal-connection examples will only help you if a job ad does not say "No phone calls" or "No walk-ins." Directly disregarding the employer's request is never a good first impression.

See the following articles for more information:

• 21 Major Interview Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs
• The Best Way to Prepare for a Job Search and Interviews
• How to Talk About Other Interviews in Your Interviews
• How to Answer the Tell Me About Yourself Interview Question
• How to Answer the Do You Have Any Questions for Me Interview Question