The 30 Second Job Search

The 30 Seconds Job Search

Introduction

I started getting interested in the hiring process during my MBA at IESE Business School. Everyone wanted to land a job at McKinsey and we were training to make it happen. I decided to record my learnings in a blog. After my MBA, I took it further and created mockmate.com, a portal to help you practice interviews.

When Mockmate didn’t make it to the next round of investment, I had to start looking for a job. Me being super lazy and with everything I learned during the last 3 years, I came up with a method. I applied my method and I had my first interview in the first week of trying. During the next few months, I had at least 5 interviews a week and ended up at Google.

I wanted to share it, to help people find a job they want and fast.

Rationale

Everything I learned from recruiters can be summarized in 5 bullet points:

1. Recruiters are Lazy
2. Recruiters need to fill positions quickly
3. Most of applicants are crap
4. Lifespan of a job offer is 2 weeks
5. Recruiters have yearly and quarterly objectives

In sales you learn that you can’t close a client from the very first intro call. That’s why you create a funnel to move prospects along the way until you close them. It’s the same with applying for jobs.
The goal of an online application is to get to the screening call, not to the job offer.

The Method

TL;DR: Basically click away on all the easy apply jobs you see every single day.

My method is doing everything they told you shouldn’t. I landed more interviews than ever before, the key is to be committed and do it with enough consistency. Basically click away on all the easy apply jobs you see.

Don’t waste time reading the job descriptions, don’t waste time researching the company, don’t waste time updating resumes or cover letters.

Have a generic resume and a generic cover letter, that’s more than enough. If you need help writing a cover letter, you can read my article here, or you can have a look at mine here. The goal is to get an interview, not to land the job. You’ll have time to research the company when/if they invite you for an interview.

1. Head up to Linkedin.com/jobs
2. Search for a position that you’re interested in for example “Operations Manager” and your preferred location.
3. Use the filters:
   – Select Past Week (if it’s your first time) otherwise Past 24 hours
   – Select your level of seniority
   – Hit ‘All filters’: There you should turn on “Easy Apply” and “Less than 10 applicants”
   – You should prioritize “Less than 10 applicants” but you don’t have to.
4. Click Easy Apply on all the results.

The Method +

You can also apply to jobs that don’t have “Easy apply”, but only the ones that redirect you to platforms like Lever, Workable, Greenhouse, the ones that are asking only for name, first name, resume and email. Again, if they ask too many questions, we abort. You are not allowed to spend more than 30 seconds on an application.

You can automate some of this process using applications like Lastpass or Google.

Rules

1. Apply to as many jobs as possible, every day. Be creative in your queries:
   – Change the location
   – Change titles (“Operations”, “Operations manager”, “Manager of Operations”)
2. Don’t spend more than 30 seconds per application.
3. If the “Easy Apply” pop-up asks too many questions abort. We’re not here to justify our application or do unpaid research.
4. Don’t apply to jobs that ask about qualifications you don’t have. The Pop-up will say “How proficient are you in German?” If you don’t speak german jump to the next one.

FAQ

Is there a best time to do this?

Absolutely. The best time of the year to apply for a job is Early November. Recruiters rejected people all year and are now 6 weeks of not getting their performance bonus. At this time, they are desperate to find candidates. This is also true for the end of each quarter but with less success (Early Feb, Early May, Early July and early Nov).

When should I expect the first results?

It’s super fast, you should get results in the first weeks!

How do I stand out?

Recruiters will still be interested in your LinkedIn profile so make sure it’s up to date and optimized. I also suggest you start blogging, podcasting or building tools and projects that are useful for the job you want. Your cover letter should be more like a portfolio rather than a text explaining why you want this job. Respect yourself and your time! You are a passionate person and it shows through actions.

What If I get an Interview?

First of all congrats! Next step, do research about the company and make sure the role is a match. Then just relax and be yourself, everything’s going to be fine.

What else can I do?

Make sure you have decent achievements to demonstrate. If you’re willing to do extra work, reach out to alumni or connections it’s almost always successful. (CFR: 2 hour job search).
Google, Salesforce, Amazon and Netflix are generally pretty good. At most you’ll have to fill in your application once and then you can apply very fast and they hire A LOT.