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Finally stopped applying to jobs online and just called a company I wanted to work for instead | Career Advice - Guest Forum

shane_williams•5mo ago

Finally stopped applying to jobs online and just called a company I wanted to work for instead

After sending out 40 applications with zero callbacks over 3 months in Austin, I cold-called a small marketing firm and got an interview scheduled the same day, has anyone else skipped the online apps and gone straight to the source with decent results?

3 comments

3 Comments

kaib185mo ago

You said you went 3 months with zero callbacks, but one cold call fixed everything. That sounds less like a strategy that works for everyone and more like you got lucky with the right company at the right time. Most places will just tell you to apply online anyway, so I wouldn't bet my whole job search on it.

avery_foster314mo ago

Doesn't the 3 months of nothing prove that just applying online wasn't working for you though? I get what kaib18 is saying about luck, but you didn't just sit around waiting for something to happen. You actually took a different step and it paid off. Maybe cold calling doesn't work at every company, but sending out 40 applications with zero replies shows that the online method was already failing. At some point you have to try something else or you're just banging your head against the same wall. Your story is proof that being direct can open doors that clicking a button never will.

lindareed5mo ago

Yo @kaib18 I get what you're saying but honestly my best friend had a similar thing happen. She was trying to get into a graphic design studio in Portland, sent out like 50 apps online over a few months, nothing. One day she just walked in with her portfolio and talked to the receptionist, ended up chatting with the creative director for 20 minutes and got a freelance gig on the spot. It's not gonna work everywhere but sometimes being there in person shows you actually care, unlike the 500 other people who just clicked submit. She said the director told her later he hired her because she had the guts to show up rather than just being another email in his inbox.