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We're doing quite a bit of hiring (for us) @convertkit, which means I've gotten the chance to observe the process in quite a bit of detail while working with our hiring managers. This is a thread on what I'm seeing, which I hope will be valuable if you're looking for a role.
1. Hiring always takes me back to the days of running my first business - Living for Monday. It makes me want to help people find jobs more easily. So these are a few observations and thoughts on getting hired at great companies like ConvertKit.
2. I know huge companies use automated filters/keywords to rule out applicants. At some companies (like us), real humans read every app. When your answers on an app show you were in a rush or didn’t put much thought into it, it shows me that you don’t really want to work here.
3. As an aside, please don't reach out to me and tell me about your automated candidate filtering software. We're not interested. Considering each application is highly valuable to us and adds a personal touch to the process that you won't find elsewhere. We're proud of that.
4. Keep faith in the process, even when it’s hard and it seems like no one is ever going to call you back. Treat every job app like the person reading it is going to be your favorite manager for the next phase of your career. It will change your approach and quality of your app.
5. Communicate your personality. There might be incredibly formal companies out there, but we’re not one of them. Most great companies want to hire good humans and it’s a bonus that you have the skills we need.
6. One applicant finished an answer with “And I'm soooo modest - it's one of my best qualities...can't you tell?” It was hilarious and appropriate given the rest of the answer. I loved it!
7. “I want to work remotely” is not a good reason to come to work @ConvertKit. Working remotely is hard. It takes work and heartache and frustration (in addition to being awesome in a bunch of other ways).
8. If your primary motivation for applying is that you want to work remotely, you need to take time to step back and think about how that looks. We want people who want to work on this mission with us, not someone who's just looking for any way to work from home.
9. Working remotely might improve your life — we’re building this company remotely because we believe it’s the way of the future, especially for software companies. But that’s not enough for us to give you a second look. It communicates that you’re in this for the wrong reasons.
10. “I don’t like my current job” is also not a good reason for applying to our company. You probably do want to leave your current job, that’s why you’re looking at our job posting.
11. The way you get hired is by knowing what you do want. That’s the step in the process after you figure out that you don’t want your current job. Figure out what you do want.
12. Then, apply to jobs that you want for a specific reason. You find that reason by researching the company you’re applying to and considering carefully whether it’s actually a place you want to work. More on that here: barrettbrooks.com/ideal-job-desc…
13. Communicate that reason clearly. Running away from something as fast as possible is a good way to end up in another job you hate. Instead, know what you want and seek it out.
14. If you have a chance to submit a cover letter or an introductory video, do it! Your resume is a flat, boring, inaccurate representation of how talented and interesting you are.
15. Yes, you often have to have a resume because systems take a long time to change. But a cover letter or video is a chance to communicate who you actually are and what you care about. You have a captive audience - use it!
16. When you write your cover letter, write it like you’re sending it to your favorite boss or mentor. They know, like, and trust you. They believe you’re talented.
17. If you write to that person, but include the information a person who doesn’t yet know you needs, it will come across as warm, friendly, personable, and honest.
18. Advocate for yourself in your application. Your job in an application is to communicate your value. If you don’t have confidence in that, how can I? It’s awkward. It will feel like you’re bragging or inflating yourself. Here’s the solution: just tell the truth.
19. If you need help understanding the truth, ask your spouse, your best friend, your favorite colleague, a mentor, and your favorite boss to write a letter as if they’re pitching a prospective employer on your behalf. Have them send that letter to you.
20. Whatever they say is true about you. Use that material to fuel telling your own truth. Do it confidently. You can be both humble and confident.
21. If you do nothing in your application to stand out, you’re going in the “no” pile. That’s how this goes. It may not seem fair, but you have to realize something: for one of our recent roles, we had over 1,000 applications.
22. If I read your application and you haven’t given me a specific reason to put you in the “yes” pile, then you’re going in the “no” pile because of the number of people who took the time to stand out.
23. Having years of experience or a particular past job title is not the only way to stand out. There are many others. One way: by acknowledging your lack of relevant experience and then explaining your connection to our mission and what you’ve been doing to level up.
24. Other ways to stand out: Make a website about why you’re amazing. Create a pdf version of your application with beautiful design. Build an excel model based on our public financial data that’s easily findable on the web. Have a tasteful sense of humor in your cover letter.
25. “It’s not fair.” “I don’t have time for that.” “I should get paid for that.” It’s not fair, time is about priorities, and yes, hopefully you’ll end up getting paid for it. That’s the point. In a world where some people are working to stand out, you have to do the same.
26. In a world where highly coveted people get recruited into great jobs, you have to work to break through the noise to beat them for the job you want. It's not fair, but it is true. The sooner you embrace this, the sooner it will no longer be an obstacle for you.
27. “I’ve worked in the field for [10, 20, 50] years” is not a valid proxy for “I’m a badass at this job.” I get it — when you’re a long time professional and have all of the context for what you’ve done, it’s obvious to you why someone should interview you.
28. It’s not obvious to someone who doesn’t know you. What have you done in those years that makes you a great fit for this role at this company at this time? You still have to pitch yourself, even if everyone you’ve ever worked with thinks you’re better than sliced bread.
29. Do the hard work for me. If you have the skills we need, but no apparent industry experience - for example, you’ve worked in healthcare or construction - then I need you to connect the dots for me.
30. What connection do you have to our industry? Do you have a related side project? Is your spouse or best friend a part of the industry so you know all about it? Is it a hobby of yours? Give me anything to latch onto that shows me you know why you’re getting into this industry.
31. The only job of your application is to get you to the next step in the process. You can’t get a job offer based on your application, so focus on communicating the best information you can to make a compelling case for why you should get to move on to a phone screen.
32. You only need one yes in response to your application. Remember that and communicate nothing more than exactly the amount that will earn you a “yes.”
33. There’s a fine line between too long and too short in a cover letter. Write short paragraphs. Don’t regurgitate a narrative version of your resume. Use short sentences with clear points. Have structure and narrative flow to the letter.
34. You should be able to communicate everything necessary in a cover letter in 4-5 two sentence paragraphs.
35. Get right to the point. Yes, we’re hiring for the open role. Don’t tell us about how you found the application or that it’s come to your attention that we might need someone like you. Yep, we sure do. Get to it and tell us why you’re awesome.
37. Do whatever you can to avoid opening your cover letter with “Dear sir/madam,”. It’s from the wrong century. Again, some corporations and historied companies might still want that level of formality, but at a company like ConvertKit we want to work with humans with personality
38. “Hey there,” would be better than sir/madam, but extra points if you read the JD, find who you’ll report to, and then find their name on our about page. “Hey Barrett,” is best of all. If you must, “Dear Barrett,” is as formal as it needs to get.
39. Our benefits package is designed to be attractive. We add to it regularly so that we can attract highly talented people to our organization. Other companies do the same thing. Don’t talk about the benefits package as a reason you want to come to work here.
40. Of course the benefits package is attractive! That’s why we have it. You saying that makes it feel like that’s all that matters to you, especially when you don’t say anything else about why you want to work with us.
41. You work hard. You’re smart. Dedicated. Honest. Ethical. Self-starting. These words are empty once you’ve read them several hundred times.
42. Your goal is to differentiate yourself, not prove you meet the bar for “decent human being.” I default to believing most people are decent human beings until they prove otherwise. Differentiate yourself with meaningful words.
43. Company-specific acronyms aren’t helpful outside of that company. Great, you have corporate lingo! Now translate it for me. If your application makes me feel dumb, then you might feel smart, but you probably also won’t get through to the next round.
44. That's all I got for you for now. If you're applying to jobs because it's time for a change or because you've been out of work for years, the same principles still apply. Stick with it, trust in the process, and find the right companies for you. You'll break through the noise
45. If you want to come to work at a company where we value great people, treat applicants like humans, and are an important mission to help creators earn a living... we're hiring @convertkit right now: ConvertKit.com/careers /end
