A year ago, I was vacationing with my family in a small cabin on Virginia Beach when I heard my phone go off several times in a row.
I ignored it.
I was tired from a long day in the sun and figured my phone was buzzing with Twitter alerts...probably something new trending.
It could wait.
But, just as that thought was crossing my mind, my phone beeped again…and again. Before I had the chance to sit up and grab it, it had went off two more times.
By this time, my husband was also stirring (annoyed) and asked, “What is it?”
Something new on Twitter was indeed trending, and the tweets were about me.
A blog post I wrote about wanting to work at IBM had been picked up by a reporter, and the story was being shared widely by business professionals.
All during that night and for the next 48 hours, I scrambled to manage thousands of tweets, comments, and shares.
Not only was there a high amount of traffic going to my original post and social accounts, but the subsequent article was trending as one of the top 60 stories on Yahoo!
In just over one month after my initial post was published, I had multiple opportunities at IBM and offers from other major tech companies.
I had choices.
And, none of these offers were a result of me submitting a job application through an HR portal…just one single blog post did the trick.
Since that all occurred, hundreds of people from all around the world reached out to me via email, social media, and in person to ask, “How did you do that?”
Well, here it is. Below are the two easy steps I took to land my dream job without going through a traditional recruiting process.
Step 1: Start Fan Clubs
First, make a list of people who you admire, want to work with or for, and experts you would like to meet.
Next, stalk them online.
Don’t get me wrong…I’m not suggesting you be all creepy about it.
Simply like, share, promote, and leave thoughtful comments on whatever your list of targets publish. Become their biggest fan.
Be prepared to give more than you receive.
For three years, I (professionally) stalked a couple dozen professionals online by retweeting their tweets, sharing their blog posts, and even interviewing them for my own blog posts. And, I never asked for anything in return…
That is, until I wrote about my desire to work for IBM.
For nearly 3 hours after publishing that post, I emailed and reached out to those two dozen individuals on social media asking them to share my story.
By this time, they all knew of me and came out in full force to support my mission (a few even offered jobs, access to their networks, and professional references).
Step 2: Use Simple Advertising Hacks to Get Your Target’s Attention
If you’ve never created a piece of viral content, you’ve probably never heard of Luke Sullivan.
Mr. Sullivan, like so many other legendary advertising execs, know not only how to get your attention, but keep it and make you take action. And, they do so with one or a combination of several advertising hacks, such as:
A Clickable Title
There are many angles to take, but one sure fire way of getting readers to click on a title is to use polarities. In my initial post, which helped to land my current role at IBM, I used the polarities “old” and “intern” in the title. In another article I’ve written, which was also picked up by mass media and spread on a viral level, the polarized terms “baby” and “professional conference” were used to make the title irresistible to the target market.
An Uncomfortable Image
A clickable title is only as good as the image you use to boost it. This image should not only reiterate the title but make the reader squirm a bit. It should make a busy executive (or your target audience) stop scrolling out of mere curiosity.
An Argument-Invoking Topic
Creating content that will make individuals want to comment is no easy feat. How many good articles have you read but never shared your thoughts within the comment section? Nevertheless, if you want digital content to go viral, it has to spark conversation. Therefore, write for your target audience, but choose a topic that individuals from multiple industries, generations, cultures, and perspectives can discuss (and argue).
A Bucket Brigade
Organize your content into easy-to-consume chunks. Notice the spacing and all the one-liners I have included above, e.g. “Be prepared to give more than you receive.” This is a bucket of content, which dumps into the next paragraph and keeps readers scanning and scrolling. Steps, lists, and interview questions can be used in a similar way to organize content.
You’re Up Next
Well, that’s how I did it.
And, you can replicate my results. Just think like a marketer and leverage digital media to land your dream job. I’d love to hear your story. Please share in the comments section below how you have bypassed the traditional recruiting channels to launch your career.