• Gatekeepers (HR & recruiters): Their job is to filter out the masses, and they're very good at what they do. The problem is they'll often filter out good applicants along with the bad, and they'll never tell you why.
• VIPs (Hiring managers & executives): Their job is to find the best talent. Once they decide they want you, VIPs can move heaven and earth to make it happen — even after HR "formally" rejects you.
• Connectors: These are anyone who can put you in touch with a VIP, such as an employee of the company, a former employee, a mutual friend, or anyone else you meet in the course of your Natural Networking

What's a VIP Application?

Rather than applying through the front door and dealing with the standard application process (which is what everyone else does)... You’re going to get in touch with a company VIP (ideally via a mutual acquaintance) and meet with them to informally chat about a potential fit.

Why it works:

• You skip the entire HR process — which can take weeks or months — and go straight to the decision makers.
• You get real feedback instead of automated rejection notices. If they don't think you're a good fit, a VIP will usually tell you why.
• It's what employers want! Here's what the CEO of Cloudera wrote on his blog post, "How to Get a Job at Cloudera: "Don't just email us your resume... it's much better to come by way of introduction from someone we already know. If one of them sends your name and resume along to a hiring manager, you can bet that it gets special attention."
• Perhaps most importantly, the VIP Application shows that you're a discerning candidate.
  • Most people are desperate candidates: They apply, then pray for the best. They're not picky because they just want a job — any job.
  • Top performers are discerning candidates. They're not worried about getting a job, they're worried about getting the wrong job.
  • They rarely look at job ads, and leverage their network instead. They chat casually with other employers even if they're not that interested — which makes the employers want them that much more.
  • In other words, top performers use the VIP Application strategy all the time. And we always want to do what top performers do.

How to get to a VIP to check for Fit

The VIP Application has 2 steps:

Step 1. Reach out to a VIP, ideally via introduction.

Step 2. Meet with the VIP informally to see if there's a fit.

Ideally, you want to be introduced by a Connector. Remember, a Connector can be anyone you can reach out to that works at your target company: a former employee, a friend, a Natural Networking contact, etc. If you haven't already taken this person out to coffee, do so! At your meeting, be sure to ask: "Who do you think I should talk to if I were interested in a position at Acme?" That's your VIP. Wait a few days, then email your Connector and ask if he'd be willing to make an introduction. (Check back at the scripts under Natural Networking for help.)

VIP Application Game Plan

1. Reach out to 5 Tier-2 companies this week, using the VIP Application process outlined in Module 6. [10 hours]
   • This means reaching out to your Connectors for introductions if you have them, or pitching a VIP at your target companies if you don't.
   • It also doesn't matter if the company is explicitly hiring or not! Reach out to them as if they are. Companies will be flexible for the right candidate.
2. If you're really serious about only stopping once you have your ideal Dream Job: Repeat this process every week, refilling your pipeline with more companies as you go.

VIP Application: The Big Picture

Remember: The missing link in the typical person's job application strategy is feedback. That's why job hunters get so frustrated — they have no way to improve. But the VIP Application lets you test the market in micro-steps: Not getting introductions? Improve your networking. Not getting email responses? Focus on your pitch. Not connecting in person? Develop your soft skills. On the other hand, if you're consistently getting YES, then you know that your Dream Job is within reach.

Acing the Interview

First, let's establish that interviewing is a skill — one you can practice, tweak, and improve. Once you master these skills, you can crush the competition, even if they're more qualified than you on paper. Of course, your skills matter. You need to fit at least the basic qualifications for your role. But if you've made it to the interview table, it's probably safe to assume that you do — so let’s go deeper. All the work that you front-loaded (research, targeting, etc.) pays off big time in the interview room, because you've:

• Gotten more targeted than anyone else
• Performed deeper research
• Made better connections

When it comes to top performers, 80% of their work is done before they ever walk into the interview room.

What do Interviewers want??

The interview is a test of how you behave in person. That's why even if you have all the right skills, one mistake can make you an automatic "No Hire." It's not just what you say.

Remember, you're constantly sending out dozens of tiny Competence Triggers, from your vocal tone to your body language, that affect how others perceive you. Top performers understand this, and treat every single interview question as an opportunity to display their high competence.

3 Steps to Perfect Interview Answers

Open-ended questions are challenging, unavoidable, and few things will make you stand out more than acing each and every one of them (e.g. Tell me about yourself). Once you perfect these, you can apply your new skills to every aspect of the interview process. Top performers anticipate the most common questions in advance, and prepare accordingly. Here's the 3-step method I use to give the "perfect" response to almost any question:

1. Find the Question Behind the Question.
2. Find the Plain English Answer.
3. Polish to Perfection.

That's the basic theory behind answering tough interview questions. But there's a big difference between knowing what to do, and actually pulling it off in practice. Knowing the perfect answer is one thing. Actually giving it, live and under pressure, is another experience altogether.