How I Landed a Job at a Fortune 200 Company

Networking is the single most effective job search tool in your arsenal

I scheduled a meeting with my manager the following day to sit down and discuss options post-graduation. As soon as I started, I noticed her expression change instantly to unease. I knew what it meant, but I finished my question anyway, “I would like to work here after graduation, I believe that my contributions warrant a full-time job offer. Are there any open positions?” I asked. My manager smiled and said, “I appreciate everything you’ve done here. I wish there were, but unfortunately, there just isn’t a budget to bring in new hires besides interns. We’d be happy to keep you on as an intern if you’d like?” I felt shattered. My hard work, contributions, and aspirations all felt like they meant nothing. I knew that I needed to start my job search. I thanked her for her time and headed home to begin filling out job applications. This lack of direction and fear of the unknown is an all too familiar feeling for many graduates.

In the months before graduation, I made it my job to find a full-time job. Often I would stay up until 2 AM applying to jobs anywhere you could name. LinkedIn, Indeed, school job portal, and even Craigslist. I was receiving rejection notices left and right. I had my fair share of interviews, some also making it as far as the 2nd and 3rd round! However, after two months of looking and hundreds of application rejections later, I knew something needed to change. The traditional Job search method seemed outdated and stale to me, but I didn’t know any other way. My current strategy wasn’t working. That’s when it hit me; I knew how I would find a job.

I’ve always heard of the power of networking, as I’m sure most of you have as well, especially with the ease of connecting with your entire network through LinkedIn. But now I got to experience it first hand. I created a simple post on LinkedIn, the exact one you see above, and attached my Resume. The post was shared many times, and shortly after, my Inbox was full of messages of potential jobs, recruiters, and Alumni offering assistance with the job search process. Within a few weeks, I received an offer letter from a Fortune 200 company that I never expected to give me a shot.

I was overwhelmed with the support and an understanding that your network truly is the most powerful tool you have to combat a job search. With all of this said, I hope that you understand the power that reaching out to those around you can have on your life. If you don’t currently have a strong network, I’d advise you to start now, like right now. Go out there and connect with people. You never know what benefit it can give to you until you try. You can even start with me if you’d like. It is that simple to get a leg up over the competition. This advice is even more paramount in the complex economy created by COVID-19.

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