Why job board sites don’t work

Do you have a formal dining room table? I’m guessing if you do, you use it for Can't view this email properly? [View in Browser]() {NAME}, Do you have a formal dining room table? I’m guessing if you do, you use it for special occasions—like holidays and dinner parties. And maybe the rest of the time, you eat in the kitchen. (And the table becomes a breeding ground for bills, junk mail, and other we’ll-think-about-this-later stuff.) The standard job application process is like a formal dining room table. It looks good. It seems promising. But it just isn’t that useful. And when it comes to finding a dream job, Indeed, Monster, ZipRecruiter, and other resume farms are just as useless as that neglected table. Job search technique The job search techniques of an average applicant vs top talent. What do you notice? Job board sites don’t work Why is it unlikely you’ll snag a job you love from a job board? Because job boards aren’t built to favor standout candidates. They’re built to get companies MORE applications, not better applications ([and the numbers prove it]()). You could spend hours shot gunning your resume and never hear back, because: - You can’t get past the gatekeeper. Some underpaid HR person who’s having a bad day may toss your resume—before the real decision-maker even gets to see it. - Your abilities aren’t shining through. Most people don’t use their resume to tell a persuasive story about their qualifications. (Look out for my email next week on how to massively improve your resume.) - The listed job isn’t even available. The company might already know who they’re going to hire and just posted the job publicly to comply with legal requirements. Of course, you don’t know if or when any of these things happen. You just know that you apply and wait for weeks. Then you either get a boilerplate rejection email, or the job posting status mysteriously changes to “filled.” Time to get up from the dining room table, {NAME}. Because no one’s coming for dinner. All the action is happening in the kitchen. Ramit and family making pasta Making pasta with my parents and in-laws The real party is in the kitchen Unlike the formal dining room table that gets cleared off only when Aunt Myrna’s in town, the kitchen table is where you actually eat most meals. It’s warm. It’s casual. It feels more accessible, which is why everyone always ends up standing in the kitchen at parties. In the kitchen, the barrier to entry is low…but the probability of delicious reward is high. Think of your personal network like your kitchen table. Look to your left and right to see who your friends, family members, and acquaintances are connected to. Once you’ve identified someone interesting on the outer edges of your social circle, you can ask for an introduction. I can hear you already: “Ramit, I don’t know anyone influential!” “I don’t know how to network!” “I don’t wanna bother anyone!” I promise: You absolutely know someone who knows someone. And you’re not being a bother. The problem is that you’re thinking of networking as transactional. Try this reframe: When you ask for a connection, you make the person you’re asking feel important. Most of the time, they’re happy to do you this small favor! Here’s an email script you can use to prompt these warm intros: Email script for warm intros Personalize that script all you want. Just keep it genuine, and make your ask feel easy. My challenge for you today: Make a list of 3–5 people you’d like to meet. Then find and ask a mutual connection for an intro. The warm introductions you get from these connections will help you build your network. So even if you’re not looking for a new role right now, [when it comes time to change jobs](), you’ll be able to skip the cold, impersonal “dinner table” job sites and head straight where the real action is. See you in the kitchen, [Signature] P.S. If you’ve been feeling stuck in your job, I recently talked to GOBankingRates about the 7 questions to ask yourself if you’re feeling trapped by your income. [Check out the article here](). [Programs]() [Podcast]() [Netflix show]() [Books]() [Website]() [IG]() [in]() [X]() [YT]() Was this forwarded to you? [Sign up here](). [Unsubscribe here](. 548 Market St #89946 San Francisco, CA 94104-5401