Job qualification is a myth

💼 Topic: Job qualification is a myth

🔗 Quick links: Cold-message example | 5 Interview mistakes | and more

Hi friends,

Quick email today, this one’s gonna be a PSA to anyone applying to jobs.

Last week, I had a coffee chat with a reader who shared one of his biggest concerns in the job market.

And that was job qualification.

In other words, not applying to a job because you “aren’t qualified enough.”

I’m here to tell you that when it comes to internships and new grad roles, you don’t need to be 100% qualified!

Here’s why, let’s dive in.

Most jobs are teachable and I’m living proof of that.

To date, I’ve had the following:

But here’s the thing, I was never the “ideal candidate” for any of these jobs.

My 1st internship at Scotiabank? I was a jobless 3rd-year student, I literally had 0 experience and still applied.

I landed that job because I showed through coffee chats I was coachable, had passion, and was likable.

My contract role? I never worked in project management. But yet again, I networked my ass off to make the right connections and got the job.

And current full-time as a Product Owner? My recruiter told me she didn’t think I would get hired.

But guess what, I landed the role within 3 months of aiming to get it.

Ok so here’s the thing, cold-applying without experience will be met with rejection.

That’s the reality.

This is why we use networking to bypass this obstacle.

Did you see a common pattern across all my 6 jobs? Despite not being qualified, I networked my way to each role.

Is all this extra work? Is it difficult and energy-consuming?

Yes, yes, and yes, but when you’re competing with people with tons of experience, it’s the only advantage we have as students and new grads.

Here’s the big picture, networking is how you get hired:

But what can that look like in actionable steps?

If you haven’t started already, I want you to do the following.

Start sending cold emails.

That’s it.

Just focus on emailing people who represent where you want to be in the next 1-5 years of your career.

I say this because every single job offer I landed started from an email.

Those initial emails started meaningful connections, which eventually led to referrals, interviews, and jobs.

If you want a metric, I’d recommend sending at least 5 cold emails a week, that’s how I did it.

And if it can work for me; someone from a non-target school with below-average grades, then it can work for you.

Your next steps:

Want to write effective cold emails that get replies from recruiters and hiring managers?

I highly recommend the cold-email guide in the REFERRALS section below.

All you need is 1 referral to get a free copy.

See you next Tuesday 🤝

-Michael Ly

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🔗 I’ve received hundreds of cold messages. This is the best one by far. If you want your cold messages to get replies, study this one. (LinkedIn)

🔗 5 interview follow-up mistakes that are costing you job offers. (LinkedIn)

🔗 Here are 70 of the toughest interview questions and how to answer them. (LinkedIn)

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