Design a post for an AI butler

Don't forget to upload your work to Dribbble

Yesterday we spent a lot of time developing a ranked list of potential companies where you can apply for jobs. Today we're going to continue working from that list.

Step 1: Create a Huntr profile

By now, you should have received an invitation to create a Huntr account. If you haven't already done so, do that.

What is Huntr?

Huntr helps you (and us) keep track of every detail about your job applications - notes, dates, tasks, job descriptions, salaries, locations, company data and more. It's important enough that I would strongly recommend you bookmark it. We'll be using it a lot.

Make sure you download the mobile app.

iOS download

Android download

and also the Chrome extension

Step 2: Get familiar with Huntr

I'll let you roam around and get familiar with Huntr on your own. It's pretty self-explanatory. Here's a quick video that shows-off some of the features.

When you get set up, you will see a board called "Creative Careers" or something similar. Make sure you use this as your main board!

Step 3: Start tracking your journey

Take the top 60 companies from your spreadsheet and start adding them to your Huntr board. This is when you should start looking for specific positions that you want to apply for.

Once you find a position, use the Huntr Chrome extension to add it to your list.

Have a company in your top 60 that doesn't have any open positions related to your track? Or maybe they have full-time positions but you're looking for an internship? That's fine! Add a spot in the Wishlist column with the company name and make a note that they don't have open positions in the note sections. We'll come back to these later. There's a good chance that some of them will still send you an offer - sometimes you just have to prove to them that you're worth it.

Step 4: Send 10 5-point emails emails

Your next step is to find 1 person to email at 10 of your companies and send them a 5-point email requesting an informational phone call.

What's a 5-point email? It's email that follows 5 specific guideline:

1. Fewer than 100 words
2. No mention of jobs anywhere
3. Connection goes first
4. Generalize your interest
5. Maintain control of followup

When you're looking for people to email, you should be looking for alumni first and then if there are no alumni, try to find the person who does related work at the company.

Template email to send to an alumni at target company

SUBJECT: Duke student seeking your advice

Hi Betty,

My name is Andy Page, and I am a first-year Duke student who found your information via LinkedIn. May I have 20 minutes of your time to ask you about your experience with IBM? Your insights would be very helpful as I am now in the process of applying for an open marketing internship position there.

I recognize this may be a busy time for you so if we are unable to connect via email I'll try to reach you next week to see whether that is more convenient.

Thanks,

Andy

Template email to send to a stranger at target company

(the key to these emails are finding things online to prove that you're going above and beyond. Find someone that works for the company and then spend a few minutes googling to find an interview that they may have done)

SUBJECT: Your interview in last month's Science magazine

Hi John,

I'm just completing my biology degree at Virginia Tech, and I found your thoughts on the Cleveland Clinic's trial use of nanomachines to address certain forms of cancer in last month's issue of Science to be very interesting.

Would you mind discussing your work further with me in a brief phone chat? I had a few followup questions, and your insights would be invaluable.

Thanks,

Andy

Step 5: Manage your expectations

Not every email you send will get a response. In fact, a majority of them won't! For every 10 emails you send out, you may get 1 or 2 responses and that's okay.

Be sure to keep a tab on the emails you do send. A week after you send the first point of communication send a quick followup!