How to get a job without applying
The 4 step process I've used to land 30+ jobs in the last 10 years.
Over the past decade, I’ve received more than 30 job offers. I’m not especially proud of that, because if I’m being honest, some of it probably stems from a deep need for external validation, but I digress...
I’ve never applied through a job board. And until my most recent position, I’d never spoken with a recruiter. Every opportunity followed the same pattern, and I’ve never written it down until now.
Recently, I’ve been talking with many people who are genuinely struggling to find work. That has never been a challenge for me. Luck and privilege are real, and I’m grateful for both.
But I also believe there’s a process that actually works, and if you’re searching right now, I hope this helps increase your odds of finding the next thing.
Step 1: Start with accounts, not job boards
The first thing I do when I’m looking for a job is to build a list of companies I’d actually want to work for. Not a list of open roles. Not a LinkedIn search. A list of companies that fit my criteria for something I’d be excited to do next.
The best jobs are never posted. They get created for people who show up before there’s a job description.
The question isn’t “what’s open?” The question is “who would I want to work for?” Get that list. Then go do outbound.
Find people inside those companies, in the department you’d want to work in, and reach out to them. Not to ask for a job. To learn.
Come curious, with real questions. You’re doing discovery: what do they actually do, what does the company look like from the inside, what do they care about?
Here’s what most people miss about this: it’s not just a tactic to get in the door. Every one of these conversations compounds. That person now knows you. They’ve seen how you think. They can refer you, introduce you, and give you inside intel during the interview process. A decade from now, when you’re both somewhere different, that relationship is still there.
Currently, I’m holding 30 of these meetings while searching for my next opportunity. After just one week, my calendar is already packed with referrals from those initial meetings. Yours can be too, with the right messaging.
After these meetings, you’ll understand the landscape: who’s building, who’s coasting, and what kind of work you actually want to do.
You’ll leave some of those calls with more energy than you walked in with. Others you’ll leave thinking, “absolutely not.” That signal is gold.
Run it like a sales process.
Confirm the meeting the day before. Follow up within 24 hours with what you took away from the conversation.
And before you leave every call, ask: “Who are one or two other people you think I should know?”
Nine times out of ten, they’ll make the intro. Your network multiplies whether you get a job from that person or not.
Step 2: Stand out before the interview starts
Let’s say there’s an open role or a first meeting on the calendar. Your job is to prep like you mean it.
Find two or three people at the company on LinkedIn, not the hiring manager, just people who work there, and message them directly. Tell them you’re interviewing for the role and ask for 10 minutes to hear about their experience there.
Nobody does this.
I’ve been a VP of Sales for 3 years. I can count on one hand the number of candidates who reached out to me directly about an open role on my team. Every single time it happened, I gave them a first interview. Every time.
You can also reach out cold to the person doing the hiring. Keep it sharp and specific. Here are two examples from different career stages.
The first is from a place where the track record speaks for itself:
Hey [Name], at [Company] I built our mid-market business from the ground up, scaling it from $0 to $45M ARR in under eight quarters, hiring 60+ reps, and putting in place the culture and operating rigor that made it repeatable. I’m interested in joining the GTM leadership team at [your company] to help grow another rocket ship. Thanks for considering the outreach. Ben
The second is from earlier in my career, before I had numbers to lead with. Here I leaned on genuine curiosity and a specific reason I cared:
Dan, my name is Benjamin Foley. I came across your profile after doing research on Sigstr. I hope you don’t mind me reaching out cold. I’ve spent the last two years building and selling an e-commerce business I started at IU. Starting my own thing taught me a lot about attracting and retaining customers, but after two years working alone, I had a real desire to build something bigger with a team of talented people. My interest in Sigstr is specific: I’ve seen the value of a great email signature CTA firsthand growing a blog that just passed 7,000 subscribers. I believe Sigstr is poised to execute on a huge opportunity and I’d love to add value to your growth. If you’re willing to connect, I’d love to grab a coffee and learn more about your vision for the company. With gratitude, Benjamin Foley.
Different career stage, same idea. Do the work, be specific, make it about them.
Step 3: Nail the first call
Here’s the thing nobody tells you about first calls: your job is not to talk about yourself.
I know that sounds backward. But when I get on a first call, I have a list of questions I want to ask. I open like this:
“Hey [Name], I’m really excited to learn more. I have a bunch of questions I’d love to ask. I’m sure you have questions too, so we can start wherever you want.”
Nine times out of ten, they say, “What questions do you have?” Now I’m running the meeting.
They talk. They tell me what they actually care about, which is almost never what the job description says. They like me more because people like those who are curious and let them talk about themselves and their company. And I’m learning exactly what I need to know to decide if I want this job and how to get it.
Confirm pain. Build the champion. Close with the next step before you hang up.
One more thing: send an agenda email 24 hours before the call. Here’s an example of what that looks like:
[Name], I’m looking forward to connecting. I’ve spent some time digging into [company’s] mission and customer stories and it’s clear you’re not just solving a compliance problem, you’re redefining how scale and trust coexist in regulated markets. I also really enjoyed your conversation on [podcast] and your piece on [topic].
To make sure we cover what’s most useful to you, here’s a loose outline I can tailor based on your priorities:
My background: building high-rigor, high-growth sales orgs in complex environments
Your ideal future state and success metrics at 90, 180, and 365 days
Enterprise traction, expansion opportunities, and current limiters
How you think about GTM structure, methodology, and enablement
Looking forward to the conversation. With gratitude, Ben
Nobody does this either. It takes 15 minutes, and it always lands.
Step 4: The 24-hour follow-up
Within 24 hours of every conversation, send a follow-up. Not a transcript. Not “great chatting.” Something that shows you were actually listening and adds something back.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
[Name], thanks for the time today. I came away more excited about the role. The territory setup, the way you think about running the business, the anchor account focus, the 90-day ramp bar, the pipeline metrics. That’s a structure I understand and know how to operate in. I know the concern around recent IC execution is real, and I don’t want to paper over it. What I’d say is this: I’ve spent the last two years coaching 60+ reps through exactly this motion. I know what good looks like, and I’m motivated to close that gap in the first 90 days. Looking forward to speaking with [next person]. Ben
Do the work
Then go further. Based on what you heard on the call, whether it was a problem they mentioned or a challenge they’re stuck on, build something.
A framework, a short plan, a model. Send it over with a note: “Probably way off base, but based on what I heard, I put together some quick thoughts on how I’d approach this.”
With Claude/ChatGPT and your call notes, this should take you all of 1 hour, but you will move yourself into the top 1% of candidates. Not because you’re the most qualified, but because you showed them what it’s like to work with you before they’ve hired you.
The meta-point
Run this whole thing like a sales process. Research before every meeting. Send the agenda the day before. Follow up within 24 hours. Always close with a next step. Ask for two introductions on every call before you leave. Build champions. Go out, learn, iterate, go out again.
Most people are too lazy to do this. That’s the opportunity.
The best jobs are never posted. They get created for people who show up as if they already work there.