I recently got a new job. Here is what I did to stand out as a candidate. â¤ď¸
Last week, I moved to Microsoft after 11 years at Salesforce. I got a lot of questions about the application process.
For content and marketing roles, your application is a big chance to show you know your audience!
Hereâs what I did:
âĄď¸ SAW JOB POSTING ON LINKEDIN: It looked like a strong fit. I had examples and stories mapping to the requirements.
âĄď¸ SENT DM TO POTENTIAL REFERRER: I previously worked with someone who now works at Microsoft. I asked if they would refer me. They agreed, so I began prepping my application package.
âĄď¸ UPDATED RESUME: I tailored key wins and achievements to the job description.
âĄď¸ CREATED APPLICATION VIDEO: Creating content FTW ⨠I made a short video explaining my top three reasons why the company should hire me for this role. The reasons were concise and aimed to draw the hiring managerâs attention to my specific qualifications for this role. The video had no editing except captions.
âĄď¸ MADE âQUOTES ABOUT MY WORKâ PDF: I also created a PDF with past quotes from colleagues about what itâs like to work with me. A resume shows WHAT you do, but it doesnât really show HOW you do it.
âĄď¸ SENT EVERYTHING TO REFERRER AND APPLIED ON WEBSITE: My referrer was kind enough to directly email my video to the hiring manager. The application process didnât have an upload space for videos, but it had one for attachments! No worries, I made a PDF with a clickable link to the video.
âĄď¸ RECRUITER SCREEN. Sent a thank-you email and reiterated my interest.
âĄď¸ ASKED MY REFERRER FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS: I asked the person who referred me some questions to help me prepare for future interviews. For instance, I wanted to see recent campaign examples that folks inside the company were proud of. I could reference these during my interviews.
âĄď¸ HIRING MANAGER AND TEAM INTERVIEW PREP: I created a prep doc for each person I interviewed with. So if I was interviewing with a product marketer, I brainstormed questions a PMM might ask. I also remembered concrete examples from working with PMMs and working within their OKRs. My goal wasnât to memorize all of this, but rather, bring it top of mind through the act of writing it down.
âĄď¸ THANK-YOUS: After interviewing with each person, I wrote a thank-you mentioning something specific from our call. One way I like to do this is by asking, âWhatâs the #1 way you hope the person in this role will help you?â And then reference that thing in my thank-you.
âĄď¸ FIRST 90 DAYS PLAN: After the final interview, I created a sample plan and sent it to the hiring manager. My goal wasnât to assume I knew everything about the business, but rather to show I had been listening throughout the process and can connect the dots.
These wonât work in every situation, but itâs just what worked for me.
Iâm grateful to have gotten this opportunity.
If youâre interested in a follow-up post about any of this, let me know in a comment!
Last week, I moved to Microsoft after 11 years at Salesforce. I got a lot of questions about the application process.
For content and marketing roles, your application is a big chance to show you know your audience!
Hereâs what I did:
âĄď¸ SAW JOB POSTING ON LINKEDIN: It looked like a strong fit. I had examples and stories mapping to the requirements.
âĄď¸ SENT DM TO POTENTIAL REFERRER: I previously worked with someone who now works at Microsoft. I asked if they would refer me. They agreed, so I began prepping my application package.
âĄď¸ UPDATED RESUME: I tailored key wins and achievements to the job description.
âĄď¸ CREATED APPLICATION VIDEO: Creating content FTW ⨠I made a short video explaining my top three reasons why the company should hire me for this role. The reasons were concise and aimed to draw the hiring managerâs attention to my specific qualifications for this role. The video had no editing except captions.
âĄď¸ MADE âQUOTES ABOUT MY WORKâ PDF: I also created a PDF with past quotes from colleagues about what itâs like to work with me. A resume shows WHAT you do, but it doesnât really show HOW you do it.
âĄď¸ SENT EVERYTHING TO REFERRER AND APPLIED ON WEBSITE: My referrer was kind enough to directly email my video to the hiring manager. The application process didnât have an upload space for videos, but it had one for attachments! No worries, I made a PDF with a clickable link to the video.
âĄď¸ RECRUITER SCREEN. Sent a thank-you email and reiterated my interest.
âĄď¸ ASKED MY REFERRER FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS: I asked the person who referred me some questions to help me prepare for future interviews. For instance, I wanted to see recent campaign examples that folks inside the company were proud of. I could reference these during my interviews.
âĄď¸ HIRING MANAGER AND TEAM INTERVIEW PREP: I created a prep doc for each person I interviewed with. So if I was interviewing with a product marketer, I brainstormed questions a PMM might ask. I also remembered concrete examples from working with PMMs and working within their OKRs. My goal wasnât to memorize all of this, but rather, bring it top of mind through the act of writing it down.
âĄď¸ THANK-YOUS: After interviewing with each person, I wrote a thank-you mentioning something specific from our call. One way I like to do this is by asking, âWhatâs the #1 way you hope the person in this role will help you?â And then reference that thing in my thank-you.
âĄď¸ FIRST 90 DAYS PLAN: After the final interview, I created a sample plan and sent it to the hiring manager. My goal wasnât to assume I knew everything about the business, but rather to show I had been listening throughout the process and can connect the dots.
These wonât work in every situation, but itâs just what worked for me.
Iâm grateful to have gotten this opportunity.
If youâre interested in a follow-up post about any of this, let me know in a comment!
