How to get a meeting
"Start working wherever you get a job now. Once you "build a network" you can land your dream job."
This is terrible advice. Life is short - don’t put up with a bad manager or a terrible job; especially if you are good at what you do -- you can go work for someone you are actually inspired by. It'll just take a little more than clicking on the 'apply' button and sending a few cold emails. In this post, I will summarise the most important skill I've learned - how to negotiate from a position of weakness.
When we (Uber and me) were much younger and Uber was relatively unknown, we used a lot of hacks to land meetings with some very important people. This strategy has helped me get into all sorts of rooms I had no business being in, including meetings with several CEOs, union ministers and even the Prime Minister of India.
I’m compiling them below for those who are early in their career who may not have a profile to match or a network to get meetings with people they want to work with. In short, it will work if you can be creative, give more than you take and deploy lots of patience.
It involves 3 broad steps.
Figure out who makes the decision on the hiring. Get their attention.
Find a way to add value or solve a problem for them.
Make the ask.
Part 1 - Getting their attention.
Get the cold email out of the way. This is the most overused channel that people use to reach out to the people they want to work with. These people who get inundated everyday with emails and cold meeting requests.
Keep the email short (6-10 sentences), personalize it and get to the point.
Position your ask as an opportunity for them -- to produce a 1+1 = 3 result.
Put some upfront work in the email (eg., a thoughtful roadmap for what you’d do if you got the role).
Instead of asking them for a meeting, offer to meet with their team to discuss more.
If you write a standard email, change names and send it to 10 people - and complain about not hearing back, you’re doing it wrong. While we’re at it, please avoid commenting on their social media profiles or writing vague emails about how you have a billion dollar idea. If anything, you are talking yourself out of meeting them ever.
If you can’t get to them, get to someone they trust. You may not always have access to the individual (eg., a CEO/Minister). In such cases, you will need to get to their staff or someone they trust and work that relationship.
Sometimes, you may also reach out to their friends or family if you know them through your network (I’m not a fan of this). But if you have no other choice, be upfront about your intentions -- about why you’re contacting them. Once you land a meeting with them, see Part 2 below.
If everything fails, get creative. Land up in their office and catch them on their way out with an elevator pitch or stop them at an event - do what you need to. Use your young age to your advantage - you have more runway for these kind of stunts.
Recently, an engineer from Minnesota ran a Facebook ad targeting Uber employees asking to refer him for a job. I simply hit like on the ad. He found me and sent me a message on LinkedIn thanking me. That’s it - no ask. 3 months later, he messaged me about coming to SF, and asked if I would meet for coffee. I was so impressed with this guy, I invited him into the office and showed him around! Creativity and long term thinking pays.
But the ultimate World Champion of this is my friend Jerome Jarre. You may know him from his Vine videos, but he used to be an entrepreneur hustling his way into conferences and tech events in 2012. Watch this video, you'll see why!
Part 2 - Add value and find a way to help them.
If you get a meeting with them, congrats. Now we’re onto the most critical step. This is where you distinguish yourself. Don’t ask them for favours - that’s a sure shot way to get forgotten. Important people are surrounded by people asking them for stuff all day.
Instead, see how you can help.
“But, they have everything they need”
Nope. This is a common misconception. Everybody can use some help and everybody wants something; even the busiest professionals, politicians or CEOs. Often, they may have money/power but they’re short on time, creativity or simply the right people who can help. Good news! You are a person, you are creative (if this isn't true, I can't help you) and you have lots of time (you just finished college - you got nowhere to be). So figure out how you can help them and find a way to deliver it to them.
It is easy to do this if you can be a good listener. Ask leading questions and let them talk 70% of the time -- while you keep an ear out for anything you can help with - anything! For instance, I’d been trying to (unsucessfully) get a meeting with a CEO for over a month. Then, I changed tactics, spent time with their secretary to see how I can help them. It led me down a search for an obscure, out of print book. He’d tried calling bookstores/checking online and had given up. After a week, I managed to find a store in Delhi that had a copy. I got the meeting in 2 days.
Human beings are genetically evolved to cooperate with each other. So, make an effort to genuinely find and solve a problem for them, and they will return the favour. You may even make a friend in the process. It is simple - why will someone do you favour without knowing you? Its irrational for you to expect a barter when you’re bringing nothing in return.
To be clear, you’re not guaranteed to get what you want. You may still not land a job offer because there’s no immediate opportunity or they’re takers and don’t value reciprocity. But if you follow this process 10 times, you’ll eventually catch a break. Even if the stray person does not return a favor, you will be net positive in the aggregate. It also has the added benefit of filtering out the takers -- the ones who aren't worth associating yourself with.
Part 3 - Make the ask.
You already know this part too well. :)
Good luck!
