If you really want to get your foot in the door with a particular company, and have tried everything in the book, the shelf the book is on, the section the shelf is organized by, and the entire library that contains the section with the shelf with the book, you have one option left. Instead of trying to squeeze your foot in between the door and the frame, this is the way to hurl yourself through the window.
WARNING: This method does not always work.
So what is this mystery method that can get you farther than any other method?
Calling the CEO or President of the company. But preferably the CEO.
Really.
Although important people have important things to do, they also don’t receive as many calls and emails as one might think. After all, there are division Presidents and VPs, layers of managers and employees, and gatekeepers at every step. In fact, a truly effective CEO can have most of their business automated (as in, they don’t need to contribute much, especially for the day-to-day). This means that it could be easier to get in touch with the CEO than with a random person in the human resources department.
The best time to call is when you won’t have to deal with any gatekeepers – around 8:00 AM (most employees will arrive at 9:00 AM) or after 5:00 PM. However, this is risky, as your target may be out of the office. So what can you do?
Call for them and act like you should be talking to them. Don’t use any “Mr.” or “Ms.” [Name] requests – say you’re calling for the person by their full name (ie: “This is Joe Stevens calling for Mary Jones”) – a title implies a lack of familiarity, and using a first name can be risky and get you found out.
When you talk to the CEO, don’t ask for a job right out. Instead, it can work to your advantage to ask them a few questions and establish a dialog – try to obtain this person as a mentor before you try to obtain them as a boss. The reason for this is twofold: a personal relationship (however limited) is a better foundation for having an “in” at a company, and the CEO can provide you with valuable networking opportunities within their industry (and sometimes outside of it).
Having an experienced mentor in a position of power can help you get the job you want with less hassle, but it is incredibly risky – you can only try to do it once, and you will not always be successful in building this relationship, or even establishing contact. But the rewards are huge. So if you’ve exhausted your play book and still want to try for a touchdown, throw a hail Mary and call up the CEO.
