- Make a list of 15 target companies
Include 2-3 dream companies.
Include 7-10 stepping stone companies.
Include 2-3 “sandbox” companies that you can use to get practice in a low stakes environment. - Research the heck out of your target companies.
Listen to earnings calls, read articles, find interviews with execs, & survey customers. - Use LinkedIn to find contacts who can refer you into your target role.
Aim for someone who might be the hiring manager or a peer if you were hired.
Find 150 contacts minimum (10 people at each company). - Use a tool like Mailscoop.io to find the emails for your contacts.
Reach out to them and set up a convo.
Use the conversation to learn about things like:
Their team’s biggest challenge
Current initiatives
Goals for the next 12 months - Combine the info from your research and conversations to create a Value Validation Project (VVP).
Think of a VVP as a pitch deck where you provide solutions to a problem, ideas around an initiative, or help with a challenge.
It should be relevant and aligned to the work you’d be doing in that new role. - Send the VVP back to the contacts you had convos with and ask if those solutions aligned with their expectations for X role.
- Rinse, repeat, and watch the referrals flow in!
Leave a Reply