This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jahnavi Shah, a 24-year-old product deployment strategist based in San Francisco. Business Insider has verified Shah’s employment and job search history with documentation. The following has been edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n
In the months before graduating from Cornell University in December 2023, I applied to over 500 jobs and secured five interviews, but none led to a full-time offer<\/a>. As an international student, this put my immigration status in jeopardy.<\/p>\n Because I was on an F-1 optional practical training (OPT) visa, I had a limited window to secure some form of employment after graduating. Otherwise, I’d have had to move back to India.<\/p>\n I dreamed of living in San Francisco<\/p>\n In 2022, I earned my bachelor’s degree in computer science<\/a> from a university in India, where I was born and raised. That same year, I moved to the US to pursue a master’s in engineering management at Cornell.<\/p>\n My goal was to live and work in the US after graduating. I grew up interested in technology, which inspired me to study computer science. Silicon Valley<\/a> felt like the center of the tech world, and when I turned 18, living in San Francisco became a dream I hoped to achieve someday.<\/p>\n As graduation neared, I still had zero job offers<\/a>. I began reaching out directly to startup founders \u2014 both those I knew personally and those I’d connected with on LinkedIn or through friends. That approach led to two interviews, and in early December \u2014 a few weeks before graduation \u2014 I accepted a part-time, 21-hour-a-week contract role as a product manager at a startup.<\/p>\n Landing the role helped me stay compliant with my visa while I continued looking for a full-time job. There was a chance of converting to full-time, but I didn’t want to count on that.<\/p>\n What followed was a difficult eight-month job search.<\/p>\n Instead of relying on cold applications, I focused on building and maintaining relationships<\/a>, reaching out to people at companies I was interested in, and following up regularly to stay top of mind. It was a networking strategy I’d started cultivating well before my search \u2014 and I believe it helped me secure referrals and ultimately land my full-time role.<\/p>\n We want to hear from job seekers<\/a> and\u00a0people who’ve recently landed a job<\/a>. If you’re open to sharing your story, please fill out one or more of the linked Google Forms.<\/p>\n I stayed in touch even when I didn’t get the job<\/p>\n Back in October 2023, I applied to a rotational program at Persona, an identity verification startup<\/a>, just minutes after the LinkedIn job post went live. The role seemed like a good fit \u2014 it would fulfill my dream of working at a tech startup in the San Francisco area, and I believed it would challenge me and offer growth opportunities.<\/p>\n Please help BI improve our Business, Tech, and Innovation coverage by sharing a bit about your role \u2014 it will help us tailor content that matters most to people like you.<\/p>\n What is your job title?<\/p>\n (1 of 2)<\/p>\n What products or services can you approve for purchase in your role?<\/p>\n (2 of 2)<\/p>\n Continue<\/p>\n By providing this information, you agree that Business Insider may use \n Thanks for sharing insights about your role.\n <\/p>\n After I was asked to interview for the position, I sent around 50 LinkedIn connection requests<\/a> to relevant employees. Five accepted, and three of them were kind enough to hop on a call with me. Their insights were incredibly helpful, especially in preparing for the product case study round of the three-stage interview process. However, I ultimately didn’t get the job.<\/p>\n In November 2023, shortly after receiving my rejection, I sent a LinkedIn connection request to the Persona recruiter I had interviewed with, hoping to stay in touch about future opportunities.<\/p>\n The following August, she messaged me on LinkedIn to congratulate me on landing my part-time job.<\/p>\n That message prompted me to check Persona’s careers page, where I saw a new role of interest had been posted just a few days earlier. I submitted an application<\/a> and let the recruiter know. Not long after, I was invited to interview; staying in touch with the recruiter helped make that happen.<\/p>\n I leaned on three long-term connections as references<\/p>\n Since I had previously interviewed for a junior version of this role, this time, I had just one interview call.<\/p>\n After that, I was asked to share three references<\/a>. I leaned on strong relationships I’d built over time: my former manager at The Washington Post, a VP of product at LinkedIn, and a product manager at Microsoft.<\/p>\n My former manager at The Washington Post, where I interned in the summer of 2023, had directly overseen my work and knew me well.<\/p>\n But building the other two relationships required more time and effort.<\/p>\n In early 2023, I was invited to speak with LinkedIn’s product leadership about Gen Z’s behavior<\/a> on the platform, as I’ve been creating tech and career content on LinkedIn and Instagram for the past few years. After the session, I followed up with everyone I met, including the VP of product.<\/p>\n I continued to nurture the relationship through periodic follow-ups, and by the time I asked them to be a reference, I was confident we’d built a meaningful connection.<\/p>\n I met the Microsoft product manager after joining Product Buds, an online networking community. I reached out on LinkedIn after I learned we were from the same hometown in India.<\/p>\n I continued participating in Product Buds events and regularly asked him for advice as I shaped my career path. In 2022, I asked if he’d be open to mentoring me, and he kindly agreed. By the time I needed references, I felt he could offer a unique perspective as a mentor<\/a>.<\/p>\n There were no additional interviews beyond the recruiter call, which made the references especially important. I chose these three because I felt they could speak holistically about my background, skills, and potential.<\/p>\n In a follow-up conversation, the recruiter said my strong references gave the team confidence in my capabilities and what I’d bring to the role.<\/p>\n I landed the role and am glad I pursued it<\/p>\n
\n this data to improve your site experience and for targeted advertising.
\n By continuing you agree that you accept the
\n
\n Terms of Service
\n <\/a>
\n and
\n
\n Privacy Policy
\n <\/a>
\n .<\/p>\n