Many a person has asked me:

"Alan, this 'side door' thing is good and all... but how do I know I'm not wasting my time on some company that doesn't want me? How do I know I'm not just being a nuisance and bothering them?"

That's a very good question.

Here's the way I see it:

Let me ask you a question:

Are you an introvert?

Psychologists and sociologists estimate that between 30% and 50% of the population falls towards the introvert side of the "introvert-extrovert" spectrum.

Despite that, culture -- US culture especially -- is heavily biased towards extraverts. (I guess it's because they shout the loudest!) This means, from a young age, us introverts have been encouraged to fit the mold and act like extroverts. Those who don't are labelled "shy" or even "anti-social".

After helping thousands of people over the years, I’ve learned something important:

The best candidates have a “secret advantage” that not only makes them a lot more likely to get the job but also makes them more likely to earn more money and better benefits.

It also makes them feel much less stressed when they walk into an interview.

Back in college, I knew a guy that I couldn’t stand to be around for more than 13 seconds.

Let’s call him “Ethan.”

Now, Ethan wasn’t a bad person or anything like that – we just held radically different worldviews. Plus, his manner of speaking and fake baritone laugh made my skin crawl.

From my perspective, he was an arrogant know-it-all who craved attention in the worst way, and I wanted nothing to do with him. (Okay, so I guess Ethan still isn't my favorite person...)

Previously we discussed the strategy for finding hidden job opportunities through referrals.

That means reaching out and connecting with people – hiring managers, leaders, and peers, and even janitors who work for the organization that interests you.
                                                                           
Why?

Because they can help connect you with key people. They can also give you valuable intel that you can use to your advantage when you reach out to those key people.

If you’ve been following along this week, then you now know the first three steps to finding and landing your dream job:                         

1. First, you need to get clear on what kind of dream job, precisely, that you want.

2. After that, you need to get clear about what big problem that you can solve for them.

3. Then, you can craft a value proposition that immediately captures potential employers' attention by communicating how you can solve a big problem for them.    

Quick story:

A friend of a friend of mine, who we’ll call John, had two young yellow labs.

John’s labs were still “little kids” in human years, and they had the energy levels to prove it. Every day, they sprinted around frantically – chasing squirrels, jumping picket fences, and racing after buses like over-caffeinated track stars.

Forcing them to follow commands was a joke, getting them to come back was impossible, and getting them back on their leashes was an exercise in futility.

John desperately tried anything and everything, but nothing panned out. It all became so frustrating that he seriously considered giving the dogs away.

We often talk about acing interviews.

And that’s because it’s an important topic, for sure.

But for many folks, the most challenging part of finding a job, at least for them right now, is actually landing the interview in the first place.

People often tell me they’ve got a lot of resumes floating around out there, but nobody’s calling.

Let me ask you a straightforward question

Why do you read this blog?

Is it to land a job – almost any job – and get back on your feet as quickly as possible? Or are you aiming higher and looking for your dream job?

Over the last few days, we looked at how you can land your next job through the "front door" or through the "side door". You can – and ought to – use both approaches but, generally, going through the side door is more effective.

However, the most powerful way to land a job is through the "inside door".

And there's a very simple reason for that: