logo
I landed a tech job after 500 applications by networking my way to references from Microsoft and LinkedIn employees. Here's how I did it.

I landed a tech job after 500 applications by networking my way to references from Microsoft and LinkedIn employees. Here's how I did it.

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.
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. As an international student, this put my immigration status in jeopardy.
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.
I dreamed of living in San Francisco
In 2022, I earned my bachelor's degree in computer science 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.
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 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.
As graduation neared, I still had zero job offers. I began reaching out directly to startup founders — 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 — a few weeks before graduation — I accepted a part-time, 21-hour-a-week contract role as a product manager at a startup.
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.
What followed was a difficult eight-month job search.
Instead of relying on cold applications, I focused on building and maintaining relationships, 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 — and I believe it helped me secure referrals and ultimately land my full-time role.
We want to hear from job seekers and people who've recently landed a job. If you're open to sharing your story, please fill out one or more of the linked Google Forms.
I stayed in touch even when I didn't get the job
Back in October 2023, I applied to a rotational program at Persona, an identity verification startup, just minutes after the LinkedIn job post went live. The role seemed like a good fit — 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.
After I was asked to interview for the position, I sent around 50 LinkedIn connection requests 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.
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.
The following August, she messaged me on LinkedIn to congratulate me on landing my part-time job.
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 and let the recruiter know. Not long after, I was invited to interview; staying in touch with the recruiter helped make that happen.
I leaned on three long-term connections as references
Since I had previously interviewed for a junior version of this role, this time, I had just one interview call.
After that, I was asked to share three references. 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.
My former manager at The Washington Post, where I interned in the summer of 2023, had directly overseen my work and knew me well.
But building the other two relationships required more time and effort.
In early 2023, I was invited to speak with LinkedIn's product leadership about Gen Z's behavior 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I landed the role and am glad I pursued it
Later that month, I received a job offer. I accepted, quit my part-time job, moved to San Francisco, and started working full time in October 2024.
Moving to San Francisco felt like a dream come true — it was surreal to see one of my biggest goals come to life.
Accomplishing this has made me realize that if you work hard, even your wildest dreams can come true. That's what motivates me to keep going: to dream bigger, work harder, and hopefully achieve even more.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

You Can Now Pre-Order A Switch 2 Bundle With ‘Pokémon Legends: Z-A'
You Can Now Pre-Order A Switch 2 Bundle With ‘Pokémon Legends: Z-A'

Forbes

time2 hours ago

  • Forbes

You Can Now Pre-Order A Switch 2 Bundle With ‘Pokémon Legends: Z-A'

Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Nintendo's Switch 2 console launched last month in two distinct purchasing configurations: One was a vanilla base package, priced at $449.99, which only contained the device itself and no extras. The second option was a bundle that contained the Switch 2, plus a digital copy of Mario Kart World. I'm sure the base offering will stick around for the foreseeable future, but it seems there's already another unique bundle on the horizon, perhaps deploying to replace the current Mario Kart World variant. Nintendo has announced that you can now pre-order a brand new first-party Starter (apropos, given the pack-in software here) kit: A shiny Switch 2 with a fresh copy of the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Z-A - Switch 2 Edition. The bundle is priced at $499.99, just like the MKW version, and is due to release alongside the new Pokémon game on October 16. Interestingly, Z-A is simultaneously launching on the legacy Switch, but apparently there isn't an OLED or Lite bundle arriving for either. It's not like the Switch needs any more damn sales, however. Still, I do worry about the performance of this last-gen version, given the track record of Pokémon titles on the Switch 1. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder The copy of Z-A included with this new bundle will be digital in nature, so if you're wanting a physical copy, it might be advisable to buy these products separately. That said, you're getting a discount with the bundle, seeing as Pokémon Legends: Z-A is separately priced at $69.99. You're saving $10 less than with the Mario Kart World bundle, though, which is currently going for $79.99. But it's better than nothing. From a financial perspective, I think these bundles are great, but I do wish Nintendo would make the consoles themselves more compelling. At the end of the day, you're really just buying a standard Switch 2 and saving some money on a single game. It would be cool if these systems boasted limited edition paint-jobs to match the particular game they're shipped with. Perhaps a rainbow, Earth-themed Switch 2 for Mario Kart World, or a Switch 2 with a Poké Ball aesthetic for Pokémon Legends: Z-A. We'll no doubt see special edition Switch 2 consoles down the road, though. I'd have considered pre-ordering this new bundle had I not literally snagged a Mario Kart World edition of the Switch 2 on Target's website late last night. That said, you can reserve the Pokémon edition from the My Nintendo Store and various other retailers today.

Billionaire Mark Cuban Spends a Lot of Time on His Emails
Billionaire Mark Cuban Spends a Lot of Time on His Emails

Entrepreneur

time3 hours ago

  • Entrepreneur

Billionaire Mark Cuban Spends a Lot of Time on His Emails

Here's how the tech billionaire gets his inbox from 1,000 emails to 20 in one day (with barely any AI). Despite all the advancements in technology, billionaire investor Mark Cuban, 66, spends most of his day reading and responding to emails. In a Wednesday interview with Business Insider, Cuban said that he receives "700 to 1,000 emails" a day through his Gmail account, and he uses three phones, two Android and one iPhone, "to manage everything." Related: Mark Cuban Says 60 Is the New 40. He Follows 3 Habits to Stay Youthful. "I spend most of my day trying to get my unreads under 20," Cuban told BI. He praised email for being "asynchronous," meaning that he can respond at any time from wherever he is in the world, and ubiquitous because "everyone" has an email address. Responding to a message is also "fast," especially with Google's auto-reply suggestions, Cuban said. Cuban says he keeps his inbox organized with folders and has "never" considered hiring someone to help manage his emails. He is only away from his inbox for a full day or longer for "extraordinary situations, like a special event for a family member," he told BI. Cuban says he uses his unread emails as reminders of what he needs to get done that day. He only uses AI to write the autoreply messages, preferring instead to personalize longer emails and noted that he would rather process emails than sit through "long, boring meetings," or send a Slack message or text because he can quickly search through emails years later. "I have emails going back to the 90s," Cuban told BI. Mark Cuban. Photo by Julia Beverly/WireImage Still, using Gmail could pose a cybersecurity risk. Cuban's Google account was hacked in June 2024 after he received a call from a fake Google employee. The bad actor said that Cuban's Gmail had an intruder and faked Google's recovery methods to receive the credentials for the account. The hacker got access to Cuban's email and locked him out. The hacking hasn't stopped Cuban's love of email, however. Cuban rose to fame as an investor on ABC's "Shark Tank" for the last 15 seasons, appearing in his final episode in May. He told CNBC that same month that he invested about $33 million in businesses during his time on the show and received $35 million in cash returns. He holds equity in those businesses that are now worth at least $250 million, he disclosed. Related: Mark Cuban Compares AI Taking Jobs to When There Were 'Millions of Secretaries' Cuban's first entrepreneurial venture was MicroSolutions, a software reseller that sold PCs, software, and training to businesses. He grew the company to nearly $36 million in annual sales and 80 employees before selling it to CompuServe, a subsidiary of H&R Block, for $6 million in 1990. Cuban then founded AudioNet, the first video streaming company in the world. The startup, which became was sold to Yahoo for $5.7 billion in 1999, making Cuban a billionaire. In 2022, Cuban co-founded Cost Plus Drug Company, an online discount pharmacy that delivers more than 2,300 prescription medications. Cuban is now worth $8.6 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Join top CEOs, founders, and operators at the Level Up conference to unlock strategies for scaling your business, boosting revenue, and building sustainable success.

The best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 cases
The best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 cases

Business Insider

time3 hours ago

  • Business Insider

The best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 cases

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more The best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 cases provide reliable protection in slim, lightweight forms that don't inhibit features like wireless charging. Below, we've put together a list of some of our favorite cases from our testing experience with options from Samsung themselves and trusted third-party brands. Our top pick among the best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 cases is the TORRAS Magnetic Shockproof case, a robust case that adds MagSafe compatibility and an S Pen holder to the Fold 7. For a budget option, our favorite is the Samsung clear case, with its minimalistic design that really lets your phone's color take the spotlight. FAQs Does the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 need a case? Like many of the best Android phones, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is well constructed and sturdy. However, no smartphone ever constructed is impervious to damage, and it's worth equipping the expensive Galaxy Z Fold 7 with a reliable case that will provide long-term protection for your investment. What should I look for in a Galaxy Z Fold 7 case? As with any of the best Samsung phones, when looking for a case for your brand-new Galaxy Z Fold 7, there are always a few important factors to consider. You always want to make sure that the case you're choosing is reliable, fits within your budget, and doesn't hinder any features that you might want to use. Ideally, cases might even add features not otherwise present — like MagSafe compatibility. If you're a manual laborer or person on the move, it is a safe bet to recommend a more sturdy case like the TORRAS Magnetic Shockproof case or a case from Otterbox. However, if you're a minimalist who can't stand the bulk of Otterbox, you would probably want a thinner, more stylish case like the clear case from Samsung. Will a Galaxy Z Fold 6 case fit the Galaxy Z Fold 7? A case meant for the Samsung Z Fold 6 will not fit the Galaxy Z Fold 7 due to their differing dimensions and screen sizes. For instance, whereas the Z Fold 6 features a 7.6-inch main display, the Z Fold 7's main display is 8 inches. If you have a Galaxy Z Fold 6, you can refer to our guide to the best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 cases to help you figure out what works best for you.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store