How to Get the Interview Before It's Posted

Job boards are not the primary hiring mechanism for the roles most people actually want. They are a fallback.

When a firm needs to hire someone for a meaningful role, the first thing most hiring managers do is think about who they know, who has been referred to them, or who has already been in contact and made an impression. If that search produces nothing, they put it on LinkedIn. If LinkedIn does not work, they list it on Seek. By the time the job is on Seek, you are competing with everyone else who does not have a direct connection to the role.

This is not a cynical observation about the system. It is just how hiring actually works. People hire people they have some connection to or context on because it reduces uncertainty. A referred candidate carries an implicit endorsement. A candidate who reached out proactively three months ago and followed up professionally has already demonstrated initiative, interest and communication skills before the first interview question is asked.

The shift in mindset this requires: stop thinking about "finding jobs" and start thinking about "building the relationships that make jobs findable." One is reactive. The other is how the careers that seem to happen easily are actually built.

Every person you reach out to will look you up before they reply. That is not a maybe. It is a certainty. Your LinkedIn profile is read before anyone decides whether your message is worth responding to. If it looks like a template, they will treat you like one.

Profile photo

This matters more than people admit. You do not need a professional photographer. You need a clear, well-lit photo where your face is visible and you look like someone a professional would be comfortable introducing to a colleague. Good lighting, a plain background, and a slight smile is enough. No group photos cropped down, no sunglasses, no holiday shots. If you would not use it as your profile picture for a university portal, do not use it here.

Headline

Your default LinkedIn headline is your degree and university. That tells people nothing beyond what is already obvious from your education section. Use the headline to say what you are interested in and where you are heading.

Instead of "Commerce Student at UNSW," try: "Finance student at UNSW | Interested in investment banking and capital markets" or "Law student at Melbourne | Focused on corporate and M&A law."

That small change tells someone scanning your profile something real about you. It also means you are more likely to show up in searches when people are looking for students in your area of interest.

About section

Three to four sentences. That is all you need. Say what you are studying, what genuinely interests you about that field, and what you are looking for. Write it the way you would introduce yourself to someone at an industry event. Not formal. Not robotic. Not "passionate and driven."

Compare these two:

What not to write

I am a highly motivated and passionate finance student seeking to leverage my academic knowledge and interpersonal skills in a dynamic and fast-paced professional environment. I am driven by a desire to make an impact and am eager to contribute to a team-oriented culture.

What actually works

I am a third-year commerce student at UNSW, majoring in finance with a focus on equity markets. I have spent the last year building skills in financial modelling and following the infrastructure deal cycle in ANZ closely. I am looking to break into investment banking or capital markets, and I am genuinely interested in the work being done in the space right now. Happy to connect with anyone working in this area.

Experience and projects

Add everything relevant: university clubs, part-time jobs, internships, academic projects, case competitions. For each one, write one or two bullet points that describe what you actually did, not a job description. "Conducted financial analysis for a client pitch as part of a semester-long consulting project" is useful. "Responsible for various tasks in a team environment" is not.

How to stay visible without posting constantly

You do not need to create original content to be visible on LinkedIn. Commenting thoughtfully on posts by people in your target industry is enough. Not "great post!" but an actual observation or a question that shows you engaged with what they said. Do this a few times a week and you will start appearing in the feeds of people in your target industry. When you eventually reach out to one of them directly, your name will not be completely unfamiliar.

Connection requests vs. cold messages

Always send a personalised note with a connection request. The default "I'd like to add you to my professional network" is ignored almost universally. A short note explaining who you are and why you want to connect takes 30 seconds and significantly increases acceptance rates.

Connection request note (when you have a mutual connection): "Hi [Name], I am connected with [mutual contact] and have been following your work in [area]. I would love to connect." Short. Direct. Specific.

Connection request note (no mutual connection): "Hi [Name], I am a final-year commerce student at [Uni] with a strong interest in [their field]. I have been reading about [something specific to them] and would love to connect." Never lead with "I am looking for a job." That is a request, not a reason to connect.

After they accept, wait before sending anything else. Do not immediately follow a connection acceptance with "so, do you have any openings?" Give it a few days. Comment on something they post. Then reach out with a genuine question or request for a conversation.

The goal of LinkedIn outreach is a conversation, not a job offer. One message will not get you hired. It might get you a 20-minute call. That call might lead to a referral. That referral might lead to an interview. Think in steps.

Cold emails fail almost exclusively for one reason: they are about the sender, not the recipient. They lead with what the sender wants, ask for things without giving anything, and make the reader do work to understand why they should care. The cold email that gets a reply is short, specific, shows the sender has done their research, and asks for something small and reasonable.

Find the right person to email

Before you write a word, you need to know who you are writing to. Emailing a general inbox or the HR department is rarely useful for this kind of outreach. You want a specific person, ideally someone one or two levels above the role you eventually want, who has enough seniority to be interesting but enough proximity to know what early-career hiring looks like.

LinkedIn team pages. Search the company, go to their People tab, filter by role or department. Find analysts, associates, junior managers in your target area. These are the people most likely to respond to a student reaching out.

Company websites and team pages. Many boutiques, professional services firms, and mid-size companies list their team members publicly. This often gives you a name and sometimes even an email format.

Press releases and media mentions. When a firm closes a deal, wins an award or launches a new division, they often quote or name the people involved. Those are warm targets because you now have something specific to reference.

Email format guessing. Most companies use one of a handful of formats: firstname@company.com, firstname.lastname@company.com, f.lastname@company.com. Once you find one person's email on a website, you know the format and can apply it to others.

The subject line

Keep it short. Make it clear. Never use "Following up on my application" or "Seeking opportunities" or "Quick question." Those are deleted on instinct.

Good subject lines: "Commerce student, 20 min call" or "Brief introduction, [Your Uni]" or "Question about your career path at [Company]." Simple, direct, human.

Bad subject lines: "Exciting opportunity to connect with a motivated student," "Following up!!," "RE: Career enquiry." These signal that what follows will not be worth reading.

The structure of the email itself

Three sentences for the intro, maximum. Who you are, where you study, what you are interested in. Nothing more in the opener. They need context, not a cover letter.

A specific reason you chose them, not just the company. Reference something real: their career path, a project they worked on, an article they wrote, a panel they spoke on. This is the sentence that separates your email from every other email they received that week. If you cannot write this sentence specifically about this person, do not send the email yet.

One clear ask. Not "I would love to learn about your career", that is open-ended and requires effort to respond to. "Would you be open to a 20 minute chat about your career path and what the team is working on?" is specific, bounded and easy to say yes to.

This is an information interview request, not a job ask. That distinction matters enormously. You are not asking for a job. You are asking for a conversation. One feels like a burden. The other is just a chat. Lead with curiosity, not need.

Real example, use this as your starting point

Hi [Name],

I am a final-year Commerce student at [Uni] with a strong interest in [their field]. I came across your work on [specific project, article, or thing you found] and it is exactly the area I want to build experience in.

Would you be open to a 20 minute chat about your career path and what the team is working on?

Thanks for reading this. I know your time is limited and genuinely appreciate it.

[Your name]

The goal of this email is not to land a job. It is to get a conversation. One message will not get you hired. But one conversation, handled well, can lead to a referral, which can lead to an interview that never got posted. Think in steps.

Following up

If you send the email and hear nothing after seven business days, one follow-up is appropriate. Keep it to two sentences. Something like: "Hi [Name], just following up on my note from last week in case it got buried. Happy if the timing is not right. Thanks again." That is the full follow-up. If there is still no response, move on. Two unanswered messages is the limit. Sending a third crosses from persistence into annoyance, and annoyance is memorable for the wrong reasons.

An informational interview is a 20 minute conversation with someone working in the role or company you want to be in. It is not a job interview. It is not a pitch. It is a conversation where you ask questions and listen. That distinction matters more than almost anything else in this guide.

Why they work

People like talking about themselves and their career. Most professionals, when asked genuinely and respectfully, are happy to spend 20 minutes sharing how they got where they are. You are not asking for a favour when you request an informational interview. You are offering someone a chance to share their experience with a person who will genuinely value it. Most say yes when asked well.

The second reason they work: a person who has had a real conversation with you is far more likely to think of you when a role opens than a name on a CV they have never spoken to. The informational interview is the mechanism that converts a cold contact into a warm advocate.

How to ask for one

Be direct and make it low-pressure. The ask should be small, specific and easy to say yes to. The biggest mistake people make is being vague ("I would love to connect sometime") or making it feel like more than it is.

How to ask, this works

Hi [Name],

I am not expecting anything to come from this. I just want to learn from someone who has built a career in [their area]. Would you have 20 minutes for a call in the next few weeks?

[Your name]

That framing removes all pressure. You are not asking them to hire you, refer you or do anything beyond having a short conversation. Almost everyone can say yes to that.

What to ask when you get there

Prepare five or six questions before the call. Make them open and specific to their experience. The best informational interview questions are ones only they can answer.

How did you get into this role? Most career paths are non-linear and interesting. This opens the conversation naturally and gives you real context you cannot get from a LinkedIn profile.

What does a typical week actually look like for you? The gap between what a role sounds like and what it feels like day-to-day is enormous. This question closes that gap.

What do you wish you had known when you were starting out? This is the question that produces the most genuinely useful answers. People open up when asked to reflect on what they know now versus what they knew then.

What do you look for when you are involved in hiring? If they have any hiring involvement, this is gold. You are getting the unfiltered version of what actually gets someone the role.

What is changing in your industry right now that most people are not paying enough attention to? This question signals that you think seriously about the field, not just the job.

What not to do

Do not ask for a job. You said this was an informational conversation. The moment you pivot to "so, are there any openings?" you have broken the social contract of the meeting and made the person regret agreeing to it.

Do not pitch yourself. This is not your moment to list your achievements. If they ask what you have been working on, give a brief honest answer and return to asking questions. The meeting is about learning from them.

Do not go over time. You asked for 20 minutes. At 18 minutes, say: "I know we are getting close to time. I do not want to keep you. Is there anything you would add for someone at my stage?" Then wrap up. Respecting the time you asked for is one of the most professional things you can do.

What to do after

Send a follow-up message within 24 hours. Make it specific. Reference one thing they said that was genuinely useful or made you think differently. Not "thanks so much, that was really helpful." Something like: "Your point about [specific thing] changed how I am thinking about [specific decision]. I really appreciate you taking the time."

That specific follow-up is how a one-off 20 minute conversation becomes a lasting professional relationship. People remember who paid attention. Most people do not send any follow-up at all. The ones who do, and do it with genuine specificity, are the ones who get thought of when something opens up.

A warm introduction, where someone who knows the person you want to meet vouches for you and makes the connection, converts at dramatically higher rates than any cold outreach. The person receiving the introduction already has a reason to trust you before the first word is exchanged. That is an enormous advantage, and most students underestimate how accessible it is.

Who is already in your network

Most students think in terms of direct connections, people they know well enough to call, and miss the far more valuable second-degree connections sitting just one step away. Before you reach outward, map what you already have access to.

Professors and tutors. Academics often have deep industry ties from previous careers, research collaborations and advisory roles. They are frequently willing to make introductions for students they know. Most students never ask.

Your parents' networks. This one is underused. Your parents know people. Some of those people work in industries you care about, or know people who do. There is nothing wrong with saying "Mum, do you know anyone at X or in Y field?" The answer will sometimes surprise you.

Alumni networks. Your university has graduates in almost every firm and industry you want to enter. Most universities have formal alumni directories. Many alumni are genuinely willing to talk to students from their university, especially if you reach out specifically rather than generically.

Former managers from part-time jobs. Someone who has seen you work and thinks highly of you is a credible advocate. Even a manager from a hospitality or retail job can speak to your reliability, work ethic and character, and may well have connections in more relevant industries.

LinkedIn second-degree connections. Search for people at your target companies on LinkedIn. When you see a 2nd connection label, click on it to see who you both know. That mutual connection is your bridge. Use it.

How to ask for an introduction without making it awkward

When you ask someone to introduce you to a person in their network, you are asking them to put their name and reputation behind the connection. Make it as easy as possible for them to say yes. The format that works: contact your mutual connection directly, explain what you are looking for and why, name the specific person you want to meet, and offer to write the introduction they can simply forward.

"I noticed you are connected to [Name] at [Company]. I am genuinely interested in [their field] and would love to reach out to them. Would you be comfortable making an introduction, or happy if I mentioned your name when I got in touch?"

That script works because it gives the person making the intro two options: a formal introduction or simply permission to drop their name. The second option has almost no friction. Most people are happy to do the favour when you have made the work of doing it this easy.

Write the email they can forward

If they agree to make a formal introduction, do not make them write it. Send them a short paragraph they can paste directly into an email and forward on. Something like:

The forwardable intro, send this to your contact

Hi [Name],

I wanted to introduce you to [Your Name], a final-year [degree] student at [Uni] who I have known for [context]. They are seriously interested in [their field] and are exactly the kind of person worth having a conversation with. I thought of you given your work at [Company].

[Your Name], I will let you take it from here.

When you make it that easy, people follow through. When you leave it to them to figure out what to say, it gets forgotten.

Make introductions go both ways

The fastest way to build a reputation as someone worth knowing is to introduce people to each other without expecting anything in return. When you think someone you know would genuinely benefit from knowing someone else you know, make that connection. People who do this consistently are remembered, trusted and included in opportunities that never go public.

Sending five emails to five random people you found on LinkedIn is not a strategy. It is activity that feels productive but produces nothing. The people who consistently land roles through proactive outreach treat it like a process, not a one-off effort. They have a list, they work it regularly, and they track what happens.

Start with 10 to 20 companies you actually want to work for

Be specific and be honest. Not "somewhere in finance" or "a good law firm." Name the actual organisations. Research them. Understand what makes each one different from its competitors. Know something real about their work before you reach out to anyone there. Vague interest produces vague outreach, and vague outreach gets ignored.

For each company on your list, identify two or three people in roles similar to what you want, or who are one or two levels above it and involved in hiring. Use LinkedIn's People search filtered by company and job title. You are looking for analysts, associates, junior managers, or people with "talent" or "people" in their title if you want to understand the hiring process.

Set a weekly outreach goal and stick to it

Reach out to three people per week. That is 12 per month. Even at a 10 percent response rate, that is one or two real conversations every few weeks. Done consistently over a semester, that is 20 to 30 conversations with people in industries you want to enter, before a single application is submitted.

Three per week sounds small. Most students do three total and then stop when they do not hear back immediately. The consistent ones, the ones who keep going week after week without expecting instant results, are the ones who end up with advocates at the firms they are applying to when application season opens.

Track your outreach

A simple spreadsheet is all you need. Build a table with these columns and update it every time you take an action:

Company. The organisation you are targeting.

Name. The specific person you contacted.

Role. Their title so you remember the context.

Date contacted. When you sent the first message.

Response. Yes, no, or no reply. If yes, what happened.

Follow-up date. When to send the one follow-up if you have not heard back.

Notes. Anything relevant from the conversation, or a reminder of what you discussed so follow-up messages feel personal.

This takes ten minutes a week to maintain and eliminates the cognitive load of remembering who you contacted and when. It also shows you patterns: which types of outreach are getting responses, which companies seem more accessible, and how much of the work you are actually doing versus intending to do.

Companies do not decide to hire someone and post the role the same day. There is almost always a window, sometimes days, sometimes weeks, between when the need becomes clear and when the job advertisement goes live. The person who reaches out during that window gets the conversation before the competition exists. Being first is not about being pushy. It is about being ready.

How to know when a company might be hiring

Fundraising and investment announcements. When a company raises a funding round, takes on a new investor, or secures a major contract, headcount almost always follows. Set Google alerts for the companies on your target list and watch for funding news.

Expansion and new offices. When a firm opens a new office, enters a new market or acquires another business, they need people. These announcements are public. Read them as hiring signals.

Leadership changes. A new managing director, a new division head, a new partner. New leaders often build their own teams. The window right after a leadership announcement is often an excellent time to reach out.

LinkedIn activity from team members. When people within a team start posting more about growth, team wins, or exciting projects, they are often in a phase where they need more hands. Follow the companies and people on your list and pay attention to what they share.

Job board alerts, even before you are ready to apply. Set up alerts on LinkedIn and Seek for roles at your target companies or in your target field. When a relevant role appears, it is a signal that the company is in a hiring phase. That is the moment to reach out to someone there, even if the role is not exactly right for you.

What to say when you reach out at the right moment

You do not need to mention that you saw a hiring signal. You just need to reach out at that moment with a genuine, specific message asking for a conversation. The timing does the work. If the company is actively thinking about hiring and your message lands in front of the right person that week, the probability of a reply goes up significantly compared to reaching out when there is no immediate need.

Being first is not about being aggressive or claiming insider knowledge. It is about paying attention and being ready to act when the signals are right. Most candidates wait for the role to be public. You are reaching out while the conversation about hiring is still internal.

Most people either do not follow up at all, which is a wasted opportunity, or they follow up in a way that feels desperate or persistent. Neither works. There is a straightforward way to stay on someone's radar that is professional, low-pressure and genuinely valued by the people you are staying in touch with.

The one-week rule for initial outreach

If you send a cold email or LinkedIn message and get no response after seven business days, one follow-up is appropriate. Keep it to two sentences. Something like: "Hi [Name], just following up in case this got lost. Happy if the timing is not right, I just wanted to make sure you saw it." That is it. If there is still no response after that, move on. Two unanswered messages is the limit. Sending a third is the point at which you cross from persistence into annoyance, and annoyance is memorable for the wrong reasons.

Staying in touch with warm contacts

The goal is not to check in every few weeks asking if there are any openings. That is exhausting for the person receiving it and makes the relationship feel transactional. The most effective way to stay in touch is to reach out when you have something genuinely worth sharing, not when you want something.

Send an article or piece of news relevant to what they work on. One sentence explaining why you thought of them. No ask attached. This keeps the relationship warm without imposing on their time.

Share a genuine update about yourself. "I started an internship last week and I have been thinking about something you mentioned when we spoke." This shows continuity and that the conversation actually meant something to you.

Congratulate them on something real. A promotion, a transaction announcement, a piece of work that was made public. One sentence. No ask attached. People notice when someone pays attention to what they have built.

The goal of follow-up is not to extract value. It is to maintain a relationship so that when the right opportunity exists, your name comes to mind. That only works if the relationship feels genuine rather than transactional. The line between the two is whether you ever give without an agenda.

The most valuable piece of advice in this entire guide is this: start a full year before you think you need to.

The students who walk into final-year internship and graduate applications with meaningful connections at the firms they want to join are not lucky. They started attending industry events in second year. They reached out to alumni before they needed a reference. They had informational interviews with analysts when they were not yet competing for the same roles. By the time applications opened, they already had advocates inside the firms they were applying to.

What the long game actually looks like

Year one and two of university. Identify the industry and two or three specific firms you are genuinely interested in. Attend every campus event they run. Read their work. Build your understanding from a position of genuine interest, not application strategy.

18 months before you want the role. Start having informational interviews. Not to ask for anything, but to learn and to build real relationships. One or two a month is enough. Done consistently, that adds up to 20 or 30 meaningful professional conversations before you have sent a single application.

Six months before applications open. Your network should be warm enough that when you reach out to say you are applying this cycle, you are not introducing yourself. You are updating someone who already knows who you are.

At application time. You are not starting from zero. You have context, you have advocates, and you have a story grounded in genuine engagement with the industry. That is a fundamentally different position from the majority of people applying the same week the portal opens.

The best time to start building your professional network was 12 months ago. The second best time is now. If you are reading this and none of this work has started yet, the answer is not to feel behind. It is to start today and be consistent about it from here.

How to Get the InterviewBefore It's Posted

Want more of this?

How to Get the Interview
Before It's Posted