Struggling to find a job in SaaS today? Here’s the thing.
On the one hand, jobs are fewer, layoffs are up, and spend it tighter. Everyone has to be 2x or more as efficient as 2021.
But on the other hand … literally almost every SaaS company I know doing even reasonably well is hiring. And … struggling to find anyone truly good for their roles.
So finding a job may be 5x harder than 2021, but there are still a vast number of unfilled roles at just about every good or great SaaS company.
So how do you get those jobs?
A few perhaps obvious points, that still, I see 98/100 candidates failing / not doing:
#1. Enough With the AI Job Applications
Sure, use ChatGPT to improve your grammar. But everyone can see the generic job application written by ChatGPT. It’s zero effort and no one wants to hire those candidates.
#2. Stop Blindly Applying in One Click to Jobs on LinkedIn etc. With Zero Effort
No, this does not count as a job you “didn’t get”. Stop. Slow it down. Take 30 minutes to write a personal email on why you’d truly make an impact in that role, and send it to the CEO / VP / Director etc. directly by email. You will stand out instantly.
#3. Realize You May Have to Do The Work Yourself, Not Just Be a Strategist
I know you may be a bit tired or burnt, but almost no one wants to hire a “strategist” these days. They want to hire someone to do the work. It really feels like 95% of the applicants I see, even at relatively junior phases of their career, just want to either manage people or be “strategists” and not do the work.
#4. Follow Up Quickly
There are two ways to be great — either literally be great, or be good and hyper responsive. If you are the best engineer in the world, the best CRO, sure take a few days to get back to them. The rest of us? Respond in minutes if possible. It’s so, so easy to stand out here.
#5. Don’t Tell Them The 1 or 2 Slots You Are Free
Instead, just tell them you’ll make almost anytime work for the interview. Telling a potential employer you just have 1 slot free next week tells them it’s not going to work out.
#6. Share Some Actual Examples of How You’d Do It
Everyone says they “be great” at the role. Hooray. Share 2-3 examples of how you actually did it in your last role. I.e., make case studies … of yourself.
#7. Comp Matters. But Don’t Ask About Comp Too Quickly
Comp matters, and fair pay matters. But if you start asking about comp before you even understanding the job … that’s a flag, at least for most startups and scale-ups. Ask about comp. But maybe at the very end of the first interview. Not in the first 5 minutes. Folks want to hire owners. Not job shoppers and comp shoppers.
#8. Don’t Argue
I see way too many job applicants for both senior and junior roles argue. They argue they know how to do it. No one wants to hire you. Prove you are smart in other ways.
#9. Make Sure Your LinkedIn and Resume Speaks for Itself
Ask 3-4 folks you trust. Would they hire you just based on your LinkedIn? If not, put more work there. The very best candidates in my experience, at least the senior ones (Director and up) often have epic LinkedIn’s. Why they went to President’s Club for 5 years straight. How they got NRR up +12%. List your quantitative improvements at the very, very top of your LinkedIn. And explain how you did it, briefly. That’s who everyone wants to hire.
#10. Just Email the CEO / VP of a Startup You Want to Work At With the World’s Best Email
Of how you can truly own something. Take something off their plate. Do it for real. Bet you the email gets opened. And if it’s great, you’ve got a decent chance at getting a meeting.