✅ WEEK 5: Build Relationships with Hiring Managers (Even Strangers!)
It’s time to build relationships that lead to referrals, interviews, and offers — even with people you’ve never met before.
🎯 Objective:
Turn cold contacts into warm allies — people who want to help you, refer you, and even create roles for you. Learn the exact methods to build rapport, trust, and visibility with decision-makers in your target companies.
🔍 Why This Matters
❌ 95% of job seekers reach out like this:
“Hi, I’m looking for opportunities. Can you refer me?”
✅ Top 5% job seekers build relationships first, then get pulled into opportunities.
Hiring is human. People hire who they:
Like
Trust
Remember
You’ll learn to build all three — fast and authentically.
🧠 Step 1: Understand the Psychology of Hiring Managers
Hiring managers are:
Overloaded
Risk-averse
Always looking for good people — even if a role isn’t posted
Their dream scenario is:
“Someone who just gets our domain, communicates clearly, and already shows they can add value.”
🎯 Your goal: Become that someone.
📬 Step 2: The 3-Step Relationship Ladder
Most people try to jump straight to referrals. Instead, build trust gradually.
🚀 Level 1: Visibility
Follow them on LinkedIn
Comment meaningfully on their posts
Like, reshare, or quote them with a point of view
🧠 Level 2: Credibility
DM with context (use your CVP)
Offer insights or small relevant help
Mention a specific reason you’re reaching out
🤝 Level 3: Relational Equity
After 1–2 interactions, ask for a casual chat (not a job!)
Listen more than you talk
Leave them feeling like you’re valuable, not needy
💬 Step 3: Conversation Starters That Work
Here are high-converting message examples you can use:
💡 Outreach Message to Hiring Manager:
Hey Akshay, I’ve been following your work at CRED, especially around scaling microservices. I help teams like yours build reliable, low-latency systems using Java and Kafka. Curious if you’d be open to a quick exchange of ideas or stories around backend scalability.
🎯 Message to Team Peer:
Hey Shreya, your post on your team’s checkout flow was 🔥. I’ve worked on similar flows at Mastercard and love solving latency + security trade-offs. Would be cool to hear more about your challenges sometime!
💡 Key Rule: You’re not asking for a favor — you’re offering perspective, camaraderie, and value.
🧭 Step 4: What to Say in the Call (if they agree to chat)
If they say “Sure, let’s connect,” here’s how to win the 15-min chat:
🧩 Your Mini-Agenda:
Warm context: Appreciate something specific (blog, product, team)
Ask questions:
“What’s your team working on these days?”
“What’s been a challenge lately for the backend stack?”
“What kind of profiles really thrive on your team?”
Subtly insert your value:
“That’s interesting. At my last project, we solved something similar by...”
Leave the door open:
“Really enjoyed this convo—if anything opens up or if I can help in any way, I’d be glad to.”
💡 Bonus Tip: Mention something you’ll follow up with (resource, article, demo, etc.)
🔁 Step 5: Nurture Without Being Annoying
Not everyone will respond at first. Not everyone will hire you. That’s okay.
Here’s how to stay top-of-mind without chasing:
Send a “just sharing this” message after 2–3 weeks
Celebrate their product launch or promotion on LinkedIn
Publish your own learnings and tag them if relevant
🧠 Think: Light touch, high signal, never desperate
🔥 Optional: Run a “Visibility Blitz Week”
For 7 days:
Comment meaningfully on 3–5 hiring manager posts per day
DM 2–3 peers with personalized messages
Post one LinkedIn update showing your technical interest
🎯 Result: You’ll be on 20+ radars in just 1 week.
✅ Action Steps for This Week
Task
Status
Follow 10–15 hiring managers and engineers on LinkedIn
[ ]
Engage with at least 5 of their posts
[ ]
DM 5 warm, personalized messages to contacts
[ ]
Book 2–3 casual coffee chats (no job ask!)
[ ]
Create a list of 3 ways you could help them
[ ]
Start building your weekly visibility habit
[ ]
🔁 Reflective Prompts
Who are 3 people I admire in my target space, and how can I learn from them?
What would make me want to refer someone I don’t know yet?
What’s a simple, non-salesy way I can provide value to someone this week?
📘 Resources for This Week
🔚 Week 5 Summary:
You’ve now learned how to:
Turn strangers into allies
Build trust with decision-makers
Become “referable” without begging for referrals
In Week 6, you’ll learn how to pick and choose your interviews — even when you haven’t applied — by creating demand for yourself and guiding conversations toward aligned roles.