Inviting a conversation nearly always wins versus a more transactional approach.
“Don’t Apply, Invite.” I have been giving this advice to hundreds of job candidates over the past 3-4 years. It's very specific when applied to the job search process, but actually carries broader - and hopefully more helpful - meaning.
Those in transition or navigating a career change tend to fall into the "activity trap." The feeling that doing something is better than nothing. And, what's easier than clicking APPLY to a job you feel would be a great fit? However, that turns out not only to be a waste of your time, but also squanders your emotional energy.
"I've applied to hundreds of jobs and not gotten an interview," is a common refrain. At any career stage, you could be competing with thousands of candidates for every role. And their resumes all likely look the same to the HR rep, the app charged with sorting them, or the AI agent "reading" them, compared with the role's identified specifications.
The application system that worked a decade ago no longer functions for most people. I have spoken to HR leaders, hiring managers and recruiters about this, and they all tell horror stories of the lengths resume readers go to in order to narrow the field. Nearly all believe great candidates were left on the cutting room floor.
Here's a recent example that illustrates the point. I was speaking to a group of graduating college seniors about business networking and offered any of the 100 or so students in the audience a referral to a great internship if they connected with me afterwards. Eight of them introduced themselves at the end of the seminar, and I referred them to the hiring manager. What happened next is a perfect example of today's system.
The manager had already closed the application portal just hours after posting the role. Just for a summer internship, they had received more than 500 resumes in less than half a day. Frustrated by the thought of spending the weekend sorting the applications, she was delighted to receive the personal referrals I offered. Guess how many candidates she interviewed?
Eight.
I will leave it to you to determine which eight. The candidate who received the offer went on to work there full time that fall. And not one of them clicked APPLY.
That was a couple of years ago, and it's only gotten worse. The primary way for many to break through the digital barriers to interviews is to network into the company.
Another student was about to graduate with a prestigious master's degree. He asked for advice after several weeks of furious activity with no results. I encouraged him to begin inviting alumni to connect blind on LinkedIn. 100 per week, sorted by geography, job function and major, where visible. His goal was just to get five acceptances per week, with one or two open to a follow-up Zoom coffee chat. After two weeks and 200 clicks, he had more than 30 networking calls scheduled. One of them led to an opportunity not posted anywhere - which he was able to get without ever clicking APPLY.
Inviting a conversation nearly always wins versus a more transactional approach.
While especially true in the job search, this shift in mindset applies to many other areas of our personal and professional lives. Think about the last time you wanted buy-in on an idea at work, needed support from a colleague, or were trying to move an important relationship forward. A cold ask rarely lands the way a genuine invitation does. When you invite someone into a conversation rather than presenting them with a request, you signal respect for their perspective and create space for a real exchange. That changes everything.
It's hard to invite someone into a dialogue when you know there is conflict or resistance. The just-send-an-email reaction feels much easier and less risky.
You're putting yourself out there attempting to establish a relationship instead of transacting an information exchange. But the payoff is almost always worth the extra time, effort and perceived peril.
How can you begin inviting instead of applying? Where can a relational approach replace a more transactional tactic in your upcoming dealings and improve your odds of success - and maybe even save you some time and frustration? Whether you're navigating a job search, pitching an idea to leadership, reconnecting with a dormant contact, or simply trying to get a conversation started, the invitation is almost always the better move.
Charley Orwig, MBA
Senior Strategy and Brand Marketing Advisor
Charley is a dynamic business leader and marketing executive with 20 years of experience driving business growth. He combines solid corporate and agency experience, creative aptitude and sharp market insight, B2B and B2C experience as well as expertise in diverse digital markets. Charley spent much of his career in Brand Management at Kraft, before taking on consulting and leadership roles in marketing and data science. Having consistently delivered accelerated revenue growth for many of the top consumer brands, Charley understands what it takes to drive organizational performance, and how to build teams that are capable of consistently delivering it. Charley holds a BS in Communication from Bradley University and an MBA from Benedictine University and holds certifications in Appreciative Inquiry and Ecommerce Analytics. Charley is a marketing instructor in Northwestern’s Kellogg Executive Education program and holds faculty positions at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management and Benedictine University, where he teaches courses in graduate and undergraduate marketing and communications. Charley resides in the Chicago area with his family. He is an active volunteer in his community, a youth basketball coach, and will happily hop on a bike any chance he gets.