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.

Business Insider

3 days ago

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.
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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.