280: Networking Is More Effective Than Traditional Job Search - How To Make It Easier

Today, we’re delighted to welcome back return guest, Austin Belcak, who joined us way back on episode five to talk about how to land a dream job at the salary you deserve, as well on episode 89 where he shared his insights on building an exceptional resume that gets real results. Through his personal experiences, Austin has developed a uniquely effective job search system that helped him go from being a new grad with a biology degree (and a job in healthcare) to landing interviews at multiple tech companies, including Microsoft, where he ended up working for over five years and was promoted multiple times.

Austin is the founder of Cultivated Culture, where he helps people secure jobs they’re passionate about, without relying on the need for traditional experience or online applications. The platform is a hugely valuable resource for job seekers and offers multiple free tools, including a resume builder and analyzer. He also hosts The Dream Job System Podcast where he shares bite-sized, highly actionable career advice. Additionally, Austin’s work has been featured in multiple publications including, Forbes, Business Insider, and Fast Co. Through his work he has helped thousands of job seekers earn roles at top companies like Google, Apple, and Amazon, without ever needing to apply online.

In today’s conversation with Austin, we delve into the subject of networking, why he’s found it to be infinitely more effective than traditional job-searching methods, and how he developed a jobs system that could help others just like him. We unpack why traditional approaches proved particularly ineffective for him, why he needed advice from people with first-hand experience, and how he went about reaching out to those individuals who could give him the insights he needed to succeed. Our conversation also examines some of the most common misconceptions when it comes to networking and what can be done to address them. 

Austin’s parting message emphasizes the importance of investing in yourself and actively creating things that other people will find interesting, before breaking down exactly how this will help your networking journey in the long run. His story serves as a powerful reminder that following your intuition and finding a braver path, will often be far more effective than sticking to more traditional routes. Join us today to hear all of Austin’s eye-opening insights as we discuss the nuances of networking and finding the job you truly want! 

 

Key Points From This Episode: 

• Some background on today’s guest, Austin Belcak. [02:03]

• How Austin founded Cultivated Culture. [05:45]

• What made him reject traditional job search practices and try a different approach. [11:35]

• Key factors that helped him determine the job he was looking for and where he wanted to work. [15:36]

• How Austin found high-achieving individuals who would understand his experience, especially coming from a non-traditional background, and how he reached out for their input. [17:33]

• Common misunderstandings around networking and advice on how to address them. [19:55]

• Learning how to cultivate persistence when it comes to networking. [26:58]

• Why people are more ready to invest in people who are already investing in themselves; how to establish channels that create value and make it easier to network. [31:09]

• Where you can find Austin online. [35:16]

 

For More Information:

Austin Belcak on LinkedIn

Austin Belcak on X

Austin Belcak on Instagram

Cultivated Culture

Cultivated Culture Blog

Cultivated Culture Podcast

Cultivated Culture Tools

 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Listen to Finding Brave Episode 5: How to Land a Dream Job at the Salary You Deserve with Austin Becak 

Check out Finding Brave Episode 89: Building a Crazy Effective Resume that Gets Real Results with Austin Belcak 

 

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Quotes:

“[The traditional] process did not really work for me. I applied to over 300 places, I didn't get any results. And so I had to find a different path to getting a job.” — @austinbelcak [0:09:01]

“Essentially, I took a very different approach to job searching. And that became the system that we teach our clients today. But a lot of it was rooted in networking. And a lot of it was rooted in relationships rather than applications.” — @austinbelcak [0:09:13]

“When we buy into the system that we're told is the right way to go it can be really hard to keep going and going and going because you're not doing it because you believe it's the best way to do it. You're doing it because other people have told you that it's the best way to do it.” — @austinbelcak [0:13:31]

“All these people I was going to advice for, they wanted to help, [and] they were well-meaning, but they didn't really get my situation.” — @austinbelcak [0:16:35]

“I went out, and I tried to find those people who had gotten those roles coming from a non-traditional background.” — @austinbelcak [0:17:33]

“If you want people to invest in you, start investing in yourself. Start building interesting things. And that's going to be [the] magnet that attracts other folks.” — @austinbelcak [0:34:11]

 

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