When I first met Jonathan Chavez at one of our Wonsulting Workshops at UC Santa Barbara, he was a soft-spoken student who exemplified the characteristics of a true underdog: coming from a first generation background where was the first in his family to go to college, he wanted to be the example that many could look up to.
I remember after our Wonsulting Workshop, he was one of the only students who followed up said this:
A simple thank you always goes a long way, especially when less than 1% of our attendees will follow-up with us on a consistent basis.
This is how Jonathan, also known as Johnny, landed into his dream industry when he had no connections in any company with the help of Wonsulting.
When Johnny was first on his job search, he thought that getting an offer especially in the entertainment industry was impossible. He was applying to jobs when he was attending UC Santa Barbara and wasn’t able to “beat ATS,” also known as the “Applicant Tracking System.”
Many job-seekers focus on beating ATS, but we believe that instead of beating ATS, why not make actual genuine connections with people in your dream industry that can give you the insights to land you interviews which will hopefully convert to offers?
This is exactly what Johnny did in his job search instead of simply “just applying” to all of the jobs he was interested in. This is what he did:
1. Tailored Resume Towards the Desired Industry
Johnny worked with Wonsulting on his resume to make it stand out compared to other candidates.
When we were editing Johnny’s resume through our Wonsulting Services, we did the following:
2. Approached the Job Search Process in an Unconventional Way
Instead of simply applying to the roles he was interested in, he utilized our job search tips including reaching out to professional and hiring managers on LinkedIn. By doing this, he was able to gain insights from these folks to put onto his resume which helped him stand out.
What made him stand out was sending personalized invites to those in his dream industry. What he would do is the following:
3. Made an Effective Cover Letter
Johnny then made a cover letter similar to mine that got me into Snapchat which he included in his application.
According to my recent poll on LinkedIn, 63% of people say yes to attaching a cover letter to your application even if it’s considered “optional,” and Johnny did so with all of his applications.
A concept we believe in at Wonsulting is that you shouldn’t spend as much time on a cover letter, as networking and your resume are more important parts of the application process.
However, Johnny says he didn’t take hours on end to make only one cover letter. He instead got it looked at by advisors from his university to get constructive feedback which he incorporated into his cover letter.
4. Utilized his University Resources
Lastly, Johnny utilized his university’s resources from the University of Southern California to help him with his job applications.
Not only did he get his cover letter checked by then but also was able to network with USC faculty in Entertainment to receive insights on how he could stand out for his particular industry.
Jennifer Floto, who is a Professor of Public Relations at the University of Southern California, played a substantial impact on Johnny. He was able to schedule one on ones with her to go over the job description and do interview prep.
Because of her, he not only learned more about the PR world but also used her job search tips on his resume by conveying his writing skill level to have a stand out resume.
1. Apply Early
Johnny says that he had a high success rate of hearing back from companies that he applied to early. He also says to network early as well; by doing so, he was able to gain insights that he could utilize for his application.
2. Add “Flavor” To Your Resume
When Johnny edited his resume with us at Wonsulting, his resume was bland and didn’t stand out.
However, by adding numbers and impact metrics to his resume, we were able to show recruiters that he made an impact on each role he was in. He also utilized InDesign to make his resume to make the design and content cleaner which was tailored towards the entertainment industry.
3. Crushing The Interview Process
In Johnny’s previous interviews, he wasn’t able to articulate his answers due to nerves setting in. However, he changed this by doing the following:
STAR Method (Situation, Task, Action, Result)
A method that we teach in our Wonsulting Online Course, Johnny was able to convey his answers with the STAR method to show the interviewer that he had collaboration, adaptability, and hard skills related to the specific role.
Expressing Passion for the Company
Some of the most important ways to “break the ice” with your interviewer are to show your interest in the company through subtle queues and low-key interview tips.
What we did with Johnny was help him exemplify why he was so passionate about the company and what his favorite shows were.
During his interview, Johnny mentioned that his favorite movie was Joker which established a conversation with the interviewer rather than through scripted questions.
By doing this, you’ll be able to get more comfortable and crush your interviews.
Bringing The Energy!
Lastly, Johnny says to not just be mundane during your interviews but to bring the energy.
This all starts with your posture; be sure to stand up straight, wear appropriate clothing, and most of all, smile. By doing this, you won’t get nervous nor overwhelmed during your interview.
Johnny is one of the many amazing Wonsulting Success Stories we’ve had throughout the past year. He exemplifies a true example of an underdog turned winner and was able to utilize the strategies we teach to land into his dream industry.
For all of those out there in your job search, your time is coming soon. All you need is one yes, one chance, and one opportunity.
When you get that opportunity, make sure to go all out and be prepared just as Jonathan Chavez was to land a job in 2021.
Jonathan Javier is the CEO/Founder of Wonsulting, which mission is to “turn underdogs into winners.”
He’s also worked in Operations at Snap, Google, and Cisco coming from a non-target school/non-traditional background. He works on many initiatives, providing advice and words of wisdom on LinkedIn and through speaking engagements.
In total, he has led 210+ workshops in 9 different countries including the Mena ICT Forum in Jordan, Resume/Personal Branding at Cisco, LinkedIn Strategy & Operations Offsite, Great Place To Work, Talks at Google, TEDx, and more.
He’s also been featured as a Top Job Search Expert in articles from Forbes, Business Insider, DailyMail, Yahoo News, LinkedIn News, Jobscan, Brainz Magazine, and more.
He’s amassed 700K+ followers on LinkedIn, Instagram,& TikTok as well as 30+ million impressions monthly on his content.
Check out his Social Media links here:
Interested in working together? Check out wonsulting.com or email us at hello@wonsulting.com (reference this article too)!
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