Ex-Google HR official reveals first thing to do after applying for job: 'It’ll make you stand out'

Nolan Church, former Google recruiter and current CEO of Continuum (Image credit: Nolan Church/LinkedIn)

Former Google and DoorDash recruiter Nolan Church recently revealed the first thing job seekers should do after applying for a job opportunity. He said that this step -- that most candidates miss -- can make them stand out in front of recruiters.

Church said that following up on the application with a message on LinkedIn and sending a personalised email to the company hiring manager and even its CEO can go a long way in ensuring that the candidate is noticed. He added that during his tenure at DoorDash, when CEO Tony Xu would get such emails “he would forward them directly to me every time,” Church told CNBC Make It. And about 90 percent of the time, the company took calls with those people, he added.

Church, who is now the CEO of Continuum, a talent marketplace for executives, urged candidates not to be intimidated by the size of the companies before writing to their heads to follow up on your job application. "Even if the company you’re applying to is Amazon and you’re sending an email to Andy Jassy, do it," Church told the publication. "He might not be the one reading that email, but someone on his team could see it and forward it along to HR or even a VP."

Explaining how to go about writing these messages, Church recommends the candidates start with LinkedInv. Add the CEO and hiring manager on the site and then look for their emails on social media accounts or the company website. “For somebody who’s a CEO of the company, it’s usually first name at company domain name dot com,” he said.

Then, send them a short message introducing yourself and what you do, that you’ve applied for this role, and explain why you’re a perfect fit for the role and the company. “You could do that in six sentences,” Church said.

Elaborating on why this step is so important, the former Google recruiter said that it is primarily “because no one else does it”. It’ll make you stand out and the second part is that “it’s the thing that every hiring manager cares about: Why are you a good fit for the role?”

"It shows that you’re doing research, shows that you actually want the job and are committed to getting it,” Church added. “In a perfect recruiting process, both sides are assessing each other. And if you have already started that process, you’re actually making my life a lot easier.”

Read more: Want a salary hike? Ex-Meta, Microsoft HR executive reveals 'the best time to ask for raise​'