This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Courtney Clapper, a 32-year-old strategy lead for a major retailer in New York. It’s been edited for length and clarity.
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I started my job hunt in the fall of 2025, a few months after graduating with my MBA from Cornell Tech. I was applying for a mix of roles, such as product manager or digital strategist, and I knew the competition would be fierce in this tough job market.
From portfolios to video cover letters, I tried all sorts of creative methods to stand out and show off my personality, but they didn’t work. A simple, free AI tool that locates hiring managers’ emails landed me multiple interviews — and a job.
Video cover letters were a great start for me
My first thought process when entering the job market was to imagine myself as a recruiter, getting slammed with thousands of résumés filled with data and numbers.
I figured it would be in my best interest to give them a sense of what makes me stand out: my personality. So, I recorded myself reading my AI-written cover letters, throwing in a joke or two, and attached the video via a private YouTube link.
The video tells the recruiters I can speak and present well, and it gives them a sense of who I am. This approach helped me land an interview at Microsoft. They specifically called out the video, saying it made them feel like they already knew me, which I thought was pretty good feedback.
I still wanted to try several different creative ideas.
Next, I decided to make something more visual — a portfolio
My portfolio was in the form of a timeline. It included pictures of all professional endeavors I thought could help me land a job, from products I’ve built and my time at Cornell to pictures of me pitching. My goal was to showcase my skill set and personality while also creating something more visually interesting.
I’d also heard of people getting jobs by putting together a slideshow on how they’d improve the company, so I gave it a shot, and it didn’t really get me anywhere. Neither of these strategies was worth the time commitment they required.
Referrals also got me nowhere. I have a solid network, and that wasn’t making a difference. Interestingly, I applied for a bunch of roles at Microsoft, and the only one I got an interview for was the one I didn’t have a referral for.
I came across a job-finding hack on Reddit
I was reading comments on Reddit from people complaining about their job-hunting struggles, and I saw a few people saying they found success by reaching out to hiring managers directly.
Some people said they cold-called, which made me think, “Okay, that’s a little bit too far,” but the emphasis was just to reach out. The idea of emailing them seemed low-risk, so I decided to give it a shot.
I started by researching on LinkedIn, trying to guess who the hiring manager or recruiter might be. Sometimes it was listed, but it wasn’t the best method. Then I came across a Reddit comment about Apollo AI, a free tool that can locate hiring manager emails. I found it to be pretty accurate, so I started reaching out with my résumé and cover letter. It was a game changer.
The CEO of Sweetgreen responded to my email
My messages showed initiative and, honestly, probably just made things easier for the hiring manager. I reached out to three people directly and got interviewed for two jobs.
I even emailed the CEO of Sweetgreen directly, and he responded by putting me in touch with the hiring manager to schedule an interview.
One of my email reachouts turned into my current job, a strategy lead role for a major retailer. This strategy made things more efficient because I already had a direct line of contact, so it was easy to follow up if there was a delay.
I didn’t get any negative feedback about it and would do it again
I was wondering if anyone might be weirded out about me finding their emails, but no one said anything. They could find it creepy, but they could also find it resourceful.
If I were back in the job market, I’d start with the email strategy. The exercise of thinking through creative approaches like portfolios and video cover letters was fun and got me thinking about how to present my personality most effectively, but ultimately, getting in direct contact was the best way to be competitive.
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