Isaac Taylor
Sales Director | Head of B2B | Driving Sales-Led Growth from $0-$10M & Empowering Job Seekers at Jobscan
Highlights:
- “Maybe 50 out of 100 applicants get noticed from the job application process. Outreach can be a lot more productive. Header is probably the most important part – needs to be sincere and eye-catching. The message needs to be custom, relevant, and personal. If it is obvious that ChatGPT wrote your message, you will probably get ignored.”
- “One of the people that [I] hired was previously in film (nowhere near sales) but laid out how his transferable skills would be an asset to the team. And they were right.”
- “Be genuine and sell yourself – make the person hiring believe in you.”
- “If it’s a good cover letter it’s worth it, but bad is bad. Can really tell if someone wrote it on their own. Can tell if ChatGPT wrote it.”
- “The difference between a base LinkedIn profile vs a fully developed LinkedIn is crazy.”
I was originally interested to speak to Isaac because he wrote a post on LinkedIn that really resonated with me. It was about how three new members of his team were essentially invisible to him, even though they applied through the proper channels. They were great additions to his team but never would have been noticed if they didn’t do something extra.
Parts of the post read:
“Turns out they had applied for their roles, but their resumes never crossed my desk. The first time I noticed all three of them was from DMs that landed in my inbox.”
“They were all highly qualified. The application process should have found them. Instead, they were effectively invisible.”
That disconnect resonated with me, and I think a lot of job seekers can say they’ve also felt something similar – ‘Is anyone actually seeing my application?’
“They followed the process. They did everything right, and they still had to go the extra mile just to be seen.”
“They’re not underqualified. They’re invisible.”
Outreach:
I asked Isaac what job seekers can do to stand out. Here are some highlights from our conversation:
“Maybe 50 out of 100 applicants get noticed from the job application process. Outreach can be a lot more productive.”
He gets 10-20 messages on LinkedIn per month, but most seem like templates.
“Header is probably the most important part – needs to be sincere and eye catching.”
“The message needs to be custom, relevant, and personal. If it is obvious that ChatGPT wrote your message, you will probably get ignored.
“Be genuine and sell yourself – make the person hiring believe in you.”
“Look up cold-email practices. Under 90 words if possible, most compelling points at the top, with a simple call to action (‘I’d love to hop on a call to discuss this position further’).”
Isaac isn’t a big networking person, but he knows the importance of effective outreach.
One of the people that Isaac hired was previously in film (nowhere near sales) but “they laid out how his transferable skills would be an asset to the team, and they were right.” I’ve included this outreach at the end of the post (with permission).
Cover Letters:
“If it’s a good cover letter it’s worth it, but bad is bad. Can really tell if someone wrote it on their own. Can tell if ChatGPT wrote it.
Using a cover letter does increase interview chances. However, it could potentially hurt you. If an organization is using an AI to rank applicants, if the resume is keyword optimized but cover letter is not, that can really bring you down.”
“As an example, if my position receives 500 applications and I have 1 recruiter doing all of the hiring – AI screens them but it won’t be perfect. Your resume and cover letter need to be keyword optimized.
“Look at eye trackers of recruiters, see that they are looking at keywords.”
I asked about supplements/replacements to cover letters:
“Video is a valid strategy for cold outreach, but not without applying through traditional methods.”
A video inside an email is better than having to open a new tab open. 15 seconds can matter.”
LinkedIn:
“The difference between a base LinkedIn profile vs a fully developed LinkedIn is crazy.
94% of recruiters are looking at LinkedIn profiles. By and large LinkedIn profiles are becoming more important. Years ago, this was 84%.“
BDR Outreach
Isaac (with approval from the candidate), graciously shared the outreach that landed them the position:
“I want to be a BDR at Jobscan
Hey Isaac,
I noticed Jobscan was looking to hire a Business Development Representative and thought you would be the best person to reach out to since you’re the head of B2B.
I just applied on your website but wanted to reach out since I’m too interested in your company to leave this opportunity up to chance. I love how Jobscan is helping people find jobs using AI.
I think I would make a great addition to your team since you’re looking for someone with tech skills and a positive attitude. I’ve recently completed CourseCareers, which is an intensive online course where I learned everything about being a BDR, including researching prospects, cold outreach, lead qualification and using various Sales Engagement Softwares.
I also have a unique advantage to succeed in this position compared to other applicants because of my film background where I was constantly collaborating with many different crew members to achieve a unified goal on a tight deadline.
Here’s a link to view my resume and verbally recorded answers to common interview questions.
I’d love to get on a short call to learn more about the position and what you’re looking for. If you click on the link above, you’ll be able to request to interview me and book a time directly on my calendar.
Best,
Z”
Isaac missed this initial outreach, but the candidate reached out four days later:
“Any chance we could get on a quick call to share some more details about the position and see if you think I might be a good fit?”
To which Isaac replied:
“Hey Z, solid outreach.
Want to grab a 15 min slot to chat on my calendar?
Thanks,
Isaac”
A little bit of persistence seems to go a long way.
Thanks for visiting!
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