Human Resources
First contact and the screen happen here. Come in having taken the job ad apart: prepare answers backed by numbers to the three questions you will almost certainly be asked, and write down your own questions before the call.
The Method
05Networking
Before the ad is ever posted, a question goes around inside the company — “do you know anyone like this?” To be that answer, you have to be known.
This chapter is about who to talk to and in what order, how to write the first message, and what to do when nobody replies.
Why networking
What a referral is actually worth
These figures come from the live session — they describe what the founder sees in senior hiring, not an independent study. The direction is the point.
- Share of senior positions filled through a referral
- 60%Share of senior positions filled through a referral
- A referred candidate's odds of clearing the first stage
- 4×A referred candidate's odds of clearing the first stage
- Average time to first reply on a referred application
- 2hAverage time to first reply on a referred application
70% · The hidden job market — roles that get filled through the network before they ever become a public ad.
All four figures are from the Tech Kariyerim live session; the deck cites no external source for them.
“60–70% of senior hires happen through a referral.
Who to talk to
Three rings — from the outside in.
Each ring is a different person with a different job, so each one is a different conversation. Work them in order.
The hiring manager
The person who actually owns the role. Build your “tell me about yourself” as past, present, future — your story, not your job title. Pull that company's interview questions off Glassdoor, work the behavioural ones through STARL, and arrive with two questions: “What does success look like in 6–12 months?” and “What is the biggest challenge the team is facing right now?”
The team (peers)
The people you would actually sit next to. If you are already connected, just message them. If you are not, find the common ground — same university, same department, same former employer, same country. The goal is a long-term relationship, not one application: set up a 15-minute call or a coffee.
Ring 1 · prep
Walk into the HR call with three answers and three questions.
Take the job ad apart and prepare a worked example, with a number in it, for every line of it.
The three questions you will most likely be asked
- 01Tell me about yourself.
- 02Why do you want to work here?
- 03What is your expectation / salary?
Three questions to ask (prepare five)
- 01What do the next steps in the process look like?Process
- 02What is the team looking for in an ideal candidate?Team
- 03What would you advise me for the next stage?Role
Take the ad apart — mark yourself against every line
Green
I have this
You meet the line. Back it with a worked example that has a number in it.
Yellow
Partly
You meet it in part. Tell the closest experience you have — again, with a number.
Red
I don't have this
You don't meet it. Don't hide it in the call — say how you plan to close it.
First-message template
Short, specific, no pressure.
Three sentences: show you know them, sum yourself up, make one clear ask.
linkedin-dm.txt
LinkedIn DM · under 500 characters
Hi [Name], I follow [Company]'s [product X / your article] — [a concrete detail] in particular caught my eye.
I'm on the fintech backend side myself, the last 4 years in payment systems. The Senior BE role your team opened is a close fit for my profile.
Would you have time for a 15-minute chat? Even if nothing comes of the role, I'll ask my questions and get out of your way. — Ayşe
Why it works
- In the first sentence, show that you know them.
- In the second, sum up who you are in ten seconds.
- In the third, a clear ask — a 15-minute conversation.
- “Even if nothing comes of it” lowers the pressure and raises the reply rate.
- Delete every sentence that reads like a template.
Follow-up strategy
If no answer comes — don't give up, change something.
Silence is rarely a no. Most of the time it is a timing problem, so change the timing or change the channel.
- Day 0
First message
Personalise the template and send it.
- +7 days
A polite nudge
Two sentences. “I know you're busy — just floating this back up.”
- +14 days
A different channel
Find their email address, send the same content as an email.
- +30 days
Archive it
Write again in two months with a new reason.
A winning application strategy
Not 100 applications — 20 focused ones.
Twenty target companies, split into three tiers, each tier getting a different amount of your effort.
A-list: 5 companies
Your dream companies. A tailored CV, a cover letter and a referral for every single one.
B-list: 10 companies
A suitable position. Core CV plus a short cover letter.
C-list: 5 companies
Market warm-up and negotiation leverage. Standard CV.
Effort split60% of your total effort goes to the A-list, 30% to B, 10% to C.
One right application to an A-company is worth more than twenty C-applications.
List sizes and the effort split are the method taught in the Tech Kariyerim live session, not an external benchmark.
Application tracking
Every application is one row. Every row is one next action.
Five columns and one rule: no row is finished until it carries its next step.
| Company | Role | Status | Date | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company X | Senior BE | Interview · stage 3 | 14 Apr | System design · 22 Apr |
| Company Y | Staff BE | Offer expected | 12 Apr | Offer call · 19 Apr |
| Company Z | Tech Lead | CV sent | 10 Apr | Reminder · 17 Apr |
| Company W | Senior BE | Awaiting referral | 08 Apr | Message Mert · 15 Apr |
| Company V | Principal | Rejected | 05 Apr | — |
Illustrative rows from the Tech Kariyerim live session, slide 52.
RuleNotion, Google Sheet, Airtable — it makes no difference. Open it every Sunday, look at every row, update the next step.
You cannot track this in your head. An application that isn't on the list doesn't exist.
Go deeper
Free resources for this chapter
LinkedIn & networking
LinkedIn Profile Optimization
Headline to featured section — make your profile findable and convincing.
Open in Notion (opens in a new tab)LinkedIn & networkingLinkedIn Networking Examples
Real outreach examples that get replies — connection notes, follow-ups and asks.
Open in Notion (opens in a new tab)LinkedIn & networkingNetworking Message Templates (English)
Copy-ready English templates for cold outreach, referral asks and thank-yous.
Open in Notion (opens in a new tab)LinkedIn & networkingNetworking Message Templates (Turkish)
The same battle-tested outreach templates, written natively in Turkish.
Open in Notion (opens in a new tab)Career growthSalary Negotiation Strategies
Scripts and strategies for the money conversation — before and after the offer.
Open in Notion (opens in a new tab)Career growth9 Steps to Your New Job
The whole journey condensed into nine concrete, ordered steps.
Open in Notion (opens in a new tab)Career growthPortfolio & Proof of Work Guide
Show, don't tell: building a portfolio that proves you can do the job.
Open in Notion (opens in a new tab)Career growth30-60-90 Day Plan
Start your new role with a plan — win your first three months.
Open in Notion (opens in a new tab)Career growth2026 Tech Careers Report
Where tech careers are heading in 2026 — roles, skills and market signals.
Open in Notion (opens in a new tab)tech-kariyerim.com
Don't grow your career alone
Join the tech career community — free guides, live webinars, real feedback and people rooting for you.
Meanwhile, start with the free resources