How to Land an Interview in 60 Seconds: Highlights from Our Summer Talent Expo

Have you ever sent your résumé out through a site like Monster or Indeed, wondering not only if you'll get an interview, but it anyone will even look at it? The truth is, only 5% of job offers are made to people who applied through Internet job boards. More often than not, hiring managers, HR and talent managers, and recruiters will rely heavily on their interactions and referrals; preferring to find what they need organically before ever posting the job, because even the best job search sites and refined résumés are no substitute for meeting great talent in person.[bctt tweet="Only 5% of #joboffers come from applications on Internet job boards" username="StartupInst"]

Now imagine that, rather than sending countless résumés out into the cyber abyss, you get to stand in front of a room full of CEOs and hiring managers looking to grow their teams and tell them—in 60 seconds—why you'd make an exceptional hire.

What would you say?

[bctt tweet="Imagine you had 60 sec to pitch to a room of hiring managers. What would you say?" username="StartupInst"]

Our summer 2016 graduates seized this opportunity at our recent Talent Expo. Career changers who had spent the summer building skills in web development, web design, digital marketing, and sales and account management each took the stage to deliver a 60 second elevator pitch to the talent-hungry audience. They told stories of career transitions from teaching to marketing, and from the military into sales, and from civil engineering and electrical maintenance into web development. For employers who appreciate the value in diversity of thought and experiences, this pool of talent was truly stunning.

The Owl Award

Before the pitches began, we also took a moment to recognize some of the most inspiring members of our community. The Owl Award, for alumni who embody the pay-it-forward mentality and humility that the innovation sector thrives on, was awarded to Kaleigh Simmons, Tarikh Campbell, Stephen Wong, and Lucas Mosele. [bctt tweet="Thank you @kaleighsimmons @tarikhcampbell @wingchi @l_mosele for your generosity + humility" username="StartupInst"]

Student Choice Awards

Our Student Choice Awards, voted on by our graduating class, recognize the instructors whose outstanding teaching and mentorship made the greatest impact for them during the eight week immersive. Our winners were:

Web Development

Karl Hughes, CTO at The Graide Network
John Carmichael, Senior Software Engineer at WeSpire

Web Design

Alec Ortega, Front-End Engineer at HubSpot
Tom Benneche, Lead Web Developer at Umojo

Digital Marketing

Erin Sagin, PPC Evangelist at WordStream
Matthew Diehl, Director of Marketing at KoMarketing Associates

Sales & Account Management

Katya Siddall, VP and Head of Sales at Syndio

Core Curriculum

Amanda Lannert, CEO at Jellyvision, for her talk on startup culture

Endless gratitude to all of our alumni, instructors, and partners for making our knowledge-sharing community a true example of the rising tide lifting all boats. We're thrilled to see where each of our graduates end up and how they'll help to build the tech ecosystem, thanks to your generosity and support.

Check out some of the great moments from our summer Talent Expo with our Twitter highlight-reel.

[bctt tweet="Highlights from @StartupInst #SITalentExpo Summer 2016" via="no"]