I tried every trick to stand out in my job search. A tip I found on Reddit was the only strategy that got me an offer.

• After graduating from Cornell Tech, Courtney Clapper started applying for jobs in 2025.

• He tried video cover letters, portfolios and more to stand out, but had no luck.

• A hack to Reddit helped him contact hiring managers and land the strategy leadership job.

This article, as told, is based on a conversation with Courtney Clapper, a 32-year-old strategy leader for a major retailer in New York. Edited for length and clarity.

I started my job search in the fall of 2025, a few months after I graduated from Cornell Tech with my MBA. I was applying for a variety of roles, such as product manager or digital strategist, and I knew the competition would be fierce tough job market.

From portfolios video cover lettersI tried all kinds of creative ways to stand out and show my personality, but it didn’t work. A simple, free AI tool that finds hiring managers’ emails got me multiple interviews and a job.

Video cover letters were a great start for me

My initial thought process when I entered the job market was to imagine myself as a recruiter faced with thousands of resumes filled with data and numbers.

I thought it would be in my best interest to give them an idea of ​​what makes me stand out: my personality. So I recorded myself reading my book Cover letters written by AII added a joke or two and added the video via a special YouTube link.

The video tells recruiters that I can speak and present well and gives them an idea of ​​who I am. This approach helped me get an idea. Interview at Microsoft. They specifically called out the video for making me feel like they already knew me, which I thought was pretty good feedback.

Still, I wanted to try a few different creative ideas.

Then I decided to do something more visual: a portfolio

My portfolio was in the form of a timeline. It included images of any professional endeavors that I thought might help me land a job, from the products I made and my time at Cornell to my pitch photos. My goal was to create something more visually interesting while showcasing my skills and personality.

I’d also heard of people getting jobs by making a slideshow about how they could improve the company, so I gave it a shot and it didn’t get me anywhere. None of these strategies were worth the time they required.

Redirects are also didn’t take me anywhere. I have a solid network and it wasn’t making a difference. Interestingly, I applied for many positions at Microsoft and the only position I was interviewed for was the one for which I was not recommended.

I came across a job finding trick on Reddit

I was reading comments on Reddit from people complaining about them. Struggles to find employmentand I’ve seen a few people say they’ve had 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 on reaching out. The idea of ​​emailing them seemed low risk, so I decided to try it.

I started by researching on LinkedIn to try 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 find hiring manager emails. I found it quite accurate and started contacting me with my resume and cover letter. This was a game changer.

Sweetgreen’s CEO responded to my email

My messages showed initiative and, honestly, probably made the hiring manager’s job easier. I reached out to three people directly and interviewed for two jobs.

I even emailed Sweetgreen’s CEO directly and he responded by contacting the hiring manager to schedule an interview.

One of my email contacts turned into my current job; strategy leadership role for a major retailer. This strategy made things more efficient because I already had a direct line of contact, so if there was a delay it was easy to follow up.

I have had no negative feedback about this and will do it again

I was wondering if anyone would mind if I found their emails, but no one said anything. They may find it creepy, but they may also find it resourceful.

If I were to return to the job market, this is how I would start: email strategy. The exercise of thinking through creative approaches like portfolios and video cover letters was fun and made me think about how I could most effectively present my personality, but ultimately communicating directly was the best way to be competitive.

Do you have a story to share about a unique job hunting tip? If so, please contact the reporter at tmartinelli@businessinsider.com.

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