In the age of online applications, LinkedIn profiles, and automated hiring portals, job hunting often feels like shouting into the void. You upload your CV, attach a cover letter, click submit, and hope that somewhere on the other side of the screen a real human being actually reads it. Sometimes they do. Often, they don’t. But there is a surprisingly effective alternative that many people seem to have forgotten: simply walking in and asking.
It sounds almost too simple to work. Slightly awkward, even. But sometimes the most uncomfortable option is also the most effective.
I learned this lesson when I got my first job.
When I was seventeen, I applied online to work at my local Barnes & Noble bookstore, the same one I had grown up going to. I spent so much time there as a kid that I already knew where each book was shelved and how to navigate the system. Naturally, it seemed like the perfect first job. So like everyone else, I submitted an online application and waited.
And waited.
Weeks passed. Then months. Nothing happened. My application had essentially disappeared into the digital abyss. Eventually, I decided that if the online route wasn’t working, I might as well try something else. I went into the store, introduced myself, and asked about my application. Then I did it again. And then again. By the third time, the staff knew who I was. Instead of brushing me off, they pulled me aside for what turned into a very unofficial interview right there in the store. Not long after, I was hired as a bookseller.
The difference was not my application. It was the fact that I showed up.
Fast forward to this year, my first semester at St Andrews. By late October, I realized that university life is significantly more enjoyable when you actually have spending money. So one random Thursday evening, I walked into Birdies and asked if they were hiring. No elaborate application portal. No waiting period. I spoke to the owner, left my number, and was asked when I could come in to work.
My current job happened in yet another way. I work as a Student Ambassador for Samsung UK, a position I almost did not apply for at all. I saw the opportunity in my student emails and decided to submit an application on a whim. To be honest, the application itself was not particularly strong. But the interview went well, especially when I mentioned my rather embarrassing secret Star Wars edit account that had amassed quite a lot of followers and likes, and that personal interaction ultimately made the difference.
Three jobs. Three completely different paths. But they all highlight the same reality:
Employers hire people, not just applications.
This is something that often gets lost in what we like to call the “digital age.” It’s easy to assume that hiring has become completely automated and impersonal, but the reality is that most employers are still human beings making decisions based on instinct as much as qualifications. Many of them also belong to generations that grew up with hiring processes built around face-to-face interaction. To them, meeting someone in person isn’t unusual. It’s normal. In fact, 74% of managers and business leaders reported in a survey that they find Gen Z more difficult to work with than other generations.
There is also a simple psychological factor involved. People are much more likely to hire someone they feel a connection with. And it’s very difficult to create that connection through an online form.
A digital application tells an employer that you want a job. That much is obvious. Everyone applying wants to get paid. But showing up in person communicates something slightly different: that you care enough to make the effort. It demonstrates initiative, confidence, and genuine interest in the position.
Even more importantly, employers can immediately see what kind of person you are. Within the first thirty seconds of meeting someone, people tend to pick up on things like attitude, manners, and presentation. Are you polite? Do you seem enthusiastic? Are you someone they could imagine working with every day? These qualities are incredibly valuable in a workplace, and they are almost impossible to communicate through a digital application.
A family friend (who I am loosely quoting) once put it to me very simply: in today’s world, if you are a young person who shows initiative, has good manners, treats people with respect, and can confidently make eye contact while speaking with adults or people in positions of authority, you’ll not only have a better chance of getting hired— you’ll get very far in life. Those qualities might seem basic, but they are increasingly rare, and employers notice them immediately.
But not every job allows you to simply walk through the door.
If you’re applying for positions out of state or out of the country, showing up in person may not be realistic. In those cases, the best thing you can do is replicate that personal connection in another way.
Take some time to research the company and identify the hiring manager or someone in a leadership role who has influence over hiring decisions.
After submitting your application, send them a thoughtful email introducing yourself. Mention that you recently applied and briefly express your enthusiasm for the role.
If possible, reference something you discovered during your research that creates a point of connection, whether that is attending the same university, participating in a similar sport or club, or admiring a project or piece of work they have done.
It may feel slightly intimidating at first, but reaching out directly helps transform you from just another name in an application portal into an actual person with initiative and genuine interest
The key idea is the same, whether you walk into a shop or send a carefully written email.
Hiring is still a human process.
Employers respond to enthusiasm, confidence, and genuine interest far more than they respond to perfectly formatted documents.
Online applications are still necessary in many situations, and they certainly have their place. But relying on them alone can sometimes mean missing opportunities to stand out. A brief conversation, whether in person or through direct contact, can transform you from “Applicant #42” into someone an employer actually remembers.
In other words, the most effective job-hunting strategy might not be hidden in a résumé template or an online portal.
Sometimes the best way to get a job is simply to ask.