By Alexander Nguyen, Tech Content Creator
So, you’ve been applying to a little over 100+ applications. You've customized your resume, written compelling cover letters, and sent them into the digital void of online career portals, mostly to hear nothing back. Then, one day, bam! A message hits your inbox that’s different. It’s from a director at a company you admire, and it says, "Hey, are you still interested in this role?"
Like any good opportunist, you take that chance.
This was my experience recently with a major tech corporation. I had an "internal champion," an Executive Director who saw my potential and wanted to bring me on board. The only problem? The part-time, foundational IT role we discussed didn't actually exist on their careers page. What followed was a masterclass in navigating a non-standard hiring process. Here are the lessons I learned that can help you when you find your own champion.
Lesson 1: Trust Your Champion’s Guidance, Even When It's Unconventional
After confirming my interest, my champion’s instructions were strange. He told me to go to the company's career portal and apply for a full-time "Windows Integration Engineer" position. This wasn't the part-time, foundational "Technical Consultant" role we had discussed. My first instinct was confusion; was this a mistake?
He quickly clarified: "The windows integration engineer. We will make that a part time position once we obtain your resume."
This was my first major lesson. Your champion knows their company's internal bureaucracy far better than you do. Sometimes, the only way to get a candidate into the HR system is to use an existing, approved job opening as a sort of "vehicle." My job wasn't to question the process, but to be flexible and trust that he had a plan. I applied for the "wrong" job, and it was exactly the right move.
The Takeaway: The path to the right opportunity isn't always linear. When a leader inside a company gives you specific, even unusual, instructions, follow them. They are navigating the internal system for you.
Lesson 2: Practice Professional Patience and Clear Communication
The process wasn't fast. Weeks went by. There were confusing messages from different recruiters and delays that required my champion to personally step in. During one update, he told me, "The process isn’t usually this difficult. I expect to have it resolved this week."
This is where your communication and patience are tested. My approach was to be persistent without being a pest.
When there were delays, my follow-up emails were brief, polite, and always expressed appreciation for his efforts. I let him know I was still interested and ready, but I never demanded an immediate answer.
When there was confusion, I communicated clearly. I received a request for an interview for a different role from another recruiter. Instead of getting frustrated, I sent a concise email to my champion: "I received a message about another interview for that role, but it's different from the job posting before. How should this be addressed?" He replied within minutes, "I just called [the other person]. Stand by – we are working through hiring part time work."
The Takeaway: Your champion is spending their own political and professional capital to create a role for you. Your job is to be their reliable, low-maintenance partner. Keep them informed of any issues, but trust them to handle the internal battles. Your patience and professionalism during this phase prove you are worth the effort.
Conclusion: People Hire People, Not Portals
After weeks of navigating these internal hurdles, I received the official offer. The company had created a new, part-time position just for me. This opportunity was never listed on a public careers page and would have been impossible to find through a standard application process.
It was a powerful reminder that the most valuable opportunities often come from building relationships. Finding an internal champion who believes in your potential can open doors that are invisible to everyone else. By trusting their guidance, communicating professionally, and having the patience to see the process through, you can turn a single connection into a career-defining role.
