What to Do If You Didn’t Go to a Top School (& Even If You Did!)

Often employers want to see top schools on resumes, especially in law. If you didn’t go to a Harvard or Stanford, how do you get ahead?  I liked the post by the VC/former Google exec Tejas Maniar on how to overcome the pedigree effect in Silicon Valley. His top points:

1. When looking for a job, reach out directly to people within the organization — yes, even if you don’t know them since “the usual process isn’t going to work for you.” You need to figure out whom to talk to, how to reach them, and why they should be interested in you instead of the “10 other people from Stanford dying to work for them.” Luckily, people in Silicon Valley are indeed reachable and responsive to well-tailored requests. Tejas himself got his job out here from Ohio by cold emailing the head of People Operations at Google!
2. Work harder than others. If you didn’t go to a good school, “you are like a generic brand” trying to compete with the known labels, so you have to hustle, prep harder, and show grit to get the job. He advises keeping that chip on your shoulder to sustain motivation and achievement over your career.
3. Get a mentor. Don’t be ashamed of your upbringing (it makes you unique, for one thing). Instead, find your voice, and find others who overcame challenges to help you.

And if you were lucky enough to go to a name-brand school? Don’t coast — you should also use hard work, charm, and guidance to achieve your goals. You have fewer excuses!