Happy Monday!

Here's what nobody tells you about the job search: it's not about applying to more jobs. It's about being first.

The same role LinkedIn shows you 3-5 days from now is already sitting in a pile of 500 applications. Runway pulls jobs straight from company career sites the moment they post, so you see them first, when there are 15 applicants, not 500. 

Who sees the role and applies first is the whole game.

Below are today's freshest early-career roles. See all your matches here:

Here are today's fresh opportunities for Monday, July 20th:

Every applicant is fighting over the same posted jobs. But a lot of hiring never starts with a posting, someone reaches out, makes an impression, and a role gets created or they're first in line when one opens. Here's how to play that game.

Why this works

Companies are always thinking about hiring before they post. Budget conversations, a team getting stretched thin, someone about to leave. There's usually a window where a manager knows they'll need help but hasn't written a job description yet.

If you're in front of them during that window, you're not competing with 500 applicants. You're competing with nobody.

Pick 5-10 companies you actually care about

This only works if you're specific. Blasting 100 companies with "do you have any openings?" gets ignored.

Pick a short list you'd genuinely be excited to join. Follow them. Know what they do and what they've shipped recently. You want depth here, not volume.

Reach out to the person who'd manage you, not HR

HR handles posted roles. A team lead knows what their team actually needs.

Find the manager of the team you'd join on LinkedIn. That's your target.

The message that works

Don't ask "are you hiring?" That's a yes/no question and the default answer is no. Ask something that opens a conversation:

"Hi [Name], I'm a [year] at [school] focused on [field]. I've been following [company] since [specific thing], and I'd love to work on a team like yours someday. I know you may not have anything open right now, but would you be up for 10 minutes so I can hear how you think about building your team? Happy to work around your schedule."

You've asked for advice, not a job. That's a much easier yes. And now you're a real person to them, not a resume.

Then stay on their radar (lightly)

If the conversation goes well, don't disappear. Check in every 6-8 weeks with something short and useful, a note on their product news, a question, a "still very interested" nudge.

When a role opens, you want to be the name that comes to mind before the posting goes live.

Bring something to the table

The strongest version of this move: show up with work. If you're going after a marketing role, send a short teardown of their current strategy. Data role? Analyze something public about their space.

It's bold, and most people won't do it, which is exactly why it works. You go from "student asking for time" to "person who already started doing the job."

The honest expectations

Most of these won't convert. You'll get ignored a lot. That's fine, the cost is a few messages and the upside is a role nobody else was competing for.

Do this alongside normal applications, not instead of them.

The big idea

The best opportunities often aren't posted yet. Picking a short list of companies you care about, talking to the person who'd actually manage you, and staying on their radar puts you first in line when the need appears. It's slower than applying, but the competition is almost zero.

Do this today: Pick one company you'd love to work for. Find the manager of the team you'd want to join. Send the message. Even if nothing happens, you've started a relationship that costs you 5 minutes.

You got this!
-Ford from Runway

See you in your inbox tomorrow morning,

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