August 2, 2025 - October Surprise 2016 - octobersurprise2016.org

Sales professional Julissa Machado landed a job within 30 days using personalized pitch decks.

Photo courtesy of Julissa Machado

Julissa Machado pivoted from recruiting to sales using creative job application tactics.
She used visual decks instead of cover letters, aligning with company branding guidelines.
This approach led to her hiring in a sales development role at a software company.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Julissa Machado, a 27-year-old sales development representative, based in Tampa, Florida. It’s been edited for length and clarity.

In 2024, when I decided to pivot my career from recruiting to sales, without any direct sales experience, I knew I’d have to get creative with my job applications to stand out.

Then I remembered a hack I learned while working in hiring. While working for a difficult manager who didn’t want to read through résumés, I came up with the idea of pitching him quality clients by making visual decks showcasing career highlights — and he liked it.

So, I decided to swap out my own cover letters for a deck.

I personalized every slide using each company’s colors, fonts, and logo, which I found on company websites under “branding guidelines.” I figured that if a recruiter saw my headshot next to their company’s logo and branding, it would psychologically signal that I aligned with them.

I got hired for a sales development role for a software company a month later. This is what I put on each slide.

Slide 1: Starts with my name.

Julissa Machado's name on a slide. — Julissa Machado

On the first slide, I put my name at the center, with the company I was applying to as the subhead.

Slide 2: Has a favorite quote.

I followed the first slide with a slide dedicated to a quote I love.

Slide 3: Lists my qualifications.

Julissa Machado lists four qualifications: Sales excellence, business development, Client relationship management, and technology proficiency — Julissa Machado

On the third slide, I spoke directly about how I matched the role’s responsibilities, requirements, and skills. For others, this might look like highlighting their experience using a certain technology or showcasing a certain skill using metrics.

Slide 4: Highlights some facts about myself.

Julissa Machado wrote about herself on the — Julissa Machado

Here, I highlighted the unique qualities that made me stand out in previous roles, such as being “client-focused” or an “eager learner.”

Slide 5: Showcases my big wins from previous jobs.

Julissa listed four major accomplishments from 2020 to 2024. — Julissa Machado

This is where I highlighted my biggest achievements. I like to think about it as a space to write about any time you saved time or earned money for a company.

Slide 6: Shares how I align with the company’s values.

A slide that has the company building on it with three areas where the job candidate and the company align. — Julissa Machado

This is where I spoke to my alignment with the company’s core values, which I typically found on the company’s career page or LinkedIn. I would also include a photo that was niche to the company, like its headquarters or a nice setup it had at a convention.

For this, I removed the background, wrapped the text around it, and made it look as integrated into the deck as possible. It’s a bit extra, but I’ve gotten some great feedback on that last slide.

Slide 7: Ends with a “thank you.”

The final slide is a simple “thank you.”

The only downside to making decks is that they will take more time to make than a traditional cover letter, but I still think it’s worth it. The job market is competitive, so what someone else won’t do is what others should capitalize on.

If you took a unique approach to your job search and would like to share your story, email the editor, Manseen Logan, at mlogan@businessinsider.com.

Read the original article on Business Insider

The post I got a job within 30 days by sending personalized slide decks in place of cover letters. See how I did it. first appeared on Capitol Riot – capitol-riot.com.