When Silvio approached a company for a job, he was told there was only one position available. However, it wasn’t a full-time position nor even part-time job. It was on a casual basis. The HR manager said:
“Right now we can’t offer a lot. But we are the most prestigious law firm, and it’ll get your foot in the door.”
Get your foot in the door means that it’s an opportunity to start somewhere. You might start at the bottom or simply on a casual basis, but then you can work your way up to a better position.
This idiom is used particularly for opportunities at good or successful companies that later on might offer more rewarding positions.
So it would be rare that you’d say “get your foot in the door” when you start working at McDonald’s. However, getting a starting position at Google or KPMG or Pricewaterhousecoopers would be a way to get your foot in the door.
Another example:
A candidate who has their heart set on working for a particular company might say to themselves:
“If only I could find a way to get my foot in the door.”
Ways To Get Your Foot In The Door
It’s not easy these days, but there are ways to get your foot in the door at a particular company:
- Follow the company on social media to find out the latest on their products
- Contact the company’s HR department or key recruiters on LinkedIn, showing your interest and knowledge of the company
- Find out the name of the HR contacts, and send them your CV and application letter directly
- Network – build relationships in your industry with key personnel so that your application will be more a ‘warm approach’ than a ‘cold approach’
- Attend training events sponsored by the company
- Attend conferences within your industry and see if you can offer value to people in key positions
How have you got your foot in the door at a company or industry..?
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