The 2-hour job search: key takeaways from Steve Dalton’s Imperial masterclass
Job searching is as exciting as it can be draining, and securing interviews is harder when AI tools make the number of applications soar. Earlier this month, Imperial Business School had the privilege of hosting an exclusive masterclass with US Author Steve Dalton, offering MBA students an exact process – rather than a series of tips – for effectively turning strangers into advocates, leading to more internal referrals and more job interviews, even when career-changing.
Steve Dalton is a reference in the careers world and bestselling author of The 2-hour Job Search (2012, 2020) and The Job Closer (2021), a collection of ultra-specific and time-saving frameworks for acing resumes, interviews and negotiations.
For over a decade, Steve Dalton fine tuned the 2-hour job search recipe drawing upon his careers consulting experience and the latest science ranging from behavioural economics to operations theory to social psychology to split networking into its three component parts: prioritising employers, contacting employees, and convincing advocates.
These are the 3 steps recommended in order to boost your job search:
STEP 1: Prioritise employers
An effective process to help you figure out what’s important to you and identify your top 6 employers to contact and engage with.
- Use the Pareto Principle or 80/20 rule to find 40 custom targets followed by 3 predictive data points (familiarity, motivation and urgency)
- Apply an assembly line process (complete the table vertically) for efficiency and focus on no more than 3 sectors
- Anchor your list with data, then bring your intuition in as you sense check it.
STEP 2: Contact employees
A step-by-step guide to secure information interviews with your top 6 employers and get comfortable requesting time and knowledge from strangers.
- Prioritise functional relevance when choosing contacts
- Follow the 6-point email rules (brief, human, subtle, direct, egoless and sincere)
- It’s a numbers game to find the boosters (the Gold Standard that make networking worthwhile) out of the three types of contacts you’ll encounter
STEP 3: Convince advocates
Understand the social norms that allow you to turn strangers into acquaintances, subject matter experts and potentially mentors.
- The focus is on being likable, not selling yourself
- Information interviews are journeys to earn human to human referrals; TIARA framework makes active listening easier
- Ask follow-up questions and unlock the power of networking follow-up
In good and bad economies alike, the single hardest step of the modern job search is getting an interview. Whether you just decided to look for your next career challenge at the start of 2026 or are looking for ways to refresh your job search strategy, Steve Dalton’s masterclass provides a structured, repeatable approach to turn networking into interviews.
Current students can access the recording until 15 February 2026
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The 2-hour job search: key takeaways from Steve Dalton’s Imperial masterclass
Job searching is as exciting as it can be draining, and securing interviews is harder when AI tools make the number of applications soar.
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