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Access to jobs

How to get access to companies and jobs without cold applying

Short answer: Employers, and startups in particular, fill many roles through people they trust: referrals and introductions from someone who has already checked the candidate. You get that access by building a trusted signal. Clearing the Satlights Job Readiness Assessment is one: we assess you in 30 minutes and, if you clear the bar, introduce you directly to relevant employers.

How employers actually find people

A small team cannot read a thousand applications for every opening. So they lean on signals they trust: a referral from an employee, an introduction from someone they know, or evidence that a candidate has already been checked by someone credible. Candidates with one of those signals get a conversation; the rest wait in a queue.

Ways to build that access

  • Referrals: reach out to engineers at companies you admire with a specific, short message about why you fit a role.
  • Visible work: open-source contributions, projects people use and clear write-ups make others willing to vouch for you.
  • Communities: meetups and technical communities are where many introductions start.
  • A trusted assessment: an independent assessment that employers trust does the vouching for you.

How Satlights introductions work

  1. Apply and book a 30-minute Job Readiness Assessment with a person.
  2. We assess you the way a hiring team would and write you a report.
  3. If you clear the bar (about 5% do), we introduce you directly to relevant employers.
  4. If you don't yet, you know exactly what to work on, and you can come back to be re-assessed.

Questions people ask

How do I get a referral without knowing anyone at the company?
Contact engineers who work there with a short, specific message about one role and why you fit, and show proof of your work. Or build a trusted signal, such as clearing an independent assessment employers rely on.
Do startups hire freshers?
Yes, when they can trust the candidate can do the work. Proof of real projects and an independent assessment make that trust easier to give.
What does Satlights do after I clear the assessment?
We introduce you directly to relevant employers, so you skip the cold application queue.

Updated 30 September 2026.