Marketing your Resume
Marketing your Resume
Responding to advertised vacancies – through major daily and local newspapers, online career sites (such as Seek), professional or trade journals, recruitment firm web sites (use Seek to find a list of the major recruitment firms)
Directly approaching recruitment firms – asking them to consider you for opportunities for which you are suited
Directly approaching employers – asking them to consider you for career opportunities in their organisation
Using your network of contacts – friends, relatives, friends of friends, relatives of friends, friends of relatives and anyone else you know who knows someone else
Attending trade shows, conferences, conventions, seminars – use them to expand your contact with people who can point you in the right direction
Advertising yourself – using local and major newspapers, career web sites, resume distribution web sites or creating your own web site
Advertised Vacancies
When employers were limited to newspapers, magazines or professional journals in which to advertise, it was probably true that many or even most jobs were never advertised. The cost was high, the lead time for responses was often unacceptably long and it relied on candidates reading the publication when and as the job was advertised. Employers can now advertise more cost effectively using sites like Seek and leave their advertisement on the site for much longer to attract more potential candidates. They can also re-advertise at low cost if their first attempt does not draw out the candidates for which they are looking. This probably means that a higher proportion of vacancies are advertised now than in the pre-Seek days.
Therefore, applying for positions advertised in the papers and on the internet must be included in your job search strategy. If you apply for an advertised vacancy, make sure that you are submitting the best possible resume since competition is likely to be intense for the better jobs with the more desirable employers. And, include a cover letter that succinctly summarises what you have to offer in relation to the advertised requirements of the position. The cover letter is the place to focus the reader's attention on those attributes, skills, experience and achievements that are specific to the position advertised.
Some people complain that job advertisements do not disclose enough about the job and that it is difficult to interpret what the organisation is really looking for. I recommend calling the contact person nominated in the advertisement to ask them to clarify anything about which you are unclear. This simple act often helps establish you in the minds of the employer or recruiter and differentiates you from most candidates because a surprisingly low proportion actually take the time to call.
Many larger employers advertise vacancies on their company web sites. They may or may not also advertise in the press or through a portal such as Seek.
In a competitive environment, I recommend only applying for jobs where you match each of the criteria or requirements of the position to a high degree. There is no point applying for a job where you only meet 3 out of the 5 requirements or, where you meet all the requirements, but only to a marginal degree. There will usually be plenty of candidates who meet all the requirements fully.
This applies to most jobs where the competition is high. However, if you are confident that there is a shortage of candidates for a particular professional or occupation, then you may be successful if you don't fully meet all the requirements.
If the advertisement specifies a deadline, there is no value in getting your response in the day after it was advertised in the belief that it somehow makes you seem enthusiastic. It can also make you look desperate! The employer or recruitment firm will probably not consider applications until after the closing date and review all candidates at once. Take the time to research the company (if the advertisement specifies it) and the industry and to make sure your resume and letter are as effective as they can be.
If the advertisement does not indicate a deadline, call the contact person to ask when applications must be received. If you get the response: "As soon as you can", you have your answer. This means that you should always have an up to date resume to hand. There is no point in sending out a rushed attempt if you are applying for a rare opportunity in an excellent firm.
Some people have asked me whether all jobs, particularly those advertised by recruitment firms in newspapers actually exist. If a company is going to spend thousands of dollars advertising, then the chances are high that there really is a job. Some people believe that some jobs are advertised by recruitment firms simply to attract a pool of candidates that they can promote to their clients or to fill the space that they probably already pay the newspapers to allocate, whether they use it or not. Or, some people believe it could be used a way of promoting the name of the recruitment firm. This practice may have been prevalent in times when good candidates were in short supply. However, as employers and recruitment firms tend to be inundated with applications for most roles, this practice does not seem to be necessary.
Recruitment Firms
I hear many different opinions about the value actually added by recruitment firms, the calibre and experience of their staff and the ethics underlying some of their practices. While the criticisms could be entirely valid, there is little individual candidates can do about an industry that has become increasingly important in the recruitment process. It is therefore perhaps wise to try to understand the industry rather than criticise the faults that we can't address.
Many organisations have outsourced the task of culling applications, conducting preliminary interviews with candidates, preparing candidate reports, conducting reference checks on candidates and coordinating psychometric testing to recruitment firms. As a result, the number of new recruitment firms has proliferated in recent times as individuals see the industry as a business opportunity and many established firms have expanded to capitalise on the growing opportunities.
I am often asked to recommend certain firms and whether it is possible to accurately determine which are the better firms. Is bigger best or is it better to deal with boutique firms that specialise in certain industries or occupational categories? Because there are few independent or external controls over the industry and it is still seems to be growing, there has yet to be a shake out. This means that market forces are yet to achieve a consolidation of the industry and impose sanctions on those who are not adding value.
You will find enormous variability between the capabilities, skills and approaches of individuals within firms and between firms. In addition, because staff turnover in the industry is high, the person you dealt with in one firm six months or a year ago is likely to have left the firm to join a competitor or has established their own boutique firm or has left the industry.
The best advice is to initially use as many as you can, develop strong relationships with the recruitment consultants who return your calls and treat it as a numbers game. Just because a firm is large no guarantee of the calibre of the consultant handling roles in your field or industry. Just because a firm is small provides no guarantee that you will get personalised consideration and a higher share of the consultant's attention.
Large recruitment firms will typically have a client base that includes many large organisations. And, many large organisations use large recruitment firms because of their capability of handling all their recruitment needs across all occupational categories. However, large employers will also engage boutique firms that have a established a niche in certain industries or professions. Not only that, many employers will not use the one recruitment firm exclusively for the same position in a similar way that many home owners might list their property for sale with several agents.
Remember that recruitment firms are usually paid when the position is filled. They work for the employer. Given that many employers do not exclusively retain a single firm to fill a role, there is intense competition between firms and an intensity to find the right candidates. Many recruitment consultants do not always have a long term view. Their financial rewards are based on achieving short term outcomes. Therefore, many do not see candidates as potential clients and many do not always see the value of treating candidates particularly well. Many also do not see that having a pool of high calibre candidates who are happy with the way they are treated can make their lives easier when the next opportunity to fill a role arises. Some do. They are the ones with which you want to establish a strong relationship.
Based on all of the above, I recommend e-mailing a covering letter and your resume to all the recruitment consultants you can find (using Seek as a source of information). Once you have developed your e-mailing list, phone each firm to establish the name, e-mail address and direct and/or mobile phone number (if possible) of the recruitment consultant who handles the type of roles in which you are interested or the industries in which you want to work.
Larger firms may specialise along industry or occupational lines or a matrix along both dimensions. Therefore, if you are interested in a senior marketing management role in the pharmaceuticals manufacturing sector, then ask the receptionist for the details of the consultants who handle that type and level of role in that sector. If you are interested in a systems administration role, but don’t care about the industry, ask for the details of all consultants dealing with systems administration roles.
Smaller firms may not specialise and you should ask whether the firm deals with the occupational categories, professions, levels or industries in which you are interested. Some smaller firms specialise in certain industries, professions of levels. Their web site usually indicates their areas of specialisation.
Develop and maintain a database of recruitment firms to which you have written so that you can track your campaign and monitor the results. This will help establish the firms that you believe are doing the best job for you.
Your cover letter should clearly indicate the types and nature of the roles in which you are interested. Recruitment consultants are not able to help you if you are not sure what you want. It should ask them to consider you for opportunities that may arise in the industry or profession at the level at which you want to work. The more precise you are, the more likely they will be able to help.
Your resume should position you for the types of roles in which you are interested. Find some roles on Seek that are a reasonable fit for the roles you want and make sure that your resume and covering letter addresses the requirements or specifications of that type of role.
A few days after sending your cover letter and resume, call each consultant and ask for a meeting to discuss the potential opportunities and what you have to offer their clients. You need to develop a sales "script" because you are essentially embarking on a telemarketing campaign. Recruitment consultants don’t really mind this approach since they often call prospective clients asking for a meeting to discuss their services. The call should be tight, short, to the point and you need to be quite assertive and persistent. Practising your approach with people you know could be a useful exercise. Like telemarketing, you should not be disappointed if you don't get meeting in every case. However, as that well known advertisement said: "If you never never go, you'll never never know."
Employers
Many larger employers have a sophisticated and systematic process for handling unsolicited approaches. They realise that good people are hard to find and retain and that they should not simply file them away. Good employers are always looking for good people.
Although it can be a hit and miss strategy because you don't know whether there are any opportunities, if you don't try you could miss out. I know of several instances where people have actually had roles created for them because they were so impressive that the employer did not want to risk the person joining a competitor. There are many examples of people who happen to write at the right time and there are numerous examples of people getting called weeks or months later.
Create a list of organisations that you want to work with. You could start with the industries or sectors to identify the companies in those sectors and cull the ones you don't want to approach. You should probably research the company and the industry in which they operate and search for recent news items and reports of events relevant to the organisation. This many help you determine whether they could have a need for your skills and experience. The internet ensures that there is no excuse for not being reasonably well informed about an organisation's activities and events occurring in its industry. Reviewing financial reports and analysts' opinions about the company or its industry can also help you decide if you want to work in that industry or whether the organisation seems to have a good future.
This process is also useful in eliminating organisations from your list – if the organisation has recently downsized its workforce in your occupational group or is about to close part of its operations in which you would be working or is about to pull out of the market, it's probably not a good idea to approach them about a job!
Call the organisation's human resources department or a personal assistant in the area in which you want to work to establish the name, e-mail address and phone number of the appropriate person. It is best to directly address the person heading up the area of the organisation in which you want to work. Although it is likely that your e-mail could be forwarded to the human resources area, e-mails could be more likely to be read than letters enclosed in envelopes.
Following up your resume with an employer is similar to approaching recruitment consultants, except that you may need to be a little less assertive. You might be dealing with human resources professionals or line managers from areas who are not used to an assertive approach and may perceive your approach as too aggressive. However, if you are already in sales and ask the Sales Manager for a meeting, it's a good test of your skills!
Networks
Hands up if you have (a) ever been associated with a network marketing organisation or (b) if you have ever been approached to join a network marketing organisation or (c) if you know someone in categories (a) or (b).
You should all have your hands up.
If you have been involved in network marketing of any sort, you will know that one of the first tasks your sponsor will ask you to complete is to create a list of 100 or 200 or more people you know.
In the case of network marketing you are generally asked to approach everyone on the list to see if they need the product or want to make some extra money working part time in the guise of helping you. This psychology works extremely well. Are you more likely to get a yes from someone you know than a stranger?
The same principle applies to your job search strategy. Far too few people take advantage of the fact that people want to help you and they will try to do so if you ask. If pride prevents you from adopting this strategy, swallow it. If you think you are imposing on your friends and acquaintances, think again.
Make a list of people you work or have worked with or with whom you have been associated with in a professional capacity – include current trusted colleagues, former colleagues employers, members of your business or professional association and any one you do or have done business with.
Make a second list of everyone you know who provides you with some form of professional service – solicitors, accountants, medical professionals, insurance brokers, investment advisors, financial planners, bank managers, clergy, psychologists, career counsellors, faith healers.
Make a third list of people in neither of the above categories who are relatives, friends, acquaintances, teachers, former teachers and people you don't even like but put up with because your other half likes them.
Each of these people has their own network of contacts, associates, acquaintances, relatives and friends.
To successfully use your network, make sure that everyone knows that you are in the market, that they know what types of opportunities interest you and that they get a copy of your resume. You should create opportunities to meet as many as you can over several weeks. I recommend a structured and systematic approach where you aim to meet with 5 – 10 people a week.
Don't just wait for opportunities to naturally occur – you might only see some people once a year and they could be your best source of a referral – make the opportunity happen.
You don’t know everyone they know and you don't know what they know. However, if they know that you are interested in a career change and would like their help, chances are you will get it. There is no need to be pushy or put pressure on people. Simply letting them know that you are available and that you would appreciate any information about any opportunities they hear about is enough. "If you know someone who might be looking for someone with my background or if you hear about an opportunity relevant to my experience, could you let me know?"
Bring the issue up in conversation – most conversations give some air time to job and careers issues anyway since they are a natural topic for discussion – you can then let them know that you are considering a career change or looking for a new job or need to find a new job, depending on how well you know them. They will often ask you for a copy of your resume. E-mail it to them so they can send it on if the opportunity arises.
A client of mine used this approach and a week later got a call from an associate who said: "After we had coffee the other day, I sent your resume to this guy I know quite well who works in company x. He happened to mention on the week-end that the person they selected to take over the plant has left suddenly to take up another opportunity with his old company back in the UK. They are in the lurch now and don't want to go through the whole process again. I mentioned you could be interested in at least talking to them and took the liberty of sending your resume. Hope you don't mind."
She didn't mind at all! The point is that there would have been no way that she would have even known about the opportunity had she not let the person in her network know that she was in the market and what her career interests were. This is not an isolated instance.
The success that this approach brings is astounding. I know numerous people who happened to be talking to someone and let them know that they were in the market and then who happened to be invited to an interview a week or so later. It's also astounding that not everyone uses this approach.
If you think that there is no way to get to the right people, remember the concept of the six degrees of separation, whereby everyone is connected to somebody else and whoever you want to reach is only six people away from the person you initially contact. Find people who can direct you to others. It's not difficult to connect when you consider that you may only have to go through six or so contacts to get to the person you want.
Trade Shows, Conferences, Exhibitions, Conventions, Seminars
This is probably an extension of your immediate network. Every event you attend is an opportunity. If you are not a member of a trade or professional organisation covering your industry or profession, join. If you are in the market or think you might soon be, attend every conference, convention, trade show, exhibition or other event you can. If you can secure a speaking opportunity at a conference or convention, all the better.
At these events you can meet people who have the contacts needed to advance your career. Make sure you exchange business cards. Let people know you are in the job market. Most people will understand your situation since they have probably been in your situation or someone they know will have been. Everyone is a prospective source of opportunities or knows someone who is. Ask if they would mind if you sent them your resume.
When you return to work, send a courtesy e-mail and attach your resume…just in case.
Direct Advertising
Some people I know have found success by placing advertisements in newspapers, whether they are capital city dailies, regional papers or local papers. You need to be a bit creative or find someone creative with good writing skills to help you. There is no point in wasting money on an advertisement that is not as professionally prepared as the best of the job advertisements you find in a newspaper. Because not many people use this method, the payoff could be substantial. However, the risk is that the person you want to see the advertisement did not read that section of the paper that day. Nonetheless, someone they know may have pointed it out to them.
Whatever you do, don't make your advertisement corny or try to be too clever or humorous unless you are clever and humorous. Using an outrageous approach or pretending to be a advertising copywriter when that's not your gig can be a fatal error.
You can also publish your resume on sites such as Seek at no cost. Many employers and recruitment consultants regularly scan the Seek database to identify talent and many people receive invitations to interviews every day using this method. Make sure your resume is in the best possible shape before publishing it as it is an advertisement for what you have to offer an employer.
Bottom line: use several methods. Using only one method or perhaps two is a bit like a tennis player limited to using their serve and forehand drive and hoping to win a tournament. They are certainly both necessary, but without the backhand, the volley, the lob and the smash at their disposal their game will always be inadequate. The more methods you use, the higher the probability that you will get results.
Marketing your Resume - To learn more about this author, visit Tom Hannemann's Website.
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The main avenues for marketing your resume are:
Responding to advertised vacancies – through major daily and local newspapers, online career sites (such as Seek), professional or trade journals, recruitment firm web sites (use Seek to find a list of the major recruitment firms)
Directly approaching recruitment firms – asking them to consider you for opportunities for which you are suited
Directly approaching employers – asking them to consider you for career opportunities in their organisation
Using your network of contacts – friends, relatives, friends of friends, relatives of friends, friends of relatives and anyone else you know who knows someone else
Attending trade shows, conferences, conventions, seminars – use them to expand your contact with people who can point you in the right direction
Advertising yourself – using local and major newspapers, career web sites, resume distribution web sites or creating your own web site
Advertised Vacancies
When employers were limited to newspapers, magazines or professional journals in which to advertise, it was probably true that many or even most jobs were never advertised. The cost was high, the lead time for responses was often unacceptably long and it relied on candidates reading the publication when and as the job was advertised. Employers can now advertise more cost effectively using sites like Seek and leave their advertisement on the site for much longer to attract more potential candidates. They can also re-advertise at low cost if their first attempt does not draw out the candidates for which they are looking. This probably means that a higher proportion of vacancies are advertised now than in the pre-Seek days.
Therefore, applying for positions advertised in the papers and on the internet must be included in your job search strategy. If you apply for an advertised vacancy, make sure that you are submitting the best possible resume since competition is likely to be intense for the better jobs with the more desirable employers. And, include a cover letter that succinctly summarises what you have to offer in relation to the advertised requirements of the position. The cover letter is the place to focus the reader's attention on those attributes, skills, experience and achievements that are specific to the position advertised.
Some people complain that job advertisements do not disclose enough about the job and that it is difficult to interpret what the organisation is really looking for. I recommend calling the contact person nominated in the advertisement to ask them to clarify anything about which you are unclear. This simple act often helps establish you in the minds of the employer or recruiter and differentiates you from most candidates because a surprisingly low proportion actually take the time to call.
Many larger employers advertise vacancies on their company web sites. They may or may not also advertise in the press or through a portal such as Seek.
In a competitive environment, I recommend only applying for jobs where you match each of the criteria or requirements of the position to a high degree. There is no point applying for a job where you only meet 3 out of the 5 requirements or, where you meet all the requirements, but only to a marginal degree. There will usually be plenty of candidates who meet all the requirements fully.
This applies to most jobs where the competition is high. However, if you are confident that there is a shortage of candidates for a particular professional or occupation, then you may be successful if you don't fully meet all the requirements.
If the advertisement specifies a deadline, there is no value in getting your response in the day after it was advertised in the belief that it somehow makes you seem enthusiastic. It can also make you look desperate! The employer or recruitment firm will probably not consider applications until after the closing date and review all candidates at once. Take the time to research the company (if the advertisement specifies it) and the industry and to make sure your resume and letter are as effective as they can be.
If the advertisement does not indicate a deadline, call the contact person to ask when applications must be received. If you get the response: "As soon as you can", you have your answer. This means that you should always have an up to date resume to hand. There is no point in sending out a rushed attempt if you are applying for a rare opportunity in an excellent firm.
Some people have asked me whether all jobs, particularly those advertised by recruitment firms in newspapers actually exist. If a company is going to spend thousands of dollars advertising, then the chances are high that there really is a job. Some people believe that some jobs are advertised by recruitment firms simply to attract a pool of candidates that they can promote to their clients or to fill the space that they probably already pay the newspapers to allocate, whether they use it or not. Or, some people believe it could be used a way of promoting the name of the recruitment firm. This practice may have been prevalent in times when good candidates were in short supply. However, as employers and recruitment firms tend to be inundated with applications for most roles, this practice does not seem to be necessary.
Recruitment Firms
I hear many different opinions about the value actually added by recruitment firms, the calibre and experience of their staff and the ethics underlying some of their practices. While the criticisms could be entirely valid, there is little individual candidates can do about an industry that has become increasingly important in the recruitment process. It is therefore perhaps wise to try to understand the industry rather than criticise the faults that we can't address.
Many organisations have outsourced the task of culling applications, conducting preliminary interviews with candidates, preparing candidate reports, conducting reference checks on candidates and coordinating psychometric testing to recruitment firms. As a result, the number of new recruitment firms has proliferated in recent times as individuals see the industry as a business opportunity and many established firms have expanded to capitalise on the growing opportunities.
I am often asked to recommend certain firms and whether it is possible to accurately determine which are the better firms. Is bigger best or is it better to deal with boutique firms that specialise in certain industries or occupational categories? Because there are few independent or external controls over the industry and it is still seems to be growing, there has yet to be a shake out. This means that market forces are yet to achieve a consolidation of the industry and impose sanctions on those who are not adding value.
You will find enormous variability between the capabilities, skills and approaches of individuals within firms and between firms. In addition, because staff turnover in the industry is high, the person you dealt with in one firm six months or a year ago is likely to have left the firm to join a competitor or has established their own boutique firm or has left the industry.
The best advice is to initially use as many as you can, develop strong relationships with the recruitment consultants who return your calls and treat it as a numbers game. Just because a firm is large no guarantee of the calibre of the consultant handling roles in your field or industry. Just because a firm is small provides no guarantee that you will get personalised consideration and a higher share of the consultant's attention.
Large recruitment firms will typically have a client base that includes many large organisations. And, many large organisations use large recruitment firms because of their capability of handling all their recruitment needs across all occupational categories. However, large employers will also engage boutique firms that have a established a niche in certain industries or professions. Not only that, many employers will not use the one recruitment firm exclusively for the same position in a similar way that many home owners might list their property for sale with several agents.
Remember that recruitment firms are usually paid when the position is filled. They work for the employer. Given that many employers do not exclusively retain a single firm to fill a role, there is intense competition between firms and an intensity to find the right candidates. Many recruitment consultants do not always have a long term view. Their financial rewards are based on achieving short term outcomes. Therefore, many do not see candidates as potential clients and many do not always see the value of treating candidates particularly well. Many also do not see that having a pool of high calibre candidates who are happy with the way they are treated can make their lives easier when the next opportunity to fill a role arises. Some do. They are the ones with which you want to establish a strong relationship.
Based on all of the above, I recommend e-mailing a covering letter and your resume to all the recruitment consultants you can find (using Seek as a source of information). Once you have developed your e-mailing list, phone each firm to establish the name, e-mail address and direct and/or mobile phone number (if possible) of the recruitment consultant who handles the type of roles in which you are interested or the industries in which you want to work.
Larger firms may specialise along industry or occupational lines or a matrix along both dimensions. Therefore, if you are interested in a senior marketing management role in the pharmaceuticals manufacturing sector, then ask the receptionist for the details of the consultants who handle that type and level of role in that sector. If you are interested in a systems administration role, but don’t care about the industry, ask for the details of all consultants dealing with systems administration roles.
Smaller firms may not specialise and you should ask whether the firm deals with the occupational categories, professions, levels or industries in which you are interested. Some smaller firms specialise in certain industries, professions of levels. Their web site usually indicates their areas of specialisation.
Develop and maintain a database of recruitment firms to which you have written so that you can track your campaign and monitor the results. This will help establish the firms that you believe are doing the best job for you.
Your cover letter should clearly indicate the types and nature of the roles in which you are interested. Recruitment consultants are not able to help you if you are not sure what you want. It should ask them to consider you for opportunities that may arise in the industry or profession at the level at which you want to work. The more precise you are, the more likely they will be able to help.
Your resume should position you for the types of roles in which you are interested. Find some roles on Seek that are a reasonable fit for the roles you want and make sure that your resume and covering letter addresses the requirements or specifications of that type of role.
A few days after sending your cover letter and resume, call each consultant and ask for a meeting to discuss the potential opportunities and what you have to offer their clients. You need to develop a sales "script" because you are essentially embarking on a telemarketing campaign. Recruitment consultants don’t really mind this approach since they often call prospective clients asking for a meeting to discuss their services. The call should be tight, short, to the point and you need to be quite assertive and persistent. Practising your approach with people you know could be a useful exercise. Like telemarketing, you should not be disappointed if you don't get meeting in every case. However, as that well known advertisement said: "If you never never go, you'll never never know."
Employers
Many larger employers have a sophisticated and systematic process for handling unsolicited approaches. They realise that good people are hard to find and retain and that they should not simply file them away. Good employers are always looking for good people.
Although it can be a hit and miss strategy because you don't know whether there are any opportunities, if you don't try you could miss out. I know of several instances where people have actually had roles created for them because they were so impressive that the employer did not want to risk the person joining a competitor. There are many examples of people who happen to write at the right time and there are numerous examples of people getting called weeks or months later.
Create a list of organisations that you want to work with. You could start with the industries or sectors to identify the companies in those sectors and cull the ones you don't want to approach. You should probably research the company and the industry in which they operate and search for recent news items and reports of events relevant to the organisation. This many help you determine whether they could have a need for your skills and experience. The internet ensures that there is no excuse for not being reasonably well informed about an organisation's activities and events occurring in its industry. Reviewing financial reports and analysts' opinions about the company or its industry can also help you decide if you want to work in that industry or whether the organisation seems to have a good future.
This process is also useful in eliminating organisations from your list – if the organisation has recently downsized its workforce in your occupational group or is about to close part of its operations in which you would be working or is about to pull out of the market, it's probably not a good idea to approach them about a job!
Call the organisation's human resources department or a personal assistant in the area in which you want to work to establish the name, e-mail address and phone number of the appropriate person. It is best to directly address the person heading up the area of the organisation in which you want to work. Although it is likely that your e-mail could be forwarded to the human resources area, e-mails could be more likely to be read than letters enclosed in envelopes.
Following up your resume with an employer is similar to approaching recruitment consultants, except that you may need to be a little less assertive. You might be dealing with human resources professionals or line managers from areas who are not used to an assertive approach and may perceive your approach as too aggressive. However, if you are already in sales and ask the Sales Manager for a meeting, it's a good test of your skills!
Networks
Hands up if you have (a) ever been associated with a network marketing organisation or (b) if you have ever been approached to join a network marketing organisation or (c) if you know someone in categories (a) or (b).
You should all have your hands up.
If you have been involved in network marketing of any sort, you will know that one of the first tasks your sponsor will ask you to complete is to create a list of 100 or 200 or more people you know.
In the case of network marketing you are generally asked to approach everyone on the list to see if they need the product or want to make some extra money working part time in the guise of helping you. This psychology works extremely well. Are you more likely to get a yes from someone you know than a stranger?
The same principle applies to your job search strategy. Far too few people take advantage of the fact that people want to help you and they will try to do so if you ask. If pride prevents you from adopting this strategy, swallow it. If you think you are imposing on your friends and acquaintances, think again.
Make a list of people you work or have worked with or with whom you have been associated with in a professional capacity – include current trusted colleagues, former colleagues employers, members of your business or professional association and any one you do or have done business with.
Make a second list of everyone you know who provides you with some form of professional service – solicitors, accountants, medical professionals, insurance brokers, investment advisors, financial planners, bank managers, clergy, psychologists, career counsellors, faith healers.
Make a third list of people in neither of the above categories who are relatives, friends, acquaintances, teachers, former teachers and people you don't even like but put up with because your other half likes them.
Each of these people has their own network of contacts, associates, acquaintances, relatives and friends.
To successfully use your network, make sure that everyone knows that you are in the market, that they know what types of opportunities interest you and that they get a copy of your resume. You should create opportunities to meet as many as you can over several weeks. I recommend a structured and systematic approach where you aim to meet with 5 – 10 people a week.
Don't just wait for opportunities to naturally occur – you might only see some people once a year and they could be your best source of a referral – make the opportunity happen.
You don’t know everyone they know and you don't know what they know. However, if they know that you are interested in a career change and would like their help, chances are you will get it. There is no need to be pushy or put pressure on people. Simply letting them know that you are available and that you would appreciate any information about any opportunities they hear about is enough. "If you know someone who might be looking for someone with my background or if you hear about an opportunity relevant to my experience, could you let me know?"
Bring the issue up in conversation – most conversations give some air time to job and careers issues anyway since they are a natural topic for discussion – you can then let them know that you are considering a career change or looking for a new job or need to find a new job, depending on how well you know them. They will often ask you for a copy of your resume. E-mail it to them so they can send it on if the opportunity arises.
A client of mine used this approach and a week later got a call from an associate who said: "After we had coffee the other day, I sent your resume to this guy I know quite well who works in company x. He happened to mention on the week-end that the person they selected to take over the plant has left suddenly to take up another opportunity with his old company back in the UK. They are in the lurch now and don't want to go through the whole process again. I mentioned you could be interested in at least talking to them and took the liberty of sending your resume. Hope you don't mind."
She didn't mind at all! The point is that there would have been no way that she would have even known about the opportunity had she not let the person in her network know that she was in the market and what her career interests were. This is not an isolated instance.
The success that this approach brings is astounding. I know numerous people who happened to be talking to someone and let them know that they were in the market and then who happened to be invited to an interview a week or so later. It's also astounding that not everyone uses this approach.
If you think that there is no way to get to the right people, remember the concept of the six degrees of separation, whereby everyone is connected to somebody else and whoever you want to reach is only six people away from the person you initially contact. Find people who can direct you to others. It's not difficult to connect when you consider that you may only have to go through six or so contacts to get to the person you want.
Trade Shows, Conferences, Exhibitions, Conventions, Seminars
This is probably an extension of your immediate network. Every event you attend is an opportunity. If you are not a member of a trade or professional organisation covering your industry or profession, join. If you are in the market or think you might soon be, attend every conference, convention, trade show, exhibition or other event you can. If you can secure a speaking opportunity at a conference or convention, all the better.
At these events you can meet people who have the contacts needed to advance your career. Make sure you exchange business cards. Let people know you are in the job market. Most people will understand your situation since they have probably been in your situation or someone they know will have been. Everyone is a prospective source of opportunities or knows someone who is. Ask if they would mind if you sent them your resume.
When you return to work, send a courtesy e-mail and attach your resume…just in case.
Direct Advertising
Some people I know have found success by placing advertisements in newspapers, whether they are capital city dailies, regional papers or local papers. You need to be a bit creative or find someone creative with good writing skills to help you. There is no point in wasting money on an advertisement that is not as professionally prepared as the best of the job advertisements you find in a newspaper. Because not many people use this method, the payoff could be substantial. However, the risk is that the person you want to see the advertisement did not read that section of the paper that day. Nonetheless, someone they know may have pointed it out to them.
Whatever you do, don't make your advertisement corny or try to be too clever or humorous unless you are clever and humorous. Using an outrageous approach or pretending to be a advertising copywriter when that's not your gig can be a fatal error.
You can also publish your resume on sites such as Seek at no cost. Many employers and recruitment consultants regularly scan the Seek database to identify talent and many people receive invitations to interviews every day using this method. Make sure your resume is in the best possible shape before publishing it as it is an advertisement for what you have to offer an employer.
Bottom line: use several methods. Using only one method or perhaps two is a bit like a tennis player limited to using their serve and forehand drive and hoping to win a tournament. They are certainly both necessary, but without the backhand, the volley, the lob and the smash at their disposal their game will always be inadequate. The more methods you use, the higher the probability that you will get results.
Marketing your Resume - To learn more about this author, visit Tom Hannemann's Website.
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