How to Find a Job: When There Are No Jobs (Book 1) a Necessary Job Search and Career Planning Guide for Today's Job Market (Find a Job Series) (9 page)

The larger and more enhanced your network becomes, the probability of securing a position with a company or organization that you desire becomes greater. It is important to remember that locating and securing a job is a calculated numbers game where the law of averages is always a factor for success. If you make contact with the proper hiring authorities within a select number of targeted companies, your chances of landing a position is high. Put into practice the motto of my Executive Search firm of “Quality versus Quantity,” and you will succeed in your job search.

Your Resume, a Personal Sales Tool

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s you begin your job search you must begin to realize and accept the fact that you will become a salesperson selling your most precious asset, yourself. Being thrust into the role of a salesperson especially if you are not trained as one may be a very frightening thought to most people. A resume simply stated is your personal sales and marketing tool, and the product or service you are selling is you. Because a resume is a tool, it will only help you if it is written and used properly.

When properly written, a resume can be a major asset contributing to the success of your job search by helping you to sell and market your skills to a prospective employer. I believe one’s resume should stress a person’s individuality and uniqueness in a format that is clear and easy to read. A few basic rules should apply for the proper creation and writing of your resume. Your resume should be relatively short, consisting of only one or two pages.

An exception may be made for a senior executive with many years of experience, and if needed may use a three-page resume format. However most employers are extremely busy and a resume that is longer than three pages may not be read in its entirety. Highlight your most important achievements and experience in a clear and precise format. A resume should be extremely well written, stating clearly the highlights of your career in the most concise manner possible. It may be wise to consider the purchase of a book such as “The New Perfect Resume” by Tom Jackson, which will instruct you in more detail on how to properly develop and write a resume. There are several dedicated computer programs and templates available on many word processing programs to assist you in the resume writing process. You might also consider hiring a professional resume service if you are unable to properly write or construct a resume.

I have read thousands of resumes as an executive recruiter. Those that are the most effective in terms of securing an interview are concise and well written coupled with proper layout and design. Resumes should be printed on a quality bond paper specifically made for resumes and printed using either a laser or letter quality printer. You may also want to consider having your resume typeset by a printer. However, this procedure is costly and may hamper your ability to make changes versus using a personal computer. Remember, a resume is a sales and marketing tool and a direct reflection of you on paper.  If your resume portrays a poor image of you, your chances of securing a personal interview are severely diminished.

Cover and Follow-up Letters

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cover letter is correspondence you send with your resume addressing the purpose of your inquiry for a job you are seeking. Your cover letter should be very specific, addressing your purpose for writing.  For example, if you are sending a resume to a company in response to an open position, your letter will need to be tailored specifically to that position.  Incorporate into your letter a part of the job ad coupled with information regarding your background and how you can benefit the company. Your letter should be very specific and relatively short in length without understating your potential benefits to the company. Further, indicate your interest in the company and the position and most importantly ask to establish a personal meeting.

If you are sending a resume and cover letter to a company and are unsure of an open position, you will need to take a different approach. Be as specific as possible regarding your area of interest. This form of cover letter should indicate the type of position you desire but will not contain as much detail, e.g., reference to the job ad, etc.

It is important that both types of cover letters identify the individual within management to whom you’re sending your resume. If you are seeking a sales position, it is imperative to identify the proper name and title of the individual in charge of sales. Remember, it is always a wise strategy to initially make contact with the most senior level individual possible within a company, e.g., President, Vice President or Director of Sales, etc.

The reason for making initial contact at the top of an organization is one of corporate hierarchy. When you make your follow-up call to the Vice President of Sales and the position you seek reports to a Regional Manager, you will have already introduced yourself to the Vice President, who is most likely a decision maker. He may indicate that he has forwarded your name to his Regional Manager. If this occurs, you should ask the Vice President of Sales if it is okay to indicate to his Regional Manager that you have spoken with him and he has suggested you speak with his Regional Manager. By asking the Vice President’s permission to indicate his referral, you have shown respect for him and the company structure. This approach gives you a great deal of credibility when you make contact with the Regional Manager.

It is important when identifying the names of each individual to whom you are sending a resume that you obtain the correct spelling of their names and exact titles. If an administrative assistant says she is not sure what his or her title is, tell her that you are sending a very important document to the individual and if it were not too much trouble, would she check with someone who may know this individual’s proper title. If the administrative assistant is too busy to check for you, kindly ask her who else you may be able to speak with that may be able to provide you with the information you seek. Always be friendly to these individuals as they are a vital link between you and the hiring manager. In addition, if you secure an interview with that particular company, you may very well speak with that individual once again regarding the specifics of your meeting, including travel plans and itinerary.

It may at times seem like a very difficult task to locate specific names and titles of the individuals to whom you are sending a resume. Persistence and politeness is the key to obtaining names, titles and other pertinent information from company administrative assistants. Should you want to send your resume to a company and you need to determine a contact’s name and title, call the company’s main number and you will most likely be connected to the switchboard operator. Simply tell the operator that you have some correspondence that you need to send, for example to the Vice President of Sales, and that you need their name and title. Be prepared however, for your call to be switched to that particular department or directly to that individual’s administrative assistant. After being connected, confirm with the administrator that you have reached the sales department. Ask for this person’s help indicating that you have some correspondence you need to send directly to the Vice President of Sales and you would like that person’s name and title. The administrative assistant may ask you what type of information you want to send to this person. Indicate to him/her that you have an important company matter that you need to address with this individual and it is imperative that you send your correspondence directly to them. Let the administrator know that you will plan on following up your letter with a telephone call. Most administrative assistants will not ask any further questions after such a response, and provide you with the information you seek. It is important to be very professional and courteous when you ask for the administrator’s help. Most administrative assistants I have contacted will respond in a very positive way when addressed in this manner. You might also ask the administrator for your contact’s email address and direct telephone number.

If you don’t respond in this way and you indicate that you are sending a resume, the administrative assistant may tell you all resumes should be directed to the human resources department. Don’t Do It! Remember, human resource departments are one of the worst places you can send your resume to, unless you are seeking a position within this area of the company. 

A company’s website is one of the most valuable resources for obtaining the names, titles and other key contact information such as telephone numbers and email addresses for many corporate officers and managers. If you are unable to obtain the contact information you seek from any of these sources, consider calling the company’s customer service department.

Follow-up Letters

Follow-up letters should be written after each personal interview and most important telephone conversations. All follow-up letters should be concise and most importantly businesslike. A common mistake many job seekers make is to assume that after an interview they personally know the individual they have interviewed with. Their follow-up letters resemble a style more appropriate for those addressed to a friend. Do not fall into this trap. Be friendly, but most importantly structure your correspondence in a professional business-like manner and always in a type written format.

After your first interview, if you feel this is a company you would like to work for, you may want to consider sending your follow-up letter via overnight mail. This form of correspondence has an impressive and immediate impact and clearly indicates to your perspective boss that you have a very sincere interest in working for their company. I was personally able to land my first job using this technique. You may also want to consider sending a formal letter that you compose as a word processing document and attach via email. Following up using regular email without an attached letter is only appropriate after a telephone conversation that is not considered an interview. Regular email without an attached letter should be avoided as a follow-up method after a personal interview as it can be perceived as an informal method of communication.

Interview Skills and Techniques

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n interview is the culmination of all your job search efforts. As previously discussed, before your interview, prepare yourself for the meeting by gathering as much information about the company and the individuals conducting the interview. The internet is an excellent tool for conducting research on most companies. Also, consider directly contacting the company and ask them to send you an annual report and any additional information about the firm including its employees, products, etc. Your chances of a successful interview increase proportionally with the amount and quality of information you obtain.

It always amazes me, when I follow-up with a candidate after their interview how accurate their intuition is. I always ask them the question, “How do you think the interview went and what does your intuition tell you?” In almost every instance the person’s response matches the thoughts and feeling of the prospective employer whether they are good, bad or indifferent. 

Very rarely does a candidate who has interviewed for a job say to me, “The interview went great. I had an excellent meeting and want to work for this company,” where the employer would respond by saying, “I’m sorry we are not interested.” In almost every case a candidate knows immediately after the interview how well or poorly the interview went.

It is very important to listen to the interviewer, but it is also essential to listen to your intuition during your meeting. If there is positive chemistry between the two parties, you and the interviewer will usually be aware of it within a few minutes into your interview. If positive chemistry does exist, use it to learn more about the company, the interviewer and the job. The more comfortable you and the interviewer are with each other, the more information you will receive from him. It is always wise to allow the interviewer to control the content, structure and pace of the interview. Utilize your intuition and the research you have conducted on the hiring authority to appropriately answer any questions posed during your interview. Further, during your meeting try to gather as much information as you can about the company, position, interviewer, etc. Remember, you are a salesperson selling yourself as a potential asset to this company. The company wants to know why they should hire you and what assets you may be able to offer them.

If during the interview, you sense through the interviewer’s body language or discussion, that the interview is over, stop asking questions. The interviewer may have another appointment and any additional questions you may have can be presented at another time. It is always important to be cognizant and respectful of the interviewer’s time and agenda by listening carefully to his words and reading his body language. 

Most employers are not professional interviewers. They simply want to hire the best person for the job. Because most hiring managers are not trained in the art of interviewing, you should be prepared for some very outmoded interviewing techniques and questions. A few of these common interview questions are as follows: “Where do you see yourself in five and ten years from now?” Many interviewers ask this question and expect a logical answer. Consider the fact that a five and ten year period is a very long time frame making it difficult to project an accurate sense of one’s future. However, managers not properly trained in interviewing technique continue to ask questions of this nature. Because such a question will inevitably be asked, you will need to be prepared to answer it. If you are asked what your goals are for five and ten years and you do not have a plan specific for those time periods, indicate to the interviewer that you have both long and short-term goals.

Regarding specific time periods, indicate that you have established a personal time frame of both a one-year goal achievement plan and a three-year plan. Let the interviewer know that you expect to achieve your one-year goal plan very soon and that you are constantly working towards achieving your three-year plan. Review your one-year plan with the interviewer and highlight your specific goals. Further, briefly explain your three-year goal plan.