THE JOB MARKET IS GREAT!
June 1st, 2007
I’m sure you keep hearing and reading this statement and you must be wondering why you don’t have a job - if it’s so GREAT! Take a moment to review your job search activities. Finding a job is a full-time job - if you are not employed. Are you dedicating 40 hours a week to your search? If not, that could be the one main factor that is holding you back from a great job.
Looking for a job is a SALES PROCESS. If you are not in the Sales Profession this can be very uncomfortable, but you need to force yourself to get out there. Each day you should send out 10 resumes to targeted companies while you are calling on the 10 resumes you sent out on the same day of the week - last week. You need to sound confident to get past the gatekeeper while showing respect to this person. Also send your resumes directly to the person who you have identified as the person who would be your next employer. They don’t get bombarded by resumes like the Human Resource Department. Handwrite your envelope, write PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL in the bottom left hand corner and you will start to get results.
You also need to attend any and all networking events as well as social events. You NEVER know where you could meet someone who has a connection that could help you in your job search. Have business cards printed up with your name and contact information and under your name put “Free Agent in the Open Job Market” as your title. Sound excited about the job search process, not desparate. People gravitate to individuals who are positive and this is extremely true when you are searching for a new opportunity.
Send a letter to everyone you know to see if they could provide you with a referral. Often, the person who you would never expect to help you knows a decision maker in one of your targeted companies. Which brings me to another topic - do you have a list of targeted companies? You can’t just answer ads and put your resume on the Internet. You need to target companies and get your resume in the hands of decision makers.
If you follow these instructions you will put new energy into your search and you will start to see results!
Barb Bruno, CPC, CTS