Are Resumes Worth the Paper They Are Written On? (a.k.a. Somehow, Someway, You’d Better Get Connected Through a Human Being to Get That Job)
For those of you looking for jobs, I’m sure you’ll agree. There are numerous jobs listed at Monster, Craigslist, Indeed, and a score of other places. Finding the job isn’t the problem. Getting noticed… now that’s the problem.
Just how do you get your resume to stand out amongst the hundreds (yes, I mean hundreds) of others that are being sent for the same job opening.
Many would tell you a well written resume is important, but that’s not enough these days. There’s something even more important. Here is what’s even more important….
It’s absolutely crucial to have a people connection with the company in some way.
I’ll give you an example to show how that works. Nike is a big employer in the Portland area. It seems that almost everybody wants to work there. You can find the job openings on Nike’s website. It’s no secret what jobs are available. And there are quite a few jobs available even today. Getting their attention is a different story.
I have a client who really wanted to work at Nike, and kept applying to jobs online there. One after another, he got rejected for each job he applied to online. Then he changed his approach.
That’s when my client reached out to people he knew that worked at Nike. It turns out that he knew several people who worked there, and he had an informational interview with each one of them. In the interview, he had absolutely no agenda other than to talk to the people, and meet others. He definitely made it crystal clear he would love to work there.
In one of the informational interviews, he learned of a job that was about to be posted, one is which he was qualified for. He arranged an informational interview with the hiring manager for the position. He brought to the interview the very same resume that he had sent dozens of times to Nike for different positions. The only difference, this time it was delivered by a human being to a human being.
The job eventually got posted to their website, and Nike interviewed several other people for the job. But our client was the one that got hired. Why? Because his resume was more than a resume. There was a person behind the resume, and the people at Nike not only connected with his resume, but more importantly to him as a person.
It pointed out to me something that we all know intuitively. In today’s job market, a good resume isn’t enough. In fact, it isn’t going to cut it unless you get it to the open job not through email, but through your network.
Just how do you do that? LinkedIn is one of the best vehicles I have found to do that. If you don’t know somebody at the company, do a search in LinkedIn and see if you know somebody who knows somebody there. Once you find a connection, meet with that person even if they aren’t in the department you are interested in. Ask if they’d be willing to talk to the hiring manager on behalf of you.
That is the best way I know to get your resume paid attention to in this market. Work your network to find someone who knows someone there. When you just send it over the internet… the chances of your resume getting picked for an interview are miniscule unless you find the human connection with the company.
On another note… I’ve found the world’s best book for job hunters. (No, I’m not connected with the book at all. I just love it.) It’s called Guerilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0 by Jay Conrad Levinson and David E. Perry. It’s fantastic.
Go check it out at your local library, or buy it on Amazon. It’s really good, and will be worth your time. Levinson is a well know direct marketing guy who does a great job of interpreting his techniques to job hunting. Go get it. You’ll love it.
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Until next time, remember…
Have some fun with just being YOU!!!
Author:
Dave Dutton – Founder of stuckinarut.com – ‘Answering the question for all ages, ‘What do I want to be when I grow up.’
(Via Career Rocketeer – Career Search and Personal Branding Blog.)
You only look for a job a few times in your life. Compared with the amount of time you spend actually doing it, investing time and energy in an effective job search repays the effort many times over. Studies show that people who understand and do well at the job search process enjoy substantially more job satisfaction and higher earnings over the course of their careers.
Those who put extra effort into the job search can bring not just a more satisfying life but extra salary.
We are here to help. ItsNotYouItsYourResume.com has compiled an impressive list of contributors including writers from 10BiggestInterviewMistakes, 10BiggestResumeMistakes, MyOnlineCareerCoach and MyOnlineCareerSpace, who have written the following:
Job and Career Books:
101 Tips Every Job Seeker Should Know
Ultimate Online Job Search EBook
Top 10 Interview Mistakes
10 Biggest Resume Mistakes
November 5th, 2009 at 9:28 am
You know, I have to tell you, I really enjoy this blog and the insight from everyone who participates. I find it to be refreshing and very informative. I wish there were more blogs like it. Anyway, I felt it was about time I posted, I
November 5th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Thanks for the kind words on our book. We have a DVD coming out soon which we’ll be giving away to anyone who wants a copy FREE. In a few days yiou’ll find details at http://www.PutAmericaBackToWork.com
November 6th, 2009 at 4:17 am
Finding a good job can be pretty troublesome. Especially when you have high expectations.
Here are some tips that helped me land the job of my dreams:
* Plan out your CV, if you’ve never done a CV before, this is the time to learn.
* Take into consideration what skills do you have. You may have more choices if you consider additional job titles.
* Don’t neglect any source of jobs : internet, newspaper, radio and other media. Ask your friends that have similar jobs if there may be an opening in their company.
* You need to be proactive about this. Don’t just email them, make sure to call the HR department to have them confirm your resume.
Finding a job is pretty much a job in itself and it’s all about how well can you market your abilities.