I am a Certified Professional Resume Writer and Career Coach who has worked with over 10,000 clients. I wanted to share 10 strategies on ways to land interviews. If you need any assistance, I may be reached at [email protected] or via 1-800-265-6901.
1. Know What You Want. Be sure you know what type of job you want. Many people are willing to accept any type of job, so they say. You will not be successful in a job search until you clearly know what you want. Consider these two conversations:
--“I don’t care what type of job I get. I just need a job, any job will do. I need to feed my family and keep my house. Whatever I land, I’ll be happy.”
--“I am searching for a Director or Vice President of Business-to-Business (B2B) Sales in the manufacturing, aerospace, or high-tech industry where I can generate millions of dollars in new sales each year.”
My question to you is this, “Which person do you think will be the most successful?” How can a job seeker with zero goals and no clear indication of the type of job he/she wants, really move forward and capture interviews?
2. Identify Your Target Industries and Companies. You must know what industries you want to work in; it’s absolutely critical for job search success. Your job search must always travel down a clearly defined path. People can’t point you in the right direction and connect you with other people if you can’t articulate your target industries and companies. Once you identify target industries, you must complete a list of companies. Share this list with other people to see if they have connections. There are many ways to identify target companies, such as the Internet, networking, Chamber of Commerce, Internet directories such as Yahoo, professional affiliation databases, and many other resources.
3. Research Companies. After you compile your list of target companies, you need to initiate your search. There are many ways to do this. Talk to people who work at the company or do business with the target company. Read about the company on the Internet. Read articles about the company through print publications. Do your research; it will pay off for you. Uncover, if possible, any “pain” they are having so you can position yourself as the solution. If you address their issues and present yourself as a solution, it will help you land interviews. Be sure to address your cover letter to specific hiring decision makers. It is easy to find out the name of the hiring decision maker (“your new manager”). Call the company or search the Internet to find this information.
4. Create a Blog. In today’s world, you need an Internet presence. You should really create and maintain a blog. This will help you be found by recruiters and human resources professionals. It will enable you to share your expertise with the world if you write and post articles. It will help brand you. There are many companies that can help you set up a new blog. Be absolutely sure the blog is about you and your career. Recruiters and hiring agents are not interested in pictures of your pets, learning about your children, seeing vacation pictures, and so forth.
5. Develop Your Own Website. A website can also be an integral part of your Internet presence. The website should only be focused on your career, and not your family or your personal interests. Be sure it is search engine-friendly, and is filled with significant keywords. Register it with search engines. Add your professional photograph. Make it sophisticated, and not cute.
6. Volunteer. This is a great way to gain more exposure, build your brand, and connect with other people who can introduce you to decision makers you need to meet. Get involved in professional associations, and volunteer for roles. Gain exposure to other members. Follow up meetings with brief phone calls or short e-mails. Get to know other people. Strategically build long-term relationships. Don’t force your resume on them and don’t come across as desperate for a job. Cultivate the relationships today which will help you support any future job searches. You want people to start approaching you about jobs, instead of you always needing to hunt for your next position. Create a “top of mind” approach to your professional career.
7. Write Articles. We live in an information-driven culture, and most people are ready for new information. This is a great avenue to showcase your knowledge. Write articles and post them on your blog and website. Take it a step further, and submit your articles to industry publications and relevant e-zines. When people realize you are a subject matter expert and read many of your articles, they will want to interview you.
8. Cold Calling. It sounds old-fashioned, but it should be an integral part of your job search strategy. It will make you memorable. Send follow up e-mails to people that helped you. You may not immediately reach the right person, but others in the company can become your advocate. Know what you want to say. If you need to leave a message, be sure to speak slowly and clearly. Be sure to state your name and telephone number very clearly. Repeat your phone number. If the person has to listen to the message over and over to try to understand your name or phone number, you probably won’t get a return call.
9. Stop By the Company. I read an article the other day written by a Human Resources Director. She said she would be mortified if a job seeker came to the office. I disagree vehemently. This is a great chance for you to meet people in person, have brief conversations, express your interest in the company, and begin a new relationship. Even if you need to start a relationship with the receptionist, that’s ok. At least you know an employee now. Guess what --- he/she also knows many people in the company. The conversation would be well worth your time. Be sure to follow up and thank people for their help. Why not give a single rose or a couple of flowers to the person that helped you, or a small Starbucks gift certificate? Make people feel appreciated, and they will help you!! A small gesture can go a long way to helping you.
10. Network Day In, Day Out! I wanted to save this for last, because you’ve heard about this topic dozens of times. I could write two books on this subject. So in summary, if you want a new job, you must get out in the business world and network. Read books on the subject and online articles. Just start talking to people you know and get them to introduce you to new people. Communicate what you want, and tell people how they can help you. That’s the very basics of networking. There is so much more I could cover. Don’t forget to prudently use linkedin.com and other social networking sites as part of your network strategy. Most importantly, focus on face-to-face networking.
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Posted by: Account Deleted | February 15, 2012 at 11:35 AM