Guerrilla Job Hunting

Reject Rejection

Your response to a letter of rejection may, incredibly, get you the job, according to California-based James Adams, a career expert and former job-search consultant to the U.S. government.

 

"I was consulted by a woman who interviewed very well for a position, but still got a letter of rejection after applying. Most people would have torn up the letter and gone on to other things," says Adams.

 

Instead, Adams told her to write a gracious reply, thanking the company for their time and reaffirming her strong desire to work for them.

 

Did it work?

 

"The top contender for the position had to relocate on short notice. The hiring panel remembered the letter they got from the really eager and pleasant woman who replied to their rejection letter. She got the job," says Adams.

 

 

Action Step: Write a polite reply to every rejection notice you get. Thank the company for their time and restate your strong desire to work for them.

 

One more thing, I would suggest you include a final sentence requesting that the hiring manager(s) pass your name on to other fine companies who may be looking for talented employees.

 

Say something like this: “Because you saw enough value in my background to consider me for this position, would you be so kind as to pass my name and resume on to anyone you know who would benefit from my skills and experience? Thank you very much in advance!”

Compliments of David Perry and Kevin Donlin

Grab your Free Guerrilla Job Search Audio here.

Inspiring Careers: Martin Luther King

"If you can't fly, run.

If you can't run, walk.

If you can't walk, crawl.

But by all means, keep moving."

Today is the 46th anniversary of Martin Luther King's delivery of "I Have a Dream" at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. to 200,000 Civil rights Activists. Dr. King's speech gave hope and meaning to millions of Americans at a pivotal time in our history. 

Today's recession, pales in comparison to Dr.King's time but the daily reality for millions of Americans appears just as bleak.  I know it's very hard some days to keep moving - just keep moving in the direction of your goals one step at a time. 

So, to help you "keep moving" I'd like you to take a break from your job search to be inspired.  Honor Dr; King's memory by

• reading his Nobel Prize acceptance
  
• listen to this quick audio clip from his Drum Major Instinct sermon, or
  
• listen to his "I have dream" speech.

Martin Luther King lived for 39 years during which he logged more than six million miles, spoke on over 2500 occasions, became an icon for civil rights, was the youngest Time magazine Man of the Year (35), and won the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize.

Secrets to success

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure." - Colin Powell, Retired 2-Star General & Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff

Guerrilla Job Hunters ask themselves each morning, "What action can I take today to make my job search more effective?"  Need some inspiration?  Grab your Free CD of recession-proof Guerrilla Job Search tips right now!

Network Backwards

 

One client, Jeff R. from Prior Lake, Minnesota, hit pay dirt in February by networking among contacts most people would never consider calling. He contacted potential employers from his LAST job search – companies he had interviewed with but not accepted job offers from.

 

"I emailed a manager I had interviewed with two years ago, before my latest job. He had moved to a different part of the company, but he referred me to the right decision maker. That new person interviewed me and offered me a job," says Jeff.

 

Action Step: Don't forget to look both ways when you network -- forward and back, all the way back to your college career office and internships, no matter how long ago you graduated.

 

And … don’t stop with your last job search. Ask your spouse/significant other, friends, family, neighbors if they have contacts from their last job search you could talk to. You’re sure to find something. But you have to ask!

Compliments of David Perry and Kevin Donlin

Grab your Free Guerrilla Job Search Audio here.

Search In Niches

Everyone advises you to post your resume on leading sites like Monster.com and HotJobs.com. And there's nothing wrong with that -- my clients have been hired using both.

 

But don't forget the growing number of job postings found on niche Web sites that cater to specific industries, associations and other affinity groups.

 

This tactic worked for one of my clients Carla S., from Marshall, Minnesota.

 

"I interviewed for and got offered a great job this week after applying to openings on sites from my industry, like www.jobsinlogistics.com and www.careersinfood.com ," says Carla.

 

Action Step: Follow Carla's lead and focus your search on sites that appeal to a narrow audience. As a result, you'll likely find less competition for jobs that are closely matched to your qualifications.

 

Find niche job boards at sites like www.nicheboards.com and by doing searches for keywords ("YOUR INDUSTRY + jobs") at search engines like www.google.com, www.yahoo.com, www.teoma.com and www.kartoo.com.

 

Compliments of David Perry and Kevin Donlin

Grab your Free Guerrilla Job Search Audio here.

FREE: Job Search - Job Hunting Flowchart

For year I looked for a flowchart that outlined the sequence of steps in the job search process because – for  me at least – flowcharts help me keep on track visually.  I couldn’t find one so I developed this one in Visio to highlight the process presented in Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0.  

Here's how to organize and think about your job hunt as a process of steps, and take appropriate action based on where you are in the process.  Now I admit this isn’t as complicated as Six Sigma or a Business process Improvement diagram – but it’s a start.  Download a full-size copy by clicking here.

Let me know what you think.

FREE audio CD gets you hired, even in "The Great Recession of 2009." Grab your Free CD of our recession-proof Guerrilla Job Search tips ($50 value). Plus, get $200 in Extra Resources if you bought the book. http://www.gm4jh.com/

- David Perry, managing director of Perry-Martel International Inc, Co-author of "Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0"

" So, why us ? "

The "So Why Us" question should not be a complicated one to answer. Yet, day in and day out job seekers crash and burn on this very question.

In most cases the "So Why Us" question will likely be tossed in your direction
after the opening interview pleasantries have long faded. It's a question that
is typically asked by a hiring authority versus HR, unless of course the actual
hiring manager is in HR and you are applying for an HR position. Moreover, "So Why Us" is almost always asked after you have already confidently addressed a laundry list other questions.

What does the hiring manager want to hear ?

I hammer all of my candidates about the importance of "preparedness." Why would any job seeker go to possibly one of the most important encounters in their life and be completely ill-equipped?

Ah yes, these type of people truly do live among us ! Hopefully it will be your
competition and not you.

To the point though……here is an example on how to answer, "So Why Us ? "

Start by simply tossing out a few prominent facts about the company and finish it up by asking the hiring authority a question. (Don't forget to include a
genuine dose of enthusiasm here)

Here's a good example on how to tackle this question.

"I believe that ABC, Inc is an amazing success story !

“I just read in the Wall Street Journal that you've had 5 straight years of
double digit growth. I also read in your annual report that you were getting
ready to roll out a new line of products next quarter. When I learned of these
things, I jumped on the opportunity to apply for the position.”

“Could you tell me more about this division and the position we're discussing
today ?"

It's important that you ask that question at the end because you want the hiring authority to start telling you about the company and "selling you" on the
opportunity to work there.

In closing, referring to annual reports, newspaper articles, industry
newsletters about the company, or maybe an article written about the person you are intervening with, etc., is a rock-solid Guerilla stratagem because it shows you've done your homework.

In closing, if someone you know is out of work and would benefit from our FREE audio on How to Land a Job Even in the Recession of 2009 (a $ 50 value) simply send them to my link at: http://tinyurl.com/cpkwha Supplies are limited !

To learn about our 10 week guerilla job seeker boot camp, resume writing, or one-on-one consulting services, feel free to contact me at the guerillajobsearchcoach@comcast.net

Have a great day !

Mark J. Haluska

Publications:

• Recommended reading for Corporate Hiring Authorities: “Executive Recruiting for Leaders,” Insider Secrets for Locating, Evaluating and Retaining Top Talent by David Perry and Mark J. Haluska

• A Contributing Co-Author of the best selling book “Guerilla Marketing for Job Hunters,” 400 Unconventional Tips, Tricks and Tactics for Landing your Dream Job. Released in 2005

• A Contributing Co-Author of "Guerilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0," 1001 Unconventional Tips, Tricks and Tactics for Landing your Dream Job. Released June 2009

• The Guerilla Marketing series of books has sold over 20 million copies in 60 languages worldwide !

 

I'm not getting any response from recruiters after I contact them with my resume ! (Part 2)

 

* It could be the case that your resume and cover letter looks like everyone else’s. In a word boring. My time is limited and the only non-renewable resource I have. Therefore, like all the other executive search professionals I know in North America your resume has 30 seconds or less to impress me. If your resume and cover letter grab my attention, it would be because you’ve gone above and beyond what most job seekers do to clearly show me your value proposition. Doing so would prompt me to call you as soon as possible !

You asked about follow up and how. I would suggest you do so, and the phone should to the trick; but be mindful of the fact that the recruiter does not work for you as s/he is not on your payroll. Even if you feel justified in giving him/her a piece of your mind because of the time it has taken to reach that recruiter, be on your best behavior otherwise your resume will end up in the shredder before the phone conversation is over. Putting your best foot forward and making a call every couple of weeks, if just to leave a voice mail should eventually result in contact with the recruiter.

Your question does not hint at what your profession is, but I would suggest that you seek out a few recruiters who specialize in your field as they are most likely to be the people who may have something for you and if not, they may know another recruiter who does. If the recruiter belongs to a split network such as Top Echelon (www.topechelon.com) he/she will be highly motivated to share you with another recruiter because the fee would be split between them should you be hired.

One final suggestion is to use Google. Suppose you were in Human Resources. Simply go to the Google search bar and type in “recruiters who specialize in human resources.” That will result in 10,100,000 results. The above search string works for any profession.

Once you have checked out some of the firms who specialize in your area expertise reach out to some of them. Try one or two local ones first but don’t feel hesitant to talk with other firms hundreds or thousands of miles away. As long as they specialize in your field is all that matters.

Hopefully I have answered your questions. By following the advice I’ve “hinted” at herein, recruiters will get back with you.

Best of luck with your job search !

For information on corporate sponsored outplacement services, career coaching, resume assistance, the Guerrilla Job Seeker10 week boot camp, or if you would prefer personal one-on-one Guerilla job search assistance, contact me at: theguerillajobcoach@comcast.net or contact my office at 724-495-2733.

Mark J. Haluska
Founder and Executive Director of
Real Time NetWork
www.rtnetwork.net

• I’m a Contributing Co-Author of the best selling book, “Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters,” 400 Unconventional Tips, Tricks and Tactics for Landing your Dream Job. Released in 2005

• I’m also a Contributing Co-Author of "Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0," 1,001 Unconventional Tips, Tricks and Tactics for Landing your Dream Job. Released in June 2009

• I'm one of only 4 certified "Guerrilla Job Search Boot Camp" Instructors in North America

• Recommended reading for Corporate Hiring Authorities: “Executive Recruiting for Leaders,” Insider Secrets for Locating, Evaluating and Retaining Top Talent by David Perry and Mark J. Haluska 

 

 

 

Technology Tools for Job Seekers

Susan - The Career Goddess - has a great post on the tools to use in your job search  Using technology to boost your job search just makes good common sense. But which technology tools to use? With millions of websites and applications online to choose from, I have assembled some of my favorites (by no means a comprehensive list). In fact, I invite you to add your favs as well!

Harnessing the 80-20 Rule for Job Hunters: Opportunites

At the turn of the last century, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto created a mathematical formula to describe the unequal distribution of wealth in his country, observing that twenty percent of the people owned eighty percent of the wealth. 

Sounds like job huning in America today where you may have noted that - 20% of the people seem to have 80% of the luck when it comes to landing interviews. 

If you're not currently in the "Lucky 20%" here's how to get into that elite group - today.

Begin with clarity

                  - now your target job and the top 10-20 employers you want to work for (you will start seeing opportunities where before you saw none, just like buying a new car and seeing it all over the road)

As a job hunter you make your own luck when you have a plan that focuses on a targeted group of employers.  Know it! 

Fill your own Opportunity Pipeline on Purpose.

"Luck is great", as Tom Peter's said, "but it's so unpredictable". 

- David Perry, managing director of Perry-Martel International Inc, Co-author of "Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0"

5 Ways To Beat a Tough Job Market

Yes it can be tough out there right now BUT summers coming to a close and it's time to kick it into high gear because employers are making plans for their Fall hiring RIGHT NOW!

So click over to this Fortune Magazine piece and pick up some quick tips by me and several other brilliant people :-)

It's audio enhanced so turn on your speakers and click the photos to get extra advice.

Good luck.

David