Guerrilla Job Hunting

#12 of 50 Ways to Find a Job Today

Press Kit

People make all kinds of claims about their skills and abilities when in fact they’re not true, so it’s little wonder that employers are naturally skeptical. So if you have won awards, have been quoted in the news, or have any other type of “proof” that your accomplishments really do exist, then build a portfolio and send it with your cover letter and resume. I’ve done this myself many times, first as a job-hunter and than later as a head-hunter in search of projects. A picture is worth a thousand words and an article, reference letter, or thank you note from a client, is worth a thousand more. 

♦ If you’re a student looking for your first real job, send a transcript of your marks. It probably doesn’t matter but it might, especially if you kept a high GPA and a part time job.

♦ Copies of articles and awards should be included

♦ Use Xeroxed copies; don’t send originals because you may never get them back

♦ In articles, highlight the part about you so they don’t need to search for it.

♦ Bring this with you to an interview as well because the individual items in the Press Kit make good talking points.

This is a perfectly logical idea and a natural extension of your resume.  For years architects and designers have been dragging around portfolios to sho prospective clients and employers.  Why not you?

Job Boards For Age 50+

Art Koff put together a list of job boards that target the over-50 crowd .

Retired Brains, Seniors 4 hire, Retiree Careers, Your Encore, Senior Job Bank, Senior Job Bank Links, Jobs For Retirees, Gray Hair Management, Senior Help Wanted, Seniors Jobs, Experience Works, The Retired Worker, National Council on Aging, State of California

Also:
1. Start at State of California
2. Select: Labor and Employment
3. Select: Targeted Services for Older Workers and Women
4. Reach numerous site links

Hat Tip: Sourcers Unleashed.

Canadian Headhunter

# 10 of 50 Ways To Find a Job

Call Human Resources

I know this sounds like heresy but there’s method in my madness. Call the personnel department of the companies on your target list. Ask their manager or recruiter what outside agency or third party recruiting firm they use. Why? For two strategic reasons, First, any personnel person will immediately ask why you want to know. To which you answer, “I’ve been to your web site and I understand that you’re not looking for someone with my skill set right now but the agency you use may be dealing with other firms who could use my skill set --- so I guess I’m looking for a recommendation from you.” After they get over the compliment they will likely ask you about your skill set etc., in which case you should tell them that, “I didn’t call you looking for a back door into your company but if you want to have a cup of coffee sometime I’d be happy to share my accomplishments with you.” If they push you be prepared to sell yourself shamelessly. Second, if they don’t press you for an interview, insist on knowing whom they use and why.

♦ Personnel Managers love saving money on fees, so they may try to hire you directly.

♦ Personnel Managers tend to group together by industry and make referrals to each other.

♦ Getting a referral from one of their customers will insure the agency treats you with kid gloves.

♦ Always ask for the name of a specific person and their direct dial number.

♦ Get permission to use the Personnel Manager’s name as a reference.

♦ Ask if they personally know of any other companies that could make appropriate use of your skills.

♦ Send them a thank you note with a copy of your resume to keep on file for their future requirements.

50 Ways To Find a Job

"Show me what you've got"

The most recent hire was hired because she sent me a beautifully hand designed booklet which contained the best samples of her design work. She didn’t just email me a link, or send a resume. The fact that she went over the top to design a hand made booklet was impressive. In fact, her experience on its own wouldn’t have gotten her the interview, much less the job. But the book did it!

Jill Tanenbaum, President, Jill Tanenbaum Graphic Design & Advertising, www.jtdesign.com 

What job-hunters can learn from peddlers on the beach?

How to be pleasantly persistent.

I just returned from vacation in theDominican Republic - great place. One of the most interesting aspects for me as a “social scientist” was watching the interaction between the sunbathers and the folks selling cigarettes, sunglasses and hair-braiding on the beech.

Every morning the same team of 5-6 people would go up and down the hotel’s 1000 yards of beach front asking people if they wanted to buy something. Newbies [those with alabaster white skin] would just wave them away automatically as they approached them – assured they couldn’t possibly want whatever they where selling. Sound like many employers when you approach them about a job or a ask for a networking event?

Unlike job-hunters who take the first “no thank you” and fade quickly into the scenery these professional understand that “no” means “not now”.  They said "thank you" with a smile and moved on to the next person.  BUT they would revisit the same people and inquire during the day if they had changed thier mind.  In fact, they where pleasantly persistent over a 3-5 day period and nearly always successful. Often, people actually expressed gratitude, because on that day what they where selling was exactly what the sunbather needed.

What’s the lesson? Most employers have a knee-jerk reaction to job-hunters, especially with some of the lame approaches they take to get in front of them. Job hunter - DO NOT take it personally.  The employer isn’t rejecting you.  They are rejecting your offer.  It's not about you, it's about your offer - your product  [the product just happens to be you].

For job hunters the product happens to be you. Just like the beach vendors though, success can be yours when you take a deep breath – re-package your wares [skills and experieince] and re-pitch.

As a professional headhunter I never know what kind of mood I’m going to catch someone in on the say I approach them, so when they say no – which is 99% of the time – I don’t strike them off my list forever, I repackage the candidate and represent them a day later. I always swish I was more articulate so this wouldn’t happen – but I’m not – so I’ve settled on being pleasantly persistent.

Pick up some pointers today.

RadioShack CEO Lied on Resume

Thinks he might have theology degree

Dave Edmondson's resume said he had a BSc in Psych and a degree in theology from Pacific Coast Baptist College in California.

Uh-oh. That school never offered degrees in psychology.

Like a true leader, Dave was defiant when caught. "I’ll just say this: If I were going to make stuff up, I probably would have found something a little more impressive to make up."

But he later apologized for "misstatements".

He still believes he got that theology degree but he just can't find the documents.

If this was his only problem, I'm sure he would get away with it. But he's also up for drunk driving and, worse, the company is losing money.

References: MSNBC, CBC

Canadian Headhunter

A Guerilla Job Seekers Tip For Today

Like many other Executive Search Professionals, I very rarely seek out candidates via the Job Boards. I do hope that does not disappoint too many readers herein, but it's just a business reality.

When I do use a board or two it is for other recruiting "related" purposes, that being primarily intelligence gathering. Now that is a story for perhaps another time, but I did want to make mention of the latest television commercial for one of the well known big boards.

Now to the credit of someone, this commercial I am referring to is very well done and I think quite catchy with it's upbeat music and a few clips of different people in a business suit with a briefcase celebrating and dancing around as if they just hit the lottery.

Many of you have probably seen it here in the states. The essence of the commercial is, " Let your next employer find YOU on XXX, submit your resume today ! "

Sounds pretty good doesn't it ? Real easy. No muss no fuss. And of course it is free; but I believe even that low price of admission may be too costly for more than just the employed.

To all you employed people out there, a word of caution, " Don't let your boss or HR find your resume on that web site or any other job board for that matter because your employment situation just might get terminated."

I commonly hear these stories from people who were "found" on these job boards and were abruptly given thier pink slip !

Like the saying goes and is usually diametrically true, if it is free there must be something wrong.

A Guerilla Job Hunter ( currently employed or unemployed) should be able to quickly read between the lines here and learn no less than two important lessons....know what they are ??????

We'll let you answer that one !

Contributed by:

Mark J. Haluska

Executive Director

Real Time NetWork

http://www.rtnetwork.net

Job Seekers Say The Darndest Things !

We're all familiar with the saying, " children say the darndest things."

If you have ever been a parent you will agree that they certainly do. To those wonderful young ones, they simply blurt out what comes to mind.  In fact it can be down right embarrasing at times if you know what I mean.

Well the same is also true of some job candidates. They also say the darndest things.

Recently I was retained to find a sales manager who already had demonstrated successful experience selling a specific line of high tech items to the market place. Unless one did not specifically sell this item with a competitor in the past, they were not qualified. It really is that simple.

Well just today I received a cover letter, that while relative to this position it was a waste of time, it was humor for the day. The letter was short and to the point:

Dear Recruiter,

Please consider me for the position of Sales Manager.

Although I have never sold that specific line of items, in fact I have never been in sales ever, but I am willing to try, my Mother does have 15 years of experience using that type of equipment where she works as a dispatcher.

She and I discuss her job all the time during dinner hour. Hopefully after all these years of listening to her talk about her work, it will be enough to at least give me a chance to interview for this obviously important position.

This is a real cover letter from a person with a Masters Degree !

Just what did he learn in school ?

Reading comprehension must have been a course he slept or partied through.

Contributed by:

Mark J. Haluska

Executive Director

Real Time NetWork

http://www.rtnetwork.net

Is AOL derailing your job search ?

If you or someone you know is seeking a new position and use AOL, then potential career opportunities could be passing you by.

I know of no less than 20 hopeful job seekers I personally have tried to e-mail within the past few months with AOL accounts that, when I tried to contact them by mail, I have received an AOL generated auto response stating that I will need to obtain special permission from that e-mail account holder to accept my mail.

Now it's not just our firm who has dealt with this nuisance, as I also know of Corporate Recruiters and other Executive Search Professionals such as myself who have also experienced the same problem when trying to reach candidates who possessed AOL mail accounts.

Some of the recruiters I mentioned above have actually been reported by AOL as being SPAMMERS ! All they were trying to do was contact a job seeker to make a quick introduction or check on their current employment status. Many times these inquiries do not justify modifying our schedules, unnecessarily working late into the evening or playing 5 rounds of telephone tag just to get permission from a candidate to accept our mail.

Unintentional as it may be on a candidates part, talk about setting up road blocks. I have also tried on numerous occasions to contact a job seeker with an AOL account and then hear back from them months later.

It turns out my mail did in fact reach the recipient, but the message went directly into their Spam Box and was only discovered by accident long after the opportunity was gone.

Granted, Spam is a problem, but if you are a hopeful job seeker, you could be missing out on potential job opportunities; and therefore may want to consider using another e-mail provider or if possible modify your AOL Spam Filter settings.   

Contributed by:

Mark J. Haluska

Executive Director

Real Time NetWork

http://www.rtnetwork.net

Can "Older Job Seekers Learn From Teenagers ?"

You Betcha and in a big way !

A few months back I followed a local news story with great interest. It all started when a group of teenage girls right here in my backyard near Pittsburgh, PA simply embarrassed or maybe I should say, simply buried giant retailer Abercrombie & Fitch.

This story, now known as the " Abercrombie & Fitch Girlcott" quickly rocketed onto the national newsfront and was featured on virtually all the major network and cable news shows.

In short here is what happened: 

Big Retailer A & F was selling a new line of young ladies tops referred to as " Attitude Shirts."  Although they were stylish in design to the teen set there was, according to these girls, one major problem. The tops were called "Attitude Shirts" because of some of the various messages imprinted on the front of them. For example there was one style with the quip, " Blondes Are Adored, Brunettes Ignored."  Then there was another that said, " Who Needs Brains When You Have These ?" 

There were numerous others but you should get the idea by now. Well, these young ladies contended that the "Attitude" shirts were at best insensative and degrading so they decided to cop thier own attitude.

Now, what does this have to do with 'older job seekers ?"

Job seekers over 40 (baby-boomers) are members of the most educated and prevailing group of citizens in the USA. This is fact just by the virtue of thier sheer numbers in terms of population, not to mention financial strength and potential politcal clout. If such a fragmented group were to nationally organize as a labor front, the boomers could swing an election in a heartbeat or bring down a big, big corporation in a New York minute.

Over the past 5 years or so I have read many forum threads on the Internet regarding "ageism" and the job market. These threads are from seemingly hopeful yet angry job seekers contending that corporate America is denying them opportunity because of thier age, that being the over 40 crowd. In some cases that is undoubtedly true. Other times I am also certain that age would not have been a factor in the hiring decision. 

Let's face it, any type of discrimination regarding employment is unethical and illegal. It is out there and from what I have read and heard from people it does appear to have some merit and crosses all lines to include race, religion, veteran status or national origin.   And probably some other things I did not mention.

To the vast number of baby-boomers who believe they have been discriminated against due to age, yes it is illegal, yes you are told you are a "protected class" in employment status, and yes; there are government agencies and non-profit groups who are supposedly looking out for your interests. Good luck getting anywhere, because you simply have not organized and made enough noise for any of these agencies or not-for-profit groups to really feel the need to do much about it.

Now to my point. Those teenagers and thier "Girlcott" got things done and quickly I might add.  They know that negative publicity and money talks and in a big way. Like one 14 year old young lady stated, " If our efforts to have those shirts removed from the stores don't work, we going to make something happen because that is the type of people we are."  Abercrombie & Fitch caved in very quickly.

To the boomers who truly believe they are being denied employment because of thier age, you could learn a lesson from those young girls because they are Guerillas in every sense of the word.

In closing and oddly enough, I would be willing to bet that a substantial amount of money those kids not only spent and then threatened not to ever spend again at Abercrombie & Fitch, actually did or eventually would have come out of the pockets of people over 40.    

Contributed by:

Mark J. Haluska

Executive Director

Real Time NetWork

http://www.rtnetwork.net

#10 of 50 Ways to Find a job Today

Call Human Resources

I know this sounds like heresy but there’s method in my madness. Call the personnel department of the companies on your target list. Ask their manager or recruiter what outside agency or third party recruiting firm they use. Why? For two strategic reasons, First, any personnel person will immediately ask why you want to know. To which you answer, “I’ve been to your web site and I understand that you’re not looking for someone with my skill set right now but the agency you use may be dealing with other firms who could use my skill set --- so I guess I’m looking for a recommendation from you.” After they get over the compliment they will likely ask you about your skill set etc., in which case you should tell them that, “I didn’t call you looking for a back door into your company but if you want to have a cup of coffee sometime I’d be happy to share my accomplishments with you.” If they push you be prepared to sell yourself shamelessly. Second, if they don’t press you for an interview, insist on knowing whom they use and why.

♦ Personnel Managers love saving money on fees, so they may try to hire you directly.

♦ Personnel Managers tend to group together by industry and make referrals to each other.

♦ Getting a referral from one of their customers will insure the agency treats you with kid gloves.

♦ Always ask for the name of a specific person and their direct dial number.

♦ Get permission to use the Personnel Manager’s name as a reference.

♦ Ask if they personally know of any other companies that could make appropriate use of your skills.

♦ Send them a thank you note with a copy of your resume to keep on file for their future requirements.

#1 Rule for Job Hunters in 2006

Be found. Sounds so simple doesn't it? But really, if a recruiter today was looking for someone with your exact skill set could they find you. Easily? You might be surprised. Why make them work harder than they already do. 

Job boards aren't a panacea for job hunters.  So what are the tricks you ask?

   

Well start where recruiters start – Google. Do you have an e-resume or homepage that details or at least hints of your business prowess? Are you on LinkedIn? Can they Zoom you at Zoominfo.com? That’s where recruiters typically begin searches. If you answered "no" to any of those questions ---- you have work to do.

   

For a primer on job hunting which compliments Jim’s book The Job Search Strategist v2.0 http://jimstroud.com/manifesto/index.html check out Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters and open a free LinkedIn account at the same time https://www.linkedin.com/static?key=gmjh_preview

  Well!!!  What are you waitng for?  Some one is looking for you right now.  Make yourself easy to Find.

It worked for Marilyn Monroe

Pizza persistance

A War Story

After being laid off from his last job, George Brown knew exactly which company he wanted to work for next, but every time he called, the Personnel Department told him the company wasn’t hiring. So George sprang into action, and another Guerrilla job-hunter was born.

George printed business cards that were round, slightly larger than normal, and very colorful.  On the front was a picture of a pizza with a circle-shaped message: “Win a Free Pizza”.  The flip side of the card gave his name, email address and telephone number along with the promise of a pizza for the first person to get him an interview with the company.

Dressed for an interview, George stationed himself at the entrance of the company and handed out cards to anyone who would take them.  He kept this up for a couple of days and became the topic of conversation at the company.  One manager figured that anyone who would go to so much effort deserved an interview. One extra large pizza later, George Guerrilla Marketed his way to the job of his dreams at very little expense, and the company is more profitable because of it.

Compliments of

Shari Miller

, Principle of The Elmhurst Group, www.elmhurstgroup.com

#11 of 50 Ways to Find a Job Today

Use personal letterhead and envelopes

If you want to increase the pull of your direct mail campaigns then consider putting together matching letterhead and envelopes that have your picture on them. I use the head and shoulders shot below with quotes from clients to increase my mass mailings. You can do the same thing. I recommend you do this with your second and third tier prospects because the direct one-on-one approach will work better. This is a great idea for marketing and sales people who want to change industry and need to generate a large quantity of leads quickly.

♦ Use a good quality head shot.

♦ To save money ask a friend to use their digital camera. Make sure it’s set on the highest quality. You’ll need a 400 dpi resolution jpeg to ensure a crisp picture.

♦ Wear a good suit and tie.

♦ Take off your glasses so the flash doesn’t reflect off them.

♦ Use a light background behind you and wear dark clothes.

♦ Make certain you wear a contrasting color shirt. For example white with a blue suit, so you can be seen clearly when the picture is shrunken to one square inch and printed in black & white or gray tones.

♦ It’s a statistical fact that if you hand-address the envelopes more people will open them.