Guerrilla Job Hunting

Job Hunting is just like courting

Do you love me?  Will you love me forever...

I am amazed at how many people forget that an interview is a "personal selling" situation. Obviously I don't mean jumping up and down and doing a raw-raw sis-boom-bah chant but I do mean turning in your best effort AND asking for the job at the end.  Just the other day I witnessed a candidate not get an opportunity because the employer didn’t think they where all that interested OR at least, “not as interested as another

Benefits package included - What do they really mean?

You get your own locker and a first aid kit too

Very Competitive salary - What do they really mean?

This job is straight commission – you eat what you kill.

Change your luck with Chain letters for job hunters

Those pesky chain letters can be lucky for you .... if you know how to leverage them for your job hunt.Draw up a list of 20 companies you want to work for and send an email  to everyone you know asking them to please read the list and see if they know anyone who works at any of the 20 companies.  Ask them to  contact you if they know anyone so you can ask for a referral. 

Tips for Job Hunting Smarter

Get your priorities straight. Focus on the interview producing stuff FIRST and foremost. Ask yourself: Is what I am doing this moment going to lead to an interview in the next 10 days? If not, stop doing it immediately. Don't let yourself get distracted. There's a big difference between being busy and results. Focus on your end game - get the interviews. - David

Job hunting phrases and what they really mean.

Here are some of my favorite phrases and what they really mean.

• Phrase
• You probably think
• What it really means
• What you can do about it

Phrase: Fresh culture

You probably think
This firm subscribes to New Age management techniques to build and promote the best in the individual.

What it really means
We’re all 20 something’s so if you’re old [over 30] don’t apply.

What you can do about it
Check out who’s on their Board of Directors. If they’re all 20 something's as well negotiate a strong parachute.

Guerrilla Marketing By the Book - The Force Multiplier Effect in Action

Podcast: An interview by Peter Clayton from TotalPicture.com

"Using Guerrila Marketing for Job Hunters, Darryl Praill is in hot in pursuit of a new gig. And we’re along for the ride.

There are lots of career books out there (including Jay Conrad Levinson and David Perry's excellent Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters), that talk about what to do and how to do it when it comes to a job search, but I've never seen anyone step up and show how they're actually doing it in real time.

When David Perry called me and offered the opportunity to track, real time, Darryl Praill's job hunt, I didn’t think twice. It’s our first reality radio series! We’re going to step off the pages and join in a real-world job campaign. The fact that Darryl is a great marketer and really smart is frosting on the cake!

David Perry

This is a two part interview. David Perry will provide the back-story, and then we’ll discuss, in-depth and in great detail how Darryl set the stage and launched his campaign."

Click the microphone to listen in

Never job hunt alone!

Job hunting need not be a lonely isolating ordeal.  It can actually be a little fun [yup I'm serious here].  IMHO everyone should have a job-search buddy.  The main objective of your "buddy" is to keep you motivated and honest with yourself.   

Job hunting phrases and what they really mean.

Here are some of my favorite phrases and what they really mean.

• Phrase
• You probably think
• What it really means
• What you can do about it

 Phrase: Progressive environment

You probably think
There’s room to grow and move up the ladder based on performance.

What it really means
You can keep working here if you perform otherwise asta la vista baby.

What you can do about it
Inquire as to how they motivate and keep their top performers. A blank deer in the headlights expression means trouble

A proven team player - What do they really mean?

We've been told to look for a proven team player but this confuses us as we don't even have a bowling team.  We don’t know what they even look like so you better be able to tell us!

The 5 world events that changed job-hunting forever

Here are the 5 events which will impact your job hunting the most over the next 10 years.

The advent of the Internet
The most obvious event that has changed job-hunting is the advent of the Internet.  In the old days people would wait for the Sunday paper and check the classified section to see who was hiring or they’d simply ask their friends and neighbors if they knew of any job openings.  Now, thanks to instant communications and round-the-clock access you can research companies and job-hunt anytime at more than 42,000 job boards and 500,000 corporate web sites.  You can network with total strangers, thousands of miles from home, in your pajamas.

Be successfully "over quailifed"

Ok so you want to teach those whipper-smackers a lesson?  Send your resume and a cover letter which clearly states, "It'll appear obvious  from my resume that I'm over-qualified for the job you advertised, so  let me tell you why you should interview me and consider  "super-sizing" your opportunity". 

The new global America for job hunters

“It’s not the strongest of the species, nor the most intelligent, that survive; it’s the one most responsive to change.” - Charles Darwin

Under siege from layoffs, outsourcing, off-shoring, rightsizing, downsizing and bankruptcies, America is in the midst of a profound business transformation.  It’s the result of developments in information and communications technologies, changing human values and the rise of the global knowledge-based economy. The sheer complexity and technical sophistication of business has transformed the job market - not just here in America, but around the world. Business is becoming knowledge-based as well as technology intensive. 

Reinvention Book Pick: Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters

Pamela Mitchell : CEO & Chief Vision Officer

"Clients and students often ask me to recommend books, so as a periodic feature in our blog newsletter I will let you know about ones I’ve found that will be helpful to you as you reinvent your career. This week’s book pick is Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters, by Jay Conrad Levinson and David E. Perry. Part of the popular ‘Guerrilla Marketing’ series, this book provides lots of creative and useful strategies for conducting an effective job search campaign in today’s marketplace.

What I like about this book is that it approaches career search from a marketing perspective.

Job hunting phrases and what they really mean.

Here are some of my favorite phrases and what they really mean.

• Phrase
• You probably think
• What it really means
• What you can do about it

 Phrase: Dynamic

You probably think
This place needs a high energy go-getter to set the pace.

What it really means
We’re a dull bunch of really really smart engineers who’ve developed this radically cool bleeding edge widget. But we’re not in “sales” and we can’t explain to anyone what it’s for..

What you can do about it
Ask who the lead customer is. If they don’t have one be careful it may mean there is no market.

Negotiable With experience - what do they mean?

We haven’t a clue what to pay you so we’re hopping you can tell us.

Q: What are some keywords that you look for when you're trying to place the right candidate with the right company?

A: Key words which are specific to an industry vertical. For example ‘SQL” or “ERP” as opposed to sales or management which are generic.

Direct mail marketing for job hunters

Harness the power of direct mail.  The first thing you need to do for a prospecting letter is compile your list.  Find 5-10 companies you  want to work for based on your research.  Compose a letter to your network of contacts asking them if they know of anyone

Job hunting phrases and what they really mean.

Here are some of my favorite phrases and what they really mean.

• Phrase
• You probably think
• What it really means
• What you can do about it

 
Phrase: Ground floor opportunity

You probably think
There’s room for growth in a fast paced organization on the rise

What it really means
We have a product/service we think is really cool. We’re not sure anyone will buy it so we need a hustler to get out there and prove us right.

What you can do about it
Go to Hoovers and search online for the company’s competitors and see how their products are fairing and then ask what’s different about theirs in the interview.

Please don't Fart!

I was suddenly reminded last night that there are a few things you just can't get away with in an interview.  Farting is on the top of my list.  My fee was lost in less time than it took to find fresh air. 

Besides ruining the atmosphere and clearing the room the shock factor is too great for most to get over.... especially if you're a stunning redhead with a flawless resume.

If this comes as a great surprise let me tell you a few other things you can't do during an interview:

• after gazing at the picture on the mangers desk - tell him his wife is hot [even if she is]
• ask to borrow money to pay for parking
• excessively wipe the seat your about to sit in
• take a bathroom break
• refer to his secretary as "toots"
• pick your nose
• offer to share your sandwich
• ask for a swig of their coke
• make a big deal about suddenly realizing your fly is down.

I offer these tips up in the hope you will pass it on to your job hunting friends and candidates.

I will never be able to enjoy a cinnamon dolce latte grandee again - the memory will linger for ever.