Guerrilla Job Hunting

Get Help From Gatekeepers

This example is near and dear to my heart – it’s how I landed a job with a marketing communications firm back in the 1990s, when I use to work for other people.

 

After mailing in my resume, I was called by a receptionist to schedule an interview. During our conversation, I asked if she could send me back issues of their corporate publications. I explained that I wanted to research the writing styles of the magazines and newsletters I would be editing if I got the job.

 

She immediately agreed, and had a nice package of materials couriered over to me the same day.

 

It turned out to be a gold mine.

 

I found three typos in one back issue of a magazine I would be proofreading in the position I was interviewing for. Here was proof I could do the job.

 

Two days later at the interview, the subject of proofreading skills came up. I pulled out the magazine (with post-it notes marking the typos) and said: “I’ve been researching your publications and found these three errors. I can improve your image by preventing this kind of thing from happening again.”

 

They hired me.

 

 

Action Step: do whatever you can to research your target company and “start working” for them before the first interview. It’s one thing to claim you can do the job. It’s quite another -- and much more powerful -- to prove it.

Compliments of David E Perry and Kevin Donlin. For more creative job search tactics, go to the Guerrilla Marketing for job hunters blog and download the free audio CD.

Ask The Magic Networking Question

If your network is smaller than you'd like, think of it as a yeast cell, with the power to expand from its tiny origin until it produces something wonderful. In this case, a new job!

 

Tell everyone you know that you're looking for a job. Call or e-mail every single person in your address book. Now, here's the magic question -- at the end of every conversation, ask:

 

“Who else do you know that I should be talking to?”

 

This is how you expand your network by leaps and bounds! If everyone you talk to gives you two more names, and those people give you two more names, your network will explode like crabgrass in July -- try it and see.

 

Eventually, someone should be able to put you in touch with a decision maker who can hire you.

 

Even former employers can help. If you parted on good terms with your last boss, he or she might be able to refer you to hiring managers in other companies.

 

 

Action Step: Stop thinking that your network is only as large as the people you know. It’s not. It’s FAR bigger and more valuable. When you ask: “Who else do you know that I should be talking to?” the sky is literally the limit – you could be only one or two phone calls away from talking to the CEO of General Mills, the owner of your dream company down the road … or Kevin Bacon. But you’ll never know unless you ask.

Compliments of David E Perry and Kevin Donlin. For more creative job search tactics, go to the Guerrilla Marketing for job hunters blog and download the free audio CD.

Head hunters find their niche in boom times | Oil & Gas: Special Report | Financial Post

A funny thing happens when oil prices go up. Suddenly, headhunters come out of the woodwork in provinces such as Alberta.

via business.financialpost.com

Great article on recruiting.

How To Treat Your Job Hunt Like The Presidential Campaign [INFOGRAPHIC] - Business Insider

via www.businessinsider.com

Look at the difference between looking for work and being found. very telling infographic.

You Are More Qualified Than You Think

Job search expert James Adams, based in California, once advised an applicant to talk about her hobby as a private pilot when interviewing for a position at a utility company.

 

Why?

 

The job required a manager to oversee a plant delivering electricity to consumers across California. Making the wrong decision -- or no decision -- would put thousands of people in the dark.

 

As a private pilot, this woman had safely landed a crippled aircraft not once, but twice. Had she not made the right decisions fast, while focusing on a solution, she wouldn't have survived.

 

By proving her decision-making ability, which transferred easily from piloting to power plant management, she aced out dozens of other applicants -- and got the job.

 

 

Action Step: I’ll say it again -- you are more qualified than you think.

 

If you need confirmation of this, ask the opinion of at least 3 friends or family members whose judgment you trust. They can provide insights on how your hobbies, interests and experience (paid or unpaid) have given you a valuable set of skills.

Compliments of David E Perry and Kevin Donlin. For more creative job search tactics, go to the Guerrilla Marketing for job hunters blog and download the free audio CD.

Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters « asuccessfulcareer

Why Use Blogging as a Job Search Tool?

via asuccessfulcareer.wordpress.com

Here are 3 great reasons to use blogging to help in your job search.

Walk Right In, Sit Right Down

Robbie Brawner Ouzts, Director of Career Services at Oglethorpe University, tells the story of a gung-ho job seeker who got hired after walking into a job interview meant for somebody else! “An administrative professional, we’ll call her, ‘Shirley,’ got so frustrated after sending out resumes with no response that she decided to call on companies in person.” At 10:00 one morning, she walked into the lobby of a local business. Unknown to her, the hiring manager was expecting another woman for a 10:00 job interview. “Shirley walked in and looked dressed for an interview, so the employer thought it was his 10:00 appointment. He started talking to her and thought she was wonderful,” says Ouzts. After 10 minutes, the hiring manager realized his mistake, but Shirley handed him her resume for review. The interview continued … and she got a job as an office manager. What about that candidate who was originally scheduled to interview at 10:00? “She never did show up,” says Ouzts. Action Step: Shirley’s stroke of good fortune seems pretty incredible, like winning the job lottery. But before you dismiss her tactic as something that could never happen to you, understand this critical point: Shirley created her this break all by herself. Put another way, this could have never happened to Shirley if she had spent that morning at home in front of the TV, sulking about her job search. You can literally make your own luck if you get proactive and seek out hiring managers in person. If you’re at all reluctant about calling on employers in person, you have company. The thought of cold calling can be intimidating. Yet, ask yourself this: if you go out to meet hiring managers, what’s the worst that could happen? They say no. Big deal. Dust yourself off, and try again. But what’s the worst that can happen if you sit idly at home and wait for the phone to ring with job offers? The bank could foreclose on your mortgage. Your landlord could evict you. Your significant other could leave you for someone else. Hmm. That’s an easy choice, isn’t it?

Compliments of David E Perry and Kevin Donlin. For more creative job search tactics, go to the Guerrilla Marketing for job hunters blog and download the free audio CD.