Last week I read a blog post from Jim Crocker (Friend and mentor to me). He was talking about the process of finding a job and the lack of “serious” planning. I would like to share my experience with my last job hunt and hope it can help you in your search.
I thought it was time for a change from what I have been doing, something different. I went through the general routine of updating my resume and posting it on Workopolis, Monster and a few other job banks – with no success. In the two months my resume was up, it had received about 3 hits – Total. (Don’t take this personally if you’re in the same boat – the economy isn’t at its best right now). At this point, I decided to build my resume from scratch and see if I can get more hits and an interview. The makeover was long overdue – almost 4 years. It took me about 3 days to rebuild my resume from top to bottom. (I suggest making changes and going back to them a few hours later or even the next day. You’ll be surprised at how many changes you will make this way. I have also provided a link at the bottom of this post to some resume writing tips if you’re interested). Now with my new resume I was receiving more hits. Monster alone reported about 15, but still no calls. I applied for several positions through the sites and still had heard nothing from anyone (I felt like I was on their “Do not accept emails from T.J. List”).
I figured with the current shape of the economy – the job banks, agencies and recruiter must be flooded with resumes. I decided to take a different approach. I narrowed my search down to a select few positions that closely matched my skill set and I thought I would enjoy doing. I submitted my resume and waited about a week. After not hearing anything from these companies either, I picked up the phone and decided to call them myself. I tried to do some digging to find out who was recruiting for the role and what they were really looking for. After about 3 phone calls, I got through to the recruiter directly and discussed the position with her. I also pointed out that I had submitted my resume and wanted to ensure they had received it. The recruiter located my email, and viewed my resume (for the first time) and decided to bring me in for an interview.
2 weeks and 4 interviews later, I got the job.
The point I’m trying to make is that if you find a job posting you’re interested in and you have the skills for it, go after it yourself. My resume would have probably been overlooked here too, if it wasn’t for the phone call.
There are millions of resumes in the system, and everyone has the “Key Words” listed in each job posting. You just might have better luck at a lottery ticket then having a recruiter pickup your resume.
It’s not the way it used to be when a company would have a “Help wanted” or “Now Hiring” sign in their window and you would walk in meet with the hiring manager and pass on your resume. They would receive a couple dozen resumes and pick from that pool. They now literally receive hundreds and thousands of resumes for 1 position.
So, if you want to put your resume ahead of all the other resumes in the system, then you may just need to pick up the phone or walk in. Call for an appointment with the recruiter or hiring manager to discuss the role. The positions are all posted on the company’s website, so researching the role is easy.
You have nothing to lose and a possible job to gain.
I’m not saying this will guarantee you a job, but I’m sure it can help improve your odds.
Thanks,
T.J.
Jim’s Blog: "Get a Job Already" http://boardroommetrics.blogspot.com/2009/05/get-job-already.html
Resume Tips: http://www.free-resume-tips.com/10tips.html
