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Archive for the ‘Job Search Tips’ Category

Mary Berman, from Farmington Hills, Michigan, had been looking for work since February 2009 before starting a “Guerrilla” job search, in late September.

Up to that point, 20 weeks of job hunting had produced zero job interviews.

Just 7 weeks later, she accepted a job on Thursday, November 12, as a marketing executive assistant.

How did she use Guerrilla job hunting tactics to find work 65% faster?

“I saw a job advertised online and applied by mail. I sent a box with a paper Starbucks coffee cup, my cover letter, and resume inside. On the side of the cup, where it has boxes for the type of coffee, I made my own box that said, ‘Hire Mary’ and checked it with a black marker. I heard back a couple days later to get my first interview,” says Berman.

After her first job interview, which went well, Berman followed up with panache.

“It was Halloween time, so I decided to send them a chocolate covered apple with my hand-written thank-you note in a bag. I had a friend of mine, who was off work that day, take it over and deliver it to [the employer]. That was a big hit — they were thrilled — and I got the second interview out of it.”

Berman’s second job interview was with the executive vice president. Afterwards, she followed up diligently. “When I came home, I wrote a 30-60-90 day plan. I had taken copious notes during the interview and used that information to create suggestions for what I would do in my first 30, 60, and 90 days. I sent that to them via FedEx with another thank-you note. And I got a job offer.”

Now. Let’s break this successful Guerrilla Job Search down …

1. Start smart

The Coffee Cup Caper — a paper Starbucks cup, full-color Guerrilla Resume, and a cover letter (asking to meet for coffee), shipped in a box — gets extraordinary results. By contrast, ordinary resumes and cover letters, sent by email, get ordinary results.

2. Follow up with style

Delivering a Halloween treat with her thank-you note was correct seasonally, if not politically. Use good judgment before sending items that might be perceived as bribes by employers sensitive to such things, such as universities or public-sector organizations.

In Berman’s case, however, it worked like a (chocolate-covered) charm.

And, leaving out the gift, think of the impact a hand-delivered thank-you note can have on an employer, versus standard U.S. Mail or email. Could you arrange to have your thank-you note delivered by a courier, or a friend acting as one? Of course you could!

3. Give employers another reason to hire you

Mary did this in spades after her second interview, when she sent a written plan of action that outlined her first three months on the job.

A 30-60-90 day plan is a way of proving you can do the work — before you’re even on the payroll — by describing how you would learn the job, build rapport with employees/customers, and contribute to the bottom line.

Mary’s plan was 8 pages long and took the better part of a Friday night to prepare. (Before you balk at spending an entire evening at home researching and writing a 30-60-90 day plan, ask yourself if you wouldn’t trade a night out for getting a steady paycheck again.)

4. Score style points with your delivery

Mary’s first follow-up, the chocolate-apple-thank-you note, was delivered by a courier, not by email. Her 30-60-90 day plan was delivered by FedEx, not by email.

Do you not see a pattern? Email should NOT be the delivery method for your career documents. Because you can’t delete a courier, and a FedEx envelope can’t get caught in a spam filter.

Bottom line: This smart Guerrilla had failed to get even one job interview in 20 weeks of job hunting with conventional tactics.

After adopting unconventional Guerrilla tactics, she found work in only 7 weeks.

Well, what we feared has suddenly happened. The Labor Department reported that the official unemployment rate for October rose from 9.8% to 10.2%, in September. (don’t be fooled, it’s actually higher) And just today they announced another 485,000 lay-offs last week. Just one week before Christmas; what a great Christmas gift! Everyone feared this was coming and just wondered how long it would take. Hundreds of thousands of people are unemployed and job opportunities on a large scale just aren’t available.

So now the next question; what are we to do now?

There seems to be a spirit of cynicism and foreboding everywhere. It’s frightening!  This is an age of political divisiveness, there is a huge dose of bashing and finger-pointing. The plain truth is we have collectively allowed our manufacturing base to be stripped away and it doesn’t look like it’s coming back any time soon.

Don’t expect Obama to rescue you, no matter what he promised in his campaign speeches. The plain truth: you’re on your own. There is no magic bullet that will solve this problem. In fact the way the current majority political party is going it just may get worse. Many of the over 15 million unemployed are not going to find a job again.  ANY job. Am I being pessimistic? I don’t believe so.

Many of our icons that we thought would be here forever are gone are on the verge of going. Many companies are barely surviving, their management are on shaky ground and know it. It’s time to change your thinking from “it’s all about me” frame mind. It’s extremely difficult when the rent’s due and you’ve had no income or possibilities. One solution remains, companies have problems to solve and if you are a problem solver you have a product to sell and lots of buyers.

Look for ways to show that you are a problem solver.  Answer this question: “How can I help them solve their problem NOW?”  This simple change in mentality serves a great purpose in your resume writing or during your job interview.

Start making a list. (be specific) Then boil it down and refine it then do it again till you are convinced it’s the best. These are problems that you’ve already solved.  This what employers will buy today. Don’t just rely on the Internet but take your message out there to the real world to get an audience.

Networking is where it happens, but that could be as simple as talking to someone in line at the supermarket or mall. You have to be “on” all the time.  So develop a great elevator pitch that’s short and sweet.  It should sound natural and reflect exactly how and why you’re a problem solver. That’s what it will take and you can do it. I have a friend who does this in California. She calls her company “Corporate Solutions”.

Not everyone is buying right now but there are jobs. And even if it’s not the ideal job it’s an opportunity for you to shine. You’ll snag one only if you’re “on” and ready to offer someone solutions for the immediate future because of problems you’ve solved in the past. So get that resume polished and I mean as the military calls it; put a “spit shine” on it.

Unique Talent = Natural Abilities + Your Unique Way Of Expressing Those Abilities

Your Natural Abilities

■ What’s *that thing you do* which you’re so naturally talented at?
■ What’s the work you’ve done effortlessly ever since you can remember?
■ Do you love to sing, dance, or entertain your friends?
■ What would you write about if I asked you to start sharing your expertise in a series of blog articles?
■ What topic are you so passionate about that you could confidently speak on for 15 minutes on if asked to.

Many people fit this pattern. Maybe you don’t think you have any talent but that isn’t true. You may not ever be an Elvis Presley or a Michael Jackson but you have talent! You could be entertaining people and making top dollar. I watched Dancing With The Stars last night and watched as Donny Osmond danced. He is 51 and said that he had been entertaining “all his life” and loving it. Entertaining is fun, people love to be entertained and entertainers love to entertain. Is this something you have a “natural ability” for but are shy and afraid to try?

It’s In Your DNA

We’ve all got a unique talent – a natural ability that only we can express in a totally unique way.  Just like your DNA, no one in history has ever had that combination.

Which is why:

- No one can write, sing and perform in the exact same way as Michael Jackson.

- No one is quite as unique as Oprah Winfrey but so what.

- No one can be a catalyst for compassion and change in the exact same way  as Mother Theresa.

And the reason why no one can do *that thing you do* in quite the same way you do it. Your own unique talent is built-in; — it’s part of your DNA. And being shy is no excuse not to use that God given talent!

Your Challenge

Your task then is to figure out what that unique talent is (I’ll bet you already have the answer)  and then sign up with Explore Talent and get going.

Once you do that with their guidance you will find your niche in things. You’ll be able to build a powerful personal brand, attract success, wealth, job satisfaction and create a sense of meaning from your professional life that most people spend years searching for.

Like everything, it starts with a first step. Go ahead! (you know you want to!) That first step is to start looking for clues about yourself and your unique talent by asking some tough questions of yourself.

I challenge you to take the first step…