inluminent

As a follow up to my latest “On Looking for a Job” post, I followed a link to this article on getting your resume read via a link through Keith Devens’s weblog.

If I can add a few tips/techinques:

1. Instead of submitting your resume via a webform or monster.com, call the company in question and ask the receptionist who you should mail the resume to. Ask for the name and mailing address. Don’t ask for the phone number yet… Mail the resume with a good cover letter, and then call three or four days later to follow up. That’s when you ask for the person you were told to mail the resume to… don’t say anything to the receptionist about why you’re calling unless they ask, just say “Yes, [Insert your name here], calling for [Insert whomever you mailed the resume to's name here]” and be ready to get put through to them.

2. Send a follow up letter after you call to talk to this person (with a second resume) that’s hiring. Especially if you don’t get through to them. The idea is to get them to call you for an interview. Remember, thoughtout this time, you’re just trying to get an interview, not the job. Use that as your pivot point:

“Ma’am, I’m very interested in having a conversation about this position,” is your selling line. You’ve got to sell the fact that its worth it for her to spend an hour with you.

3. If after two weeks you still haven’t her back from the hiring person, and you’re still interested in getting the job, send a personal note. Buy some decent stationary (it doesn’t need to be imprinted with your name, but should be professional looking… all one color, generally white or beige) and send a one or two paragraph note thanking your subject for taking the time to consider your resume. Explain that you still think you’re a good candidate for the job, but that you understand that they’ve probably been swamped under resumes. Say that you’d appreciate an interview if they still don’t think they’ve found the perfect fit, and that ‘having the conversation’ would be profitable for them.

As Scott pointed out in a comment from my last post, getting your resume to the hiring manager is not the hurdle most people face in today’s economy.

Look for a post on ‘networking’ soon.