Know-How Exchange : Career/Training

Dear N.Maroulis,

Should you send your résumé right away or ask what positions they need and Taylor (tailor) your resume to their response?

Yes, to both questions.

You also need a proof reader ("recent" NOT resent; "tailor", not taylor).
Do NOT skimp on the detail of checking your applications BEFORE you send them.

You get ONE chance to make a first impression. Don't waste it.

I hope this helps.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA

Hi,

You can always draft a generic email seeking for a job & send across your CV. There is absolutely no harm. As probabilty of HR dept. reverting to your querries are less.

Swap.

You are at something of a disadvantage not being in or near the places you'd like to work. Not that they'd expect you to show up for an interview right away, but it would make it much easier to research the target companies and talk to current and former/recent employees.

The real key in a job search is to learn all you possibly can about each company you are considering, so that you will know what they really need and how you can make a significant contribution. It's irresistible for a company to hire someone who has already demonstrated skills and experience that they desperately need.

While it's a lot more work to deep-dive each target company, it also increases your chances of success. Instead of sending 100 generic resumes to 100 companies, you send 3 or 4 highly tailored resumes to the 3 or 4 companies who would really benefit most from having you on staff.

Want more information about this approach? Pick up a copy of The Potato Chip Difference. The book's subtitle is: How to apply leading edge marketing strategies to landing the job you want.

I agree with Mgoodman - being away from the places of interest is a challenge for you. It would be much easier to choose a place and go there. This would allow you to network with people who are local. When I graduated with my MBA in 92, the economy was also pretty bad. I didn't have a job lined up, so decided to move to a place that interested me (SF Bay Area) and look for jobs that way. Was able to get a job within 3 months. Might be worth considering doing.

Don't forget the basics:
- Make sure resumes and letters are targeted to the company. Talk about how your background matches their specific needs.
- Make sure there are no errors in resume or letter.
- work on networking to talk with the people who would hire or work with the position of interest. Posted jobs will have hundreds or thousands of responses in this market. You goal should be to talk to people who are hiring and find out about jobs they are considering posting before they post it. This is challenging to do, but much more effective.

I would suggest put more effort in local search, because more companies prefer local candidates, especially when it comes to first time job search. This search will bring you more success units per effort unit ;).


Whatever Happens -
Good luck!
Natasha Chernyavskaya