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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Hire Me- Me- Me Meee!
Is it time to get outside your comfort zone? Nine unconventional ways to rev up a search.
Discouraged jobseekers say they’ve tried everything to land a position.
However, people who think they’ve tried everything “usually haven’t even warmed up,” insists David Perry, author of “Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0” (Wiley, 2009).
In this economic climate, even the most brilliantly executed traditional tactics are no sure route to finding a job, leading employment specialists like Perry advocating for “out of the box” approaches. “If you’re not using unconventional methods, then you’ll look like everyone else,” he says.
If you’re among the countless jobseekers who feel dejected, drained and out of ideas, consider trying these 10 job search tactics you perhaps had not thought of.
1. “Search-engine optimize yourself,” says Dan Finnigan, CEO, Jobvite. “Put key words related to your industry and your position into your profiles, blogs or Web sites that will make you stand out as a professional.”
2. Change your LinkedIn profile’s “Professional Headline” (in the edit settings) to summarize your value. Save your basic title for the “Industry” section.
3. Read the business sections of newspapers and trade publications for news of promotions. When someone’s promoted or leaves, a position often opens.
4. Embed a few lines of your résumé into an e-mail auto reply (normally used to alert people when someone is out of the office). “This way, every time someone e-mails you, they are reminded of your job search and what you have to offer,” says Heather Hammitt, Illinois Society of Human Resources Management.
5. Offer new ideas to a company by doing a PowerPoint presentation, and send it to the appropriate department head.
6. Put your cover letter and résumé in an empty Starbucks cup and send it via FedEx it to the hiring manager. The cover letter should contain an invitation to have coffee, not an interview request. Track the delivery online and call just after the recipient signs for the package and set your coffee date, Perry suggests.
7. Enclose your cover letter and résumé in a small envelope that generally only contains thank-you notes or party invitations. Your envelope will get opened first, Perry says.
8. Start a blog about the company you wish to work for, including news items and commentary that demonstrate you are genuinely interested.
9. Comment on other people’s blogs. “This is a great way for others to get to know you, especially when your ideas are meaningful,” Perry writes.
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