Method 2: The Proactive Job Search
ABC, Co is closing its doors, and John has been let go. His résumé has not been adapted aback afore he began at ABC, about three years ago. John knows that this is his aboriginal breadth to correct. Afterwards attractive over his résumé, he decides a complete carbon is in order.
He realizes that administration in IT are abundantly attractive for producers. Although he holds a brace of certifications, he chooses to de-emphasize this in lieu of agreement his abilities and acquaintance in the forefront.
He restructures his résumé application the blueprint activate in The IT Career Builder's Toolkit. The accent is on brevity and accepted skills. He makes abiding that there are no paragraphs, that all abilities and acquaintance are accounting application easy-to-read bullets. He does not accommodate any job acquaintance accomplished ABC, Co because he started his IT career there, and accomplished abilities were abundantly covered in that job.
At the basal of his résumé, John lists his certifications. He afresh sits bottomward and writes a three branch awning letter. He addresses it "To Whom It May Concern".
In the letter, he expresses his absorption to added his career in IT. He refers to key credibility on his résumé, highlighting one key activity from ABC, Co. He ends the letter by thanking the clairvoyant for demography the time to analysis his advice and invites him to alarm him with any questions. He additionally emphasizes that he will chase up in a few days.
John has his letter advised for grammar and spelling by a acquaintance who has ability in this area. He makes the all-important corrections.
With these important abstracts completed, John makes a account of accompany and ancestors who are in able positions. He afresh writes a simple accord answer that he is actively attractive for application and allurement if they apperceive who he should acquaintance at their aggregation or who they ability apperceive who can advance him in the adapted direction.
He does not ask if their aggregation is hiring, aloof the names of who would accomplish the hiring aback jobs arise.
He mails a archetype of his awning letter and résumé to those who do not accept e-mail. He e-mails the accord to those who do.
This has taken him best of day 1 and day 2.
Day 3, 7:30 a.m. John takes a archetype of his résumé and awning letter and goes to a bounded printing/copying company. He has 100 copies of anniversary printed on apparent white paper. He realizes that he could splurge for a nicer band but additionally knows that best bodies in a hiring position, decidedly IT, will be added absorbed in his skills.
At 9:00 a.m., he visits a bounded able park. Nearly 70 companies are in a three-block area. Some of these companies are one- to two-person shops, but a few are corporations with several hundred people.
John walks into the aboriginal company. The agent asks, "Can I advice you?"
"Sure, who would I allege to who is amenable for hiring technology professionals for your company? Computers, programmers, abstruse support?" John adds the qualifiers at the end, alive that abounding industries appearance technology professionals as machinists or engineers.
"That would be Mrs. Thompson."
"Great! Could I allege with her and leave her some information? It will alone booty a moment."
The agent replies, "I'm sorry, but Mrs. Thompson alone sees bodies by appointment. Can I canyon forth your information?"
"That would be fine. Can I aces up a agenda so that I can chase up with her?"
"Sure."
John easily the agent a archetype of the awning letter and his résumé. He takes a agenda from her and writes Mrs. Thompson's name, today's date, and the words "by appt. only." He afresh asks, "Is there a acceptable time to ability Mrs. Thompson?"
"Afternoons are commonly better. Mornings can be absolutely animated about here."
John makes a agenda that afternoons are bigger for authoritative contact.
"Great. And is Mrs. Thompson the technology ambassador or in animal resources?"
"She's absolutely the VP of operations, but she runs our MIS department, too."
John acknowledgment the agent and leaves. He anon enters the abutting company.
By noon, he has visited best of the companies and calm 30 cards. He has had conversations with several IT managers or chief technologists. Four of the individuals he batten to gave him names of managers at added companies nearby.
In addition, one of the companies, a baby operation, asked if he would assignment part-time to advice them set up some computers. John establishes a time to appear aback tomorrow in the afternoon. He's not absolutely absorbed in consulting, but assignment is work, and he knows that referrals are added readily accustomed afterwards performance.
John afresh takes time to eat some cafeteria afore branch off to addition business circuitous about a mile away. There he spends the butt of the afternoon handing out résumés and demography names. In anniversary case, he writes any advice that he can on the aggregation business cards or in a account that he carries with him.
Day 4. John prints off addition 60 awning belletrist and résumés. He has 75 names and numbers of bounded IT managers, HR managers, or baby business owners. About 10 of the companies absorption him due to their able address and a accepted action in the bodies he batten to. These he puts in a abstracted accumulation with adapted notes.
He is architecture acquaintance of the bounded business community. One affair is certain: In his assay of job ads in the past, he could not bethink any of these companies announcement a position. Certainly, it could be that he didn't notice, but he realizes that this is apparently because best job openings never ability the appetite ads.
John active out to addition ample business circuitous about 4 afar from his house. There he begins the action again. At the tenth aggregation he visits, he has the afterward chat with the technology manager.
"We are aloof about to activate attractive for a new arrangement administrator. Acceptable timing. Tell me about yourself and what you did at ABC, Co."
John covers his acquaintance and adds some of the items he was starting to assignment on that absorbed him.
The IT ambassador asks John about a accurate technology. He answers candidly that he has apprehend up on it and understands the concepts, but he has not formed with it directly. The IT ambassador seems disappointed. John asks, "Is there activity to be a lot of that blazon of assignment in this position?"
"No, but some ability will be required."
"I don't appetite to complete out of line, but I've never had agitation demography conceptual ability and putting it into convenance quickly. I'd adulation the befalling to assignment with you, and it can be a analysis of sorts. I can absolutely booty affliction of the blow of your environment, and if I can advance the abilities for this added technology, we both win."
The IT ambassador is afflicted and asks John to appear aback in a brace of canicule for an account with his boss. John acknowledgment him for his time and says he is attractive advanced to it.
John separates the IT manager's agenda and makes some addendum about the conversation. He afresh continues on to the added businesses in the area. He active home for cafeteria and types a quick agenda to the IT manager, thanking him for his time and acknowledging their arrangement in a few days. He includes addition archetype of his résumé and a added alone awning letter.
While at home, John checks his answering apparatus to ascertain that one of the companies he visited the day afore would like to allege with him. He remembers the company. It was one area he batten to the technology manager.
He calls him back, and they accept the afterward conversation:
"Hi, John. I capital to let you apperceive that I was speaking to a acquaintance about you this morning at breakfast. He runs the technology administration for XYZ, Co, and they are hiring two engineers. I was absolutely afflicted with your ambition, and I accept your abilities would be a fit. His name is Mike Elliott. I told him you would call, and I took the alternative of casual your advice on to him."
"Wow! Thanks."
"His cardinal is 555-5555. He's assured your call."
John acknowledgment him afresh and afresh calls Mr. Elliott. Afterwards a abbreviate conversation, he sets up an account for the afterward day at 3:00 p.m.
John afresh visits addition able high-rise for the day. He easily out the butt of his advice and takes addition 30 cards.
The above-mentioned book is advancing in that I've compacted the contacts into two canicule of job seeking. However, it is important to agenda that your job chase is abundantly about the cardinal of contacts you accomplish and what you do with those contacts.