Mike Gardner, president and co-founder of Washington, DC based PerselGardner, offers some thoughts on finding employment in today's job market:
I remember, not so long ago, stopping by Staples to pick up some really expensive resume paper and matching envelopes so that I could make a great first impression on my potential new boss.
I was job seeking at the time and stumbled upon an ideal marketing position advertised in the classified section of The Post. How I debated which paper would really show off my credentials! Would I choose Crane’s Crisp Linen Finish or better yet - Crane’s Classic Ivory Bond? Either choice was almost certain to get me that ideal job for which I hunted with a vengeance.
After dashing back home, I spent hours recounting my professional experiences, and then racked my brain to figure out how to make it all fit onto one typed page. Yes, one typed page with a cover letter that could bring you to tears.
When I finished my resumasterpiece, I was simply elated: Nobody was a better candidate for that role than I was. At least that’s what I thought, when in reality, 1,000 others had also applied to that same position, bought the same resume paper, and put the same caliber of effort into the writing. Like me, they also stuck a stamp on that precious baby and sent it via snail mail to “Whom it may concern” in the HR department of our ideal Company X.
Then the real fun would begin: Waiting for that phone to ring with a reply from a hiring manager was nothing less than torturous. Why they would not call me back when I had so much to offer, was the question I pondered over and over again. Why would they even consider anyone else? I might have had an easier time figuring out the mystery of life…Until that fateful day of course, several weeks later when the mailman hand delivered Company X’s response: Sorry, we’re not interested.
Today’s job search, while filled with the same levels of panic and anticipation as years ago, requires us to employ a different approach. Today, an ocean of applicants apply for that single ideal job online, uploading volumes of information about their professional career, and then, after hitting the send key are left with a single thought: Where did it go?”
We play that same waiting game, we check our inbox every five minutes, and are excited only to see what turns out to be that oh-so-common response: “Thank you for your submission. We’ll match your skills with our requirements and will contact you if there is a possible fit. Good Luck.” We might get a response sooner using this electronic approach, but it’s still frustrating and disappointing nonetheless.
So how do we make our resumes shine, or make that phone ring and a job offer appear? Try taking a different path—focus not just on your resume, but rather on your entire presentation.
Ask yourself tough questions: Why are you right for them? Why are they right for you? The bottomline is: Do your homework. It's imperative to understand what the hiring manager is looking for and to clearly articulate why you are the right candidate for the position. Demonstrate to the hiring manager that you understand their business, what they are looking for in a candidate, and show why you are best suited for the job.
Lastly, don’t waste your time waiting for that phone to ring - use the power of networking to help accelerate your job search process. Spend your downtime wisely - get involved with clubs and societies in your industry - network online, network offline, subscribe to everything you can, but just make sure you do it. Each day, ask yourself a question: what have I done today to help me move my job search forward? If you keep your patience, and do more than just send a resume on fancy paper, you will find that ideal position - or it might just find you.
More in Part II.
Mike Gardner is President and Co-Founder of Washington, DC based PerselGardner, (www.perselgardner.com) an innovative staffing firm specializing in providing superior advertising, marketing and public relations talent for contract or direct hire. PerselGardner has a secret "special sauce" method of drawing out from candidates and clients exactly what their mission is, work style, preferences, and passions. The firm then carefully match-makes with those who share similar points of view.