Today, I spoke to Laura Rowley, who is a columnist for Yahoo!Finance, and author of Money & Happiness: A Guide to Living the Good Life. Recently, Laura wrote an article for Yahoo!Finance about unique job search tactics that work. In our interview below, Laura talks about job search desperation, lists some creative job hunting techniques that will help you stand out, and more.
Is it possible to come off too desperate when job searching?
Absolutely. Gimmicks can backfire. The number one goal in this economy is to look confident. You want to project a professional image among the people you want to hire you, and showing how you can add value and solve problems.
What are some creative job hunting techniques to help you stand out, without appearing desperate?
Send a cover letter and one-page resume in an invitation-sized envelope. A hiring manager may be more likely to open it. One Detroit woman got the attention of a radio ad sales manager with this method, and ultimately landed the job.
Also try raising your profile with an “extreme networking” and a “chain mail” approach: A former Chrysler engineer with two decades of experience used this tactic to land his new gig. He wrote a succinct letter about his qualifications and the kind of job he sought, and sent it to 20 people he was friendly with who might be in a position to help. He asked them to forward the letter if they knew of somebody who might in a position to help — trying to grow exponentially the number of people who knew he was looking for a job. He found people were happy to help, and landed a job six weeks later.
The classic approach is to demonstrate the value you could add to the company: One candidate wrote a full business plan for one of the firm’s products with his resume submission. Another created a full graphics portfolio on the company’s brand.
What is the craziest thing you’ve heard a job seeker do that actually resulted in a job?
After sending out 8,000 resumes with no response, toy company executive Paul Nawrocki walked the streets of Manhattan in 2008 wearing a sandwich board that said “Almost Homeless” and handing out his resume. A career coach who saw the media coverage of Nawrocki offered her services probono, which helped boost his efforts. He ultimately found a job this year through old-fashioned networking, but claims that tales of the sandwich board helped.
Should your job search technique match the industry and position you’re targeting?
Yes. Consider Alex Brownstein, the 29-year-old advertising copyrighter who got a job by targeting the names of a few creative directors he wanted to hire him, and paying $6 for a Google Ad that would appear when those individuals Googled themselves. It read: “Hey, Googling yourself is a lot of fun. Hiring me is fun, too” and linked back to his website. It worked because he’s in a creative field. More aggressive approaches tend to work well for people in sales. But those are probably not the right strategies for someone in finance.
Is the traditional job search dead (newspaper ads, job boards, career fairs)?
That’s true in some respects, but it’s also still true that the best way to find a job is through other people. You can’t get better results by using social media to micro-target potential employers. For instance, let’s say you want a specific job in engineering. You can do a Zoom Info resume search for the vice president of engineering at the companies you are targeting and also find former employees at the firm. (Zoom Info is offering new users eight weeks of free access to all 65 million people in its database.) Call former employees with this pitch: “This is unusual, but I know you used to work at XYZ Company, and I’m looking for a job there. May I ask you a few questions about this department?” That information can be used to create a targeted letter, focusing on the successes you have had in the past dealing with similar challenges or issues. (Obviously, don’t suggest the company has problems or mention your source. You might say, “Many firms in the industry have faced ____ issues, which I managed successfully at my last firm by doing x, y and z.”)
Lastly, leave a trail of “digital crumbs” so employers can find you. Get on Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, or set up your own Web site or blog. Post articles or commentary on a LinkedIn group frequented by potential employers. Get your name and face out there in a professional capacity.
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Laura Rowley is a journalist and author specializing in personal finance and values. She has written a book, Money & Happiness: A Guide to Living the Good Life, which shows readers how to manage money according to their values. Rowley is an adjunct professor of religious studies at Seton Hall University, where she teaches Contemporary Moral Values. Rowley has been interviewed by The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, Fox Network, NPR and dozens of other broadcast programs and print and online media. She is a former reporter/producer for CNN Business News in New York, reporting on air for Your Money and Business Unusual. She is the former money columnist for Self magazine, and her freelance writing has appeared in The New York Times, Parents and other publications. Rowley is also the author of two other business books, On Target: How the World’s Hottest Retailer Hit a Bull’s-eye, which has been translated into Japanese and Chinese; and CB Richard Ellis: 100 Years.
