A great way to get an edge on your competition when trying to find a job and get an interview is to essentially set up your own back door entry into a company where you can be seen and chat with people at the company that may have open positions in an informal way.
The situation:
The candidate was networking with a contact of a small company over a beer. During the conversation the candidate found out that the company was thinking of hiring 5 people and had not advertised the positions. The contact suggested that the candidate send him a resume, which he then gave to the appropriate person. No inquires were made by the company to talk to the candidate.
A great action/plan:
The candidate took the bull by the horns by calling the company contact stating that “he was doing errands tomorrow in the city (or near his office), would it be possible to stop by briefly to see him to determine what the company was about?” The response was “Sure and bring along copies of your resume, just in case…” They set up a time.
The result:
During the informal visit the contact chatted with him, showed him around the offices and introduced him to some of the key people in the company. The candidate was ready to give his resume to anyone who talked about an “open position,” if it was requested, or if there was an appropriate opening in the conversation to hand him one.
Lesson learned:
To get an edge up on your competition, always try to follow up on your leads or contacts while they are still fresh. Try to keep the job search moving forward by being smarter and timelier than other candidates.
Getting an Edge on Your Competitors
A great way to get an edge on your competition when trying to find a job and get an interview is to essentially set up your own back door entry into a company where you can be seen and chat with people at the company that may have open positions in an informal way.
The situation:
The candidate was networking with a contact of a small company over a beer. During the conversation the candidate found out that the company was thinking of hiring 5 people and had not advertised the positions. The contact suggested that the candidate send him a resume, which he then gave to the appropriate person. No inquires were made by the company to talk to the candidate.
A great action/plan:
The candidate took the bull by the horns by calling the company contact stating that “he was doing errands tomorrow in the city (or near his office), would it be possible to stop by briefly to see him to determine what the company was about?” The response was “Sure and bring along copies of your resume, just in case…” They set up a time.
The result:
During the informal visit the contact chatted with him, showed him around the offices and introduced him to some of the key people in the company. The candidate was ready to give his resume to anyone who talked about an “open position,” if it was requested, or if there was an appropriate opening in the conversation to hand him one.
Lesson learned:
To get an edge up on your competition, always try to follow up on your leads or contacts while they are still fresh. Try to keep the job search moving forward by being smarter and timelier than other candidates.