Why You Should Heed My Advice

I hear people complain and say, “…you don’t know how tough it is.” Or, “when was the last time you looked for a job”, blah, blah…  well, those folks couldn’t be more mistaken. For those who want to do more than to complain; if you are serious and you mean it, I can help with useful advice if you’re ready to do more than most people – who, by the way, aren’t doing much so it’s no wonder many see no real results.

 

For more than two decades I have been conducting business that is closely connected to peoples’ job searches and interview efforts. So I have been directly involved with, witnessed, and heard more situations than I could ever list. Furthermore, I apply the same advice that I give to others, and translate it into my own business development efforts, which includes sales technique that is at the heart of what you should be doing for yourself now, or whenever you will find yourself searching and/or interviewing for a new job.

 

For example: When I am conducting business development and building relationships with new companies to market my services, it’s a sure bet they already have someone else they are using for their recruiting needs. So, if I call them and say something generic, weak, and non-specific like, “…do you have any vacant positions, maybe I can help”, they will disregard me. It is likely they’ll walk away from the conversation feeling they just wasted five minutes of their life that they can’t get back. The simple fact is I’ve given them no reason to take notice of me or consider me any further, because I would sound like every other mediocre person out there saying the same, lame thing. You know, like most job seekers who can’t figure out why they are getting nowhere. If I want to be seriously considered, I must give them a reason as to why they should consider me over someone else, whose services they already use, or why they should consider my services compared with many others seeking the same thing. So let me ask rhetorically, how does this differ from your task, when you seek to gain the attention of a potential employer? 

 

If you haven’t already noticed, what I’ve just described is selling, whether selling a service, a tangible product, or selling someone on the idea that you are more worthy of notice and consideration than the next person, and this is what I do when I coach people in their job search and interview efforts. These concepts are necessary and to dismiss it is fine, you can go right back to the crowd standing over there, collecting dust and bitching about how unfair everything is. Or, you can challenge yourself to take one or more of my suggestions and step out of your comfort zone, which I contend for some, may not be so comfy. 

 

The job market is difficult and getting more so. Don’t doubt me on this selling business as it relates to your efforts. You are the product and your resume is your product brochure, and the sooner you get your head around that fact, the better. Furthermore, a professional sales person is someone who truly believes in the product(s) or services they represent. Any loser who claims, “I can sell anything” is a con artist, at best. 

 

So, if you believe in yourself, what you have to offer a company, and you feel confident you can contribute to an organization of which you seek to be a part, you must get them to take notice. That takes more than a finely-crafted resume, the sole purpose of which is to get you in the door and seated in front of a hiring manager. Which means, you will need to multi-task and get beyond the resume in order to truly capitalize on any opportunity. 

 

One thing I am not shy about is saying that the people I coach always do better and are better prepared for their interviews. So it’s up to you, do things your way if it is working for you and getting results. If it is not, well… I don’t suggest anyone do anything I haven’t or wouldn’t do myself. The new reality these last few years requires that you must do more than have a good resume to be noticed. You can’t get hired if you can’t get noticed, and you’re unlikely to get noticed if you are standing in the middle of a crowd of others, who all look and sound alike.