Expressing his growing frustration, scientist, diplomat, and entrepreneur, Benjamin Franklin, 56, told reporters Monday that he is giving up on the Internet as a principal means of his job search and going back to writing letters and leading revolutions. “Tis all a sham. I ought write Mr. Craig a letter expressing my utmost dissatisfaction with the integrity of his list,” Inventor and Postmaster of Philadelphia, Mr. Franklin, told reporters while attending a career fair last Wednesday.
With so many job and message boards available over the Internet, the average Joe and Sue are left to roll the dice in the hope their dream job will find them. When asked for alternatives, Mr. Franklin had only one thing to say “There are no gains without pains.” That’s right; it was Poor Richard, not Rocky Balboa’s trainer that said it first. The downside of having this wealth of information at our finger-tips is the complacency that has developed as a side effect. The average career seeker has become comfortable with the notion that spending two to four hours surfing the web in their pajamas is a sufficient enough ‘job search’; there isn’t much left to do.
Standing before the unbalanced ratio of employers to visitors, Mr. Franklin pounded his walking stick three times on the venue floor, raised himself onto a cafeteria table, and exclaimed in true revolutionary fashion, “Hear ye’, hear ye’…hide not your talents, they for use were made. Sloth makes all things difficult, but industry, all things easy. He that rises late must trot all day, and shall scarce overtake his business at night and poverty shall soon overtake him.” And with that, this patriot stormed out of the auditorium, leaving 250 people stunned and confused.
Let’s make sense of the wisdom this Renaissance man was trying to communicate. The explanation is simple, think outside the box. The following statistic clearly demonstrates the obstacles in the way of successful career searches: 80% of jobs are not, or have yet to be, posted on the internet, leaving 20% of available positions to be competed after by the masses. Alarmingly, 80% of seekers are using the internet as their sole means of research. What is the other 20% doing? Career seekers taking advantage of the Internet AND the non-advertised market are being industrious and using their talents. They are reaching out to the decision makers within the companies and industries that most attract them.
Adding during a Skype interview, the Postmaster explained, “Hath the public forgotten the impression sealed within letter? Doth the individual prefer being Spam whilst success lay in standing above the crowd.”
So, what should the first step be? Visit your local library and ask a staff member to assist you in finding reference books containing the most up to date listing of companies operating in the industry of your choice. You will be surprised to find an ample supply of such material, print or electronic, made available to libraries. In most cases, there will be a telephone number accompanying the street address. With this information in hand, the next step would be to call and request the name, mailing information, and if possible, the telephone number of a decision maker within a certain department.
Once company/contact information is received, one successful avenue may come in the way of arranging an Informational Interview. Then finally, you prepare your broadcast mailing by compiling a substantially large list of companies/individuals; include a compelling cover letter and a concise, impactful one-page resume based upon the VALUE you bring, keeping it metric based. Presenting superior marketing documents is critical.
This approach is not for the faint of heart. It requires work, courage, and passion. This fortitude should be easy to come by since we are talking about your career, remember? Broadcast mailing is effective at opening many doors. This entry has only scratched the surface. Take a few minutes to scroll through the many blog submissions offering insight on direct mailing and informational interviewing.
Perhaps this is the first time you have considered an analogue mailing of this magnitude and are a bit doubtful of the strategy. If this is the case, we would be happy to put you in contact with Mr. Franklin to discuss the concept of impossibility.
If you would like more information regarding the types of resumes and cover letters hiring managers are looking for, post a reply and we will be happy to assist you in discovering what works for you.
By: Charles Montoya, Senior Writer for Career Services International
