Hi There I’m Natalie Fisher and this is the place to be if you want to be excited
for work every morning!
Today we’re going to dig into a topic that a lot of people ask me about: This question
comes from Tanya and she writes: I’ve got about 11 tabs open in my browser
window and they're for different job postings.
I’m flipping back and forth, trying to decide which ones I should apply for.
Some I’m not even sure I’m that excited about, but I figure it can’t hurt to try,
right?
I’ve sent out at least 49 applications.
I haven't received any responses yet, but I know that my resume is on point because
I’ve had someone look it over.
I’m beginning to feel frustrated and debilitated with the process, and "waiting to hear back"
is all I seem to be doing these days.
I’ve had enough.
Is there anything more I should be doing?
Good news: a) You’re not alone, so many people struggle with this same issue.
And b) There are other ways yes!
Let’s talk about 3 of them right now!
1.
Turn strangers into allies in your job hunt: If you're restricting your job search to the
job boards, your odds are only slighter better than playing a scratch card.
In other words, the odds of you winning are very low, but you could get lucky; for some
jobs you could quite easily be one of more than 1,000 applicants.
Which means that it's nothing personal that you're not getting replies—because it doesn't
really have anything to do with you.
Your application likely reads very similarly to the other ones, and it's hard for the person
reading them to see that you're awesome.
Possibly there isn't even a human reading the resumes, and they're being sorted by keywords.
So what should you do instead?
When reaching out to hiring managers (or people who can connect you to them) over LinkedIn
or via email, tests show that on average, one in 10 people will reply to you, if you
do it right.
Even better, if you're reaching out to college alumni, one in three are likely to contact
you back.
Which odds do you like better?
Another common misconception is that contacting everyone in your existing network and asking
them to "Let you know if they hear of anything" is enough.
The problem with that is if you had someone in your existing network who happened to be
a hiring manager (or knew the hiring manager) for your dream job, that would be great!
But most people don't, so you need to reach out to strangers or acquaintances that you
don't know that well, and that's where most people panic.
The trick is to be able to contact new people without sounding needy, sleazy or desperate.
Here's a template: Tell them how you found them ("I found you
when I was researching project management.")
A respectful check-in ("I hope you don't mind me reaching out to you.")
A sincere compliment ("I found your experience to be so inspiring for x reason."
Mention something specific you admire about them.)
Your current status ("I myself am working towards my degree in x, and I'm so excited
for what my future has in store for me.")
Make your request ("I was so inspired by you that I thought I'd ask if you had time for
a quick coffee or phone call.")
Attach your resume ("Attached is my resume so that you can have an idea of my background.")
Thank you, -Your name
2.
The Blurb Method When my sister and I lost our jobs several
years ago (we worked for the same company that went under), we both tried a bunch of
different things.
We tried job boards first and quickly realized we weren't getting the results.
We needed to change it up.
While my tactic was to go for coffee with everyone under the sun (using the script above),
my more introverted sister used a slight variation to this approach that also worked well.
From her efforts, she got 11 meetings in two weeks, and even now (years later), she's kept
in touch with some great company owners and hiring managers who call upon her for advice,
offer her contract work, and sometimes even now, full-time job offers.
Here's the blurb she used to get these results.
You can adapt it to your industry and situation, of course.
Her approach was contacting companies through their website with a similar message:
Subject line: Quick Question Hi,
My name is _____, and I'm a digital marketer.
I hope you don't mind me reaching out to you.
I am passionate about topics such as email marketing, landing page optimization, and
Google AdWords.
I read your website and was inspired by what your company is doing and how far you've come.
It's the people who create the culture and the environment, which is where the ideas
grow and great things happen.
If you think you might need someone like me in your organization, I would love to hear
from you.
Attached is my resume.
Thanks, -Your Name
(include your phone number) 3.
The Free Pitch Method If you can afford to do so, you can offer
to work for free at the beginning.
This is an especially viable option at smaller companies, where there is often a need to
hire someone before there is money to pay them.
If you can get a foot in the door and do a good job, then it's reasonable to assume that
the job will already be yours when the revenue rolls in to start supporting more salaries.
And bonus: you may be able to negotiate for stock options in lieu of a salary.
This is also an approach to consider if you're looking to gain experience in your chosen
field, or to test out a potential career path.
Here's one way to approach the offer: Hi, my name is (insert your name).
I hope you don't mind me contacting you.
I noticed that on your website you have some videos that are x and y.
I would like to offer my help in producing videos that will not only be x but help you
do y and get more z.
If you're interested in talking about these improvements, I'd be happy to help you out
with this at no cost.
Let's have a chat.
Attached is a copy of my resume so you can get an idea of how my skills can help you.
-Your name (Include your phone number)
That being said, I've had clients use a variation of the scripts talked about above and still
apply through the job boards and had a lot more success.
It goes to show you can get through the clutter with the power of authentic, sincere words.
You're now free to start getting connected and playing the game right.
Armed with this new information, you'll be unstoppable and ready to make your competition
irrelevant!
If you liked this video feel free to like it, or click thumbs down if you didn’t like
it.
If you want more information from me I have a free guide called: The Definitive Guide
to setting up coffee chats that lead to job offers.
You can grab it right now by clicking the link below:
In the guide you will learn: How to reach out to strangers who can really
help you in your career path (without being needy, desperate or salesy)
How to get introductions to important people who can help you the most in your career
How to turn a one time quick chat into a long-term career advancing relationship
How to follow up effectively after the coffee chat or phone call
How to get important people to forward your resume or help you with getting a job interview
How to find almost anyone’s email address