While many companies successfully use lists purchased from brokers to sell their products, I question whether job-seekers will be successful using a purchased list as the basis for a broadcast campaign. Companies that purchase such lists usually buy ten thousand or one hundred thousand or even one million names. Thus they can afford to write to a few inappropriate names - such as people who are no longer with the company or to executives whose titles or responsibilities have changed and are no longer in a position to purchase the products they sell. The job-seeker who conducts a broadcast campaign can't afford to write to poor names or old addresses. At best, your campaign will involve two hundred to three hundred companies - at a minimum one hundred. Every letter must reach a potential boss if you're to succeed.
Another fact to keep in mind is that some less than ethical list brokers use the same list for every job-seeker - regardless of his experience level and industry background. When the same list is used again and again, it is bound to lose its effectiveness. After a while it's very likely that the president's secretary will file broadcast letters in the circular file rather than show them to her boss. So the candidate who uses a commercial list broker ends up paying more to get the mail and is less likely to secure interviews in the bargain, it takes more effort to develop your own list of executives who might hire you than to buy a list of Fortune "500" company presidents. You are far more likely to get a meaningful response if you write to the executive at a company who is in a position to hire you. The product manager, for example, should write to the vice-president of marketing, the senior auditor to the controller, and so on. In a word, buying a list may save time and effort initially but it will reduce the effectiveness of your broadcast campaign.
Company formatted application form
Occasionally, when I answer ads, the companies placing them send letters instructing me to fill out applications that are attached. Some of these applications can be very time consuming. Is there any way I can avoid filling out such applications?
Fortunately, such requests rarely are made of executive job-seekers these days. But a few companies still insist that standard applications be filled out by lower - echelon applicants prior to the first interview. While doing so is a nuisance, it's easy to understand the company's point of view. When a candidate signs the application, he is declaring that all statements about him are true. This gives the companies legal grounds for dismissing a candidate after he is employed, should your statements turn out to be false. Another reason they are popular with personnel people is that they know exactly where to look for information. Resumes, after all, are all different. So the application is simply the personnel department's job even though it may complicate you.
Unfortunately, I know of no perfect way to get around applications.
I have known a number of job-seekers who only filled in quest' answered by their resumes, and then attached their resumes mentioning that all additional information could be found "in the resume." A few have managed to get away with this, although haven't been called into interviews afterward - and who approach may have done them in. I've known other job have contacted the companies in question, saying the lighted to complete the application once they've had determine if there is a real mutual interest, but the considered for that initial interview based on their known several candidates to get away with this candidates who used the approaches I described were strong ones - fully qualified for the jobs, without filling out applications.
Aside from these two techniques, I know time and effort required to fill out applications. But keep in mind that choice is yours - whether to fill the application blanks out or not. If you are already talking to a number of companies when the application comes in the mail there's nothing that prevents you from filing it away until you see that your alternatives are not working out. But if you don't have many job opportunities, it would certainly pay you to complete the application. Except in one circumstance - where completing the application is likely to hurt your chances of getting an interview. For example, if the ad called for someone with a master's degree, and you didn't have one. The problem here is that the same person in personnel who would eliminate you from consideration because you don't have a master's degree is the same one who might eliminate you because you refused to fill out the application. Since you're damned both ways, I'd recommend you don't fill out the application in this instance. Your only hope is that the person who received your resume and forwarded the application will show your resume to the person who is doing the hiring even though he hasn't yet received your application. If your resume is good enough, maybe you can still get in the door.
