They all seem to begin the same way: "I'm a proven professional ..."
Would anyone claim to be a "green" or "failed" professional?
When you're looking for a job, no matter what form of communication you use, you have only 30 to 60 seconds to really grab someone. You need to get to the point: Why should a hiring manager hire you?
Hiring managers are looking for people who make things happen. Focus your pitch on your accomplishments and results.
Examples include:
In my current position with Acme Industries, I put together a team to develop new sales strategies and ultimately increased sales by $75,000.
I implemented a new process to handle customer service complaints that improved customer satisfaction by 30 percent.
I landed a client that my company had been courting for five years.
In an economic downturn and increasingly tight labor market, many job seekers are vying for hiring managers' attention. To beat your competition, you must develop a clear, concise and compelling pitch to set you apart and generate interest. Your results are what give your pitch the critical edge.
Be Old-Fashioned
Many people think that blasting their resume is a great way to look for their next job. Yet resume blasting rarely gets interviews, never mind jobs.
I recommend that job seekers spend less time hiding behind technology like e-mail and do three things: Call, call and call.
The old-fashioned, personal call is the new way to go these days.
First, you need to find the right company and get to the right person. Focus your research on identifying the companies most likely to hire you. Look for companies that either need someone with your expertise or are simply doing a lot of hiring.
Once you have a list of companies, write down everyone you know in your network and then call them. Networking is about action, which means picking up the phone and leveraging current contacts to develop new contacts.
Ask your contacts if they know anyone in your target companies that might be willing to talk to you or who could refer you to the best person to speak with. Not only will you have someone new to call, you'll also have your first contact's name to use as a referral and to make that next cold call a little easier.
Be Persistent
Waiting for a company to call you back?
Most people play telephone tag, so they think the concept of networking is making a phone call and then waiting for a response.
Your mother may have taught you not to be pushy -- but that won't get you a job. Persistence is key.
Sure, calling a hiring manager who has never heard of you is hard. But to create an effective job search network, you'll have to get used to rejection.
The best time to call a potential contact is before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m. -- when assistants have gone home and hiring managers answer their own phones.
When you get a hiring manager on the phone, introduce yourself and give a quick pitch of how your accomplishments could fit in with the company. Then see if he'd be willing to arrange an interview with you.
Don't give up too soon. The hiring manager may say he isn't hiring right now, but he may be willing to give you the name of someone who is.
Ask for a referral:
Who else would it be good for me to get to know?
What are some other companies that I should consider?
Be Confident
To get a job offer, you must convince hiring managers that they need you.
Attitude is key: Focus on the positive. If you're out of a job or have been fired, don't bring it up.
Everything you say, and how you say it, should convey self-confidence.
Awkwardness is in your own head. What are your accomplishments? Make a list of things that you've done that set you apart from others and then be prepared to talk about them.
Practice this pitch, preferably in front of the mirror, to get connected to it and believe in it.
This will allow you to feel confident, comfortable in your own skin. People who are unemployed or struggling in their careers often have a lack of self-esteem. You need to feel confident that what you have to offer someone is important.
Be Prepared
When selling yourself, prove that you're a well-prepared, smart, no-nonsense person from the get-go.
Ask well-thought-out, specific questions. (It's helpful to write them down in advance, so that you don't forget them under pressure.)
What's your organization's biggest challenge?
If you could find a star performer, where would you put her in the organization?
Of all the people you've ever hired, who was the best and why?
Be prepared to interview the interviewer. Sometimes all it takes to get the hiring manager's attention is asking the right question or, better still, the right question that no one else has asked.
