- An ad placed to a company that identifies itself but is located out of town.
- A blind box ad
If the box number is with the U.S. Post Office, call the branch. You'll be given the name of the company. (The Post Office offers anonymity only to private individuals.)
If the box number is with a newspaper, call the paper. Some states require newspapers to identify an advertiser if requested. Have a friend answer the ad according to job-search strategy titled, "Third-Party Correspondence." The letter must mention, however, that no fee is involved if the company interviews you or hires you. If the company responds, your friend will learn its identity.
Last, send the company a mailgram that states two or three outstanding accomplishments, but is signed with a name other than your own and furnishes a friend's address and phone number for contact information. If the company replies, your friend will advise the caller that the person who answered the ad isn't available at this time. He'll then obtain the company's name.
Answering a blind box ad provides a significant advantage: You'll have less competition from other job-seekers. Fewer people submit their background because so little information is provided. Many are also reluctant to respond for fear of who will learn of their interest in a new position-a particular concern of job-seekers who are currently employed.
When responding to newspaper advertisements, answer all ads where your background comes even close to meeting a company's requirements. If four prerequisites are listed and you can satisfy only two of them, contact the company. When organizations hire people, the new employees seldom have all the desired qualities.
The time that you mail your response is also a key consideration. Most job-seekers act immediately after the ad appears. This quick reply actually works against them. At this time, companies are often deluged with responses and are in a screening-out mode. If you delay your reply, it will be more visible and receive that much more attention. For entry-, junior-, and staff-level positions, wait four days. At the management level, allow seven days. For positions at the level of vice-president and above, delay action for 10 days.
An exception is when an ad appears to have been placed by a small company. Because these kinds of organizations often make hiring decisions very quickly, answer the ad at once.
As in job-search strategy titled, "Telephoning Managers in Response to Advertisements," follow up on your correspondence two weeks after having submitted your background if you haven't been invited m for an interview.
This follow-up call will be most productive when the ad instructed you to respond to the hiring manager. If you contact a personnel representative, it will be more difficult to find out why you weren't selected for an interview.
Answering ads can be effective when you want to relocate to a specific part of the country. Read the leading newspaper in the geographic area in which you want to work. This paper may even contain an ad for a newsletter that lists openings in that region. All newspapers offer short-term subscriptions. If you live in a metropolitan area, you may be able to buy the paper from an out-of-state news dealer or find it at the library.
The following newspapers are used extensively for advertising, especially for management- and executive-level positions, regard less of a company's location: the Wall Street journal (with four regional editions; the Eastern, Midwest, Southwest, and Pacific Coast), the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times. Also, National Business Employment Weekly contains all the "Positions Available" ads that appeared the previous week in the four editions of the Wall Street journal. National Business Employment Weekly is sold at bookstores and at quality newsstands. You can take out either a short- or long-term subscription by writing to National Business Employment Weekly, PO, Box 435, Chicopee, MA 01021-0435 or by calling (800) JOB-HUNT. (Along with featuring job advertisements, this publication provides excellent articles in each edition on the different parts of the job-search process and/or career development.)
When you answer ads, read back issues for up to eight weeks preceding the time you begin your search. It often takes companies months to fill a position, especially at the senior level. In concluding the discussion on this strategy, it should be mentioned that you can also answer ads by sending companies your resume. This document, however, won't be as effective as an individually tailored letter. In addition, a resume should have a cover letter attached.* Thus, since you will have to write a letter anyway, you might as well compose the letter that will produce the most interviews-one that uses the broadcast letter format.
