When you are looking for a job, stay in contact with the small operations. Ask your friends to let you know if they hear of anyone leaving, or of any company getting a large contract. Write to all the small businesses in your area who employ people with your range of skills, let them know that you are available at short notice and give them an easy means of contacting you. Follow up your letter with a phone call a couple of weeks later - just to check that your letter was received.
Small companies are usually free of the procedures which govern larger operations. When you apply for a job in a small company you may be expected to write a letter and provide a CV but small companies often don't have application forms. A direct approach to a small business can be very productive. A telephone call can result in an invitation to visit the following day. Knock on the door at the right time and you may be invited to roll your sleeves up and get started straightaway.
If you are invited to an interview in an organization such as this, you can expect to be interviewed by one person rather than a panel and your interviewer may also be the owner of the company. He will probably know everything about his business and his customers and, if he is successful, he will be highly motivated and hard working. He'll be looking for the same qualities in you but he may not be a highly skilled interviewer. His questions may be poorly phrased and there may be some uncomfortable pauses while he thinks of the next question. You may need to help him along a little.
Smile
It is a scientifically proved fact that you use fewer muscles in a smile than a frown. A cheerful smile will lead your potential employer to think that you are confident and relaxed - even if in reality you are a quivering jelly. A warm smile and the offer of a handshake when you enter the room can break the ice and give a good first impression. More important, though, smiles are infectious. Your smile will provoke smiles in others. It's a good way to start any meeting and - if this meeting happens to be an interview - all the better!
Speculative enquiries
Don't wait for the right job to be advertised. Make a list of all those companies who employ people with your type of skills and let them know that you are looking for a job. Many employers are popular and have no need to spend money on advertising vacancies when they know of several people who are waiting for the chance of an interview. A speculative letter should be short and to the point. State your interest in working within that organization, tell the employer what kind of job you are seeking, what skills you have, and how you can be easily contacted. An enclosed CV will supply enough information about qualifications and previous experience.
Ask whether you could make an appointment to visit the company to discuss the possibility of employment there. Address the letter to the owner, manager or personnel officer by name. If you are not sure of the name, telephone and ask who the most appropriate person would be. Make sure to include a stamped self-addressed envelope (SAE) and then see what happens.
You have to accept that some companies will not reply. Others will not wish to see you but will keep your details on file until a suitable vacancy arises. Some, however, may invite you for an informal inter-view, a discussion or a chat. At such times, make all the preparations that you would for a formal interview. Check your dress, be punctual and be prepared. This visit may be informal, there may be no job at present but you will want to make a good impression and they wouldn't invite you to visit them unless they had some interest in you.
After the visit build on the relationship that you have established by sending a further letter to the person you met, thanking him for taking the time to see you, and emphasizing your continued enthusiasm for a job within the organization. The whole exercise may have cost you no more than the price of three first class postage stamps, but you may have moved a long way down the road towards getting a job.
A good general speculative letter can be sent, with a few changes, to a wide range of companies, but don't send out photocopies or you'll give the impression that your letter is little more than a mail-shot. Rewriting each letter can be time-consuming but if you have access to a word processor you should be able to contact a fairly wide range of companies without too much trouble. If you are unemployed, stamps can be an expensive item, but some job clubs offer free stamps. Otherwise, keep costs down by being more precise about which companies to include on your list of targets. Give companies scores out of ten depending on your assessment of whether they employ people with our range of skills and write only to companies which score high on your list.
Further information
The Department of Education, Publications Centre, PO Box 2193, London E15 2EU; 0171-925 5000
The Scottish Office Education Department, New St Andrews House, St James Centre, Edinburgh EH1 3SY; 0131-556 8400
