More Interviews, More Jobs

By Nick D'Ambrosio

Most every job seeker I speak with says landing interviews is the toughest part of their job search. Most are not sure why and this leads to a very high level of frustration. The most common reason people struggle to land interviews has to do with their approach. The methods used  are not only ineffective; they waste a ton of time. To land more interviews, you need to do things differently. Below are the most common mistakes people make and ways to avoid them.

1. Applying To Online Posts- For every post you see, 100’s of resumes are being submitted. The sheer number of resumes makes it next to impossible to get yours read. I recently posted an ad for a part time office manager and in less then 1 hour received 125 resumes! Unless you know the person you are sending your resume to, don’t spend much time blindly submitting resumes, especially if it is going to places like careers@abccompany.com or hr@ibm.com. People in HR  are not only completely overworked, they are asked to screen resumes across such a wide array of positions, few would recognize the perfect resume if it did end up on their desk.

Solution- If you see a post and can figure out the company, do research, find the person that is actually hiring and reach out to them. Will you rock the boat and potentially blow your chances at this company, maybe. Will you get more interviews using this approach? When done correctly, YES.  It is a risk worth taking. If it doesn’t work you can always go back to what you have been doing in the past.

2. Sending Long Cover Letters or Emails – I cannot tell you how many people  send their resumes to us hoping we can place them. In a market like this its hundreds a month. And while we are always looking for new talent, most seem to blasting their resumes without putting in much thought.  They write a full page detailing every accomplishment over the last decade.  I assume they take this same approach when reaching out to hiring managers. BAD MOVE . No one has the time to read these long emails. Keep it short and to the point. Your initial goal is not to land a job, it is to start dialogue and land an interview.

Solution- Your initial contact via email should be less then 100 words and should always end with a question. And don’t send your resume until asked. Skeptical? Good. Reach out to twenty potential hiring managers with an email like the one below and let me know what happens.
Read: How to Approach Hiring Managers- http://firstroundcareeradvisoryservices.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-approach-hiring-managers.html

Subject: Oracle Professional (try several )

Tom,
I wanted to make a brief introduction. For the past 10+ years I have successfully (sold, implemented, managed, designed etc.) large (networks, software, wireless, etc) for Oracle. (if you can site large accounts you have worked with or one or two significant accomplisments to get their attention,use them)  I am beginning to look at new career options and believe my experience would add value to ABC Software.
Do you have 15 minutes to discuss your hiring plans?
Regards,
Contact Info.

3. Not Reaching Out to Enough Companies- Here is the bottom line. Working your network is a must but you are probably beginning to see that networking is hardly the “silver bullet”. Recruiters are helpful (after all I am one) but place a very small percentage of people in the overall scheme of things. Applying to online posts is by far the least effective way to land an interview, unless you want to sell insurance or work for Avon. So if these are the things you do in an attempt to land more interviews, it may be time to try a new approach.

Solution- Reach out to at least 50 NEWLY found  hiring managers a week. Yes it is a NUMBERS game to some degree. However, unless you are approaching them correctly, huge numbers will still yield poor results. Once you understand how to build a list of companies who are potentially hiring, start sending out 10-15 emails a day. Use an email similar to the one I outlined above. The hardest part will be to find enough companies and contacts to approach. To build a large list of companies that you probably have not heard of that could be hiring, read the following.
Read: Find More Quality Job Openings- http://firstroundcareeradvisoryservices.blogspot.com/2009/09/finding-more-quality-job-openings.html

The bottom line is that finding a job is difficult. However, by understanding and implementing a better strategy, your results will improve.  It is no different than hitting a golf ball, one flaw in your setup can keep you from reaching your potential. Same thing when it comes to exercising and getting fit. You can work out really hard but if you’re eating pizza and drinking beer all week your results will suffer.

How long have you been looking for work? Has it been over 90 days? Contact us today and take advantage of our free, "What Needs To Change" call. We will give you 3 tips that will  improve your search results.  
Contact us today at : 949.675.0000 ext. 101