Looking for a way to speed up your job search? Then you no doubt have seen the websites and services that will blast your resume out to over 300 employers with one click. This will effectively SLOW DOWN your search guaranteed!
An analogy for you: Let’s say my friend Mike and I both want to meet and make a meaningful connection with a girl. To do this, we decide to visit 10 bars together over the weekend. My strategy is to take 30 business cards up to the bartender when I walk in and ask him or her to distribute my cards to 30 women in the bar for me. The card will read:
An analogy for you: Let’s say my friend Mike and I both want to meet and make a meaningful connection with a girl. To do this, we decide to visit 10 bars together over the weekend. My strategy is to take 30 business cards up to the bartender when I walk in and ask him or her to distribute my cards to 30 women in the bar for me. The card will read:
My name is Paul and I’m looking for a date. I don’t care about appearance, if you are short or tall, big or small, I’m fine with them all. I need a date and my name is Paul, give me a call. 867-5309
By having the bartender hand out 30 of these cards for me, I cover a lot of ground with minimal effort. Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about the women to whom my cards are being given, but I’m getting 30 cards out in less than 30 seconds of effort by handing them to the bartender; that seems like a good deal to me.
My friend Mike on the other hand spent time networking before we went out. When he walks in he is looking for someone specific. When he finds her, he introduces himself by saying, “Hi, my name is Mike. My friend Joe said you might be here tonight and that I should swing by. He said you love snow shoeing, and I love snow shoeing, and that we should meet because he felt we would really hit it off. I was wondering if I could call you some time?”
Then we repeat this system through all 10 bars. By the end, he only contacted 10 people, while my name is in front of 300 people. He had to spend extra time networking ahead of time to figure out who would be where, he had to find a warm referral for all of them, and then he had to think of something enticing and unique to say to each one of them specifically. For me, however, I simply handed out 10 batches of 30 cards and presto, 300 women had my info.
Who has a better chance of making a meaningful connection first? Does covering a lot of ground work better, or does showing specific interest in a smaller number of individuals create more interest in you?
Here’s another important question to consider: What if, after our experiment, one of my friends sets me up with a girl they thought would would be a good match for me, but it turns out that girl happened to receive my card from one of those bartenders this weekend? How will she feel about me? Will my friend’s referral mean as much as it could have?
Blasting generic resumes screams “I just need a job! I don’t care if you are a big company or small, I’m fine with’em all…”. “I need a job” is as attractive to employers as “I need a date” is to potential suitors. It repels them and taints future referrals. Apply to fewer companies, have reasons for doing so, and get warm introductions whenever possible.
Start with 10 companies where you would love to work, and list the reasons why you want to work for them. Follow them on LinkedIn and research the people there. Can anyone make a warm introduction? When you have a better process, you get better results, faster. It’s time to get to work!
