Prospect in person

Recently I was helping someone put together their résumé. They wanted to apply to an organization without knowing whether or not there was an opening. We talked about her reasons and she simply said she felt safer prospecting by mail than in person. It was at that moment I felt like we were about to conduct an exercise in futility. Not only was she unsure about whether or not there were potential positions, she also seemed afraid to go face to face. She believed that if she sent them a well written résumé outlining all her talents they might see a place for her within the organization or, better yet, create one.

Unfortunately there isn’t a lot of room in a job search for fears and shyness. Some how, we have to find a way to work through those issues if we want to land a good job.

I suggested she do some homework and do whatever it takes to get that face to face interview with a decision maker inside the organization. Go in and ask prepared questions about the types of positions they have, what they look for in a future candidate, what their goals are, even the skills they like people to bring to the table. She needed to determine if this company was a good fit for her, and the only way to find out is to talk to people.

Once she had her interview and knew what she could do for them (if she actually wanted to work there), she could bring the information gleamed from the decision maker to me and then we could write the résumé. At least that way she would be handing a taregtted résumé to someone who already knew her and would have a better chance of the person actually reading it.

A company can have the greatest product or purpose on the planet, but still be run by idiots. It is impossible to know what you are getting into when you are prospecting with paper.

Your comments are welcome.
Glen Slingerlands Skills 101/Job Development