Job Wanted Ads

Seem to be on a kick about getting jobs and saw this http://www.careerjournal.com/jobhunting/usingnet/20060620-needleman.html?cjpos=home_whatsnew_major?cjpartner=mktw on the net.

The article is about job seekers putting ads on Craigslist or other sites looking for a job.  Not a bad approach and here are the pros and cons.

Pro 1--They carry the message you want.  I guess so, you wrote it.

Pro 2--They can be anonymous.  Don't see the advantage in that.

Pro 3--They ususally can be updated easily.

That's all the pros.  Not great but they don't cost much, if anything, so why not?  Wonder why they didn't put that down as a pro.

Now the cons.

Con 1--They may be seen by relatively few recruiters and hiring managers.  Well, it only takes one.

Con 2--They usually take a shotgun approach.  Shotguns work a lot of the time.

Con 3--They may seem desperate to some recruiters.  Most job seekers are desperate.  Why not just admit it?  Plus, most recruiters want to recruit people that already have jobs to switch jobs.  People out of jobs, looking for jobs are somewhat damaged goods to recruiters.  Kind of don't call us, we'll call you type of thing.

Con 4--They may attract junk mail.  What doesn't?

That's it.  Not a great approach but every little thing helps.  This approach should just be a small part of the overall campaign.  The rest should be

-Check everything.  That means the want ads on line, Monster.com and any other job site.  Also, don't limit yourself to those categories.  Ok, maybe you aren't a nurse but you may find a job under advertising, finance, management, executive.  Look at everything. 

-Interview.  Doesn't matter what the job is.  An interview is practice.  The more you practice, the better you get.

-Network.  Hate that word but do it.  Network also doesn't just mean with people.  Network with the Chamber of Commerce that breaks down into company categories that breaks down into individual companies.

-Mail order.  You don't hear this one very often anymore.  Find 100 companies in the town where you want to work and live.  Find the department you want to work in.  Find the manager that runs that department.  Write 100 letters, stuff in a 100 resumes and mail them.  Traditional mail order response is 3% so you may get 3 responses.  You may get none.  But I know this works because a guy I know did it with our company and ended up fifteen years later as CFO.  Not bad.

-Protest.  If all else fails walk down the street with a sign.  I know a guy, decorated Vietnam Marine, that did it.  It works as well.

Doubt if you have to go that far but a job hunt is just that--a hunt.  Use shotguns, pistols, hand grenades.  Something will work.