4 Keys that Unlock Side Doors (part 2 of 2)

Debra Angel — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:00:28 +0000

Last week I listed 2 keys that Unlock Side Doors to help you stand out from the crowd. They were:
1. Be Willing to Standout From the Crowd
2. Show them a Skill/ Quality that is Hard-to-Find

This week I want to add two more that may be useful.

3. Talk to the Person Who Has the Power to Hire
Only the person who has the power to hire can request that you skip the Screen-out Process and be given an interview. The decision-maker is usually the business owner or department manager. For lower-level positions HR may make the final decision, but usually their job is to screen-out.

Research the decision-makers name by calling the company, looking on the company website, asking someone who works for the company, asking business associates in the industry or reviewing membership lists for business associations. Always address all letters, emails or phone calls to them personally.

If you can’t get access to the decision-maker, then impress someone they trust and can act as a credible referee.

4. Be Politely Persistent
If 100 people ask you for a job, and most have the skills to do the job – how do you decide who you will hire? Often it’s the one that shows the most interest in working for you … not just for a pay check. Polite Persistent is nicely reminding the employer you really want to work for them. It might look like:

Calling or stopping by every fortnight or months to see if anything has become available
In your letter to the employer telling them you will call or by stopping by … then doing it
Demonstrating the skill or quality they need several times before asking if they can use your skills.

Photo by Hyperfinch

4 Keys that Unlock Side Doors (part 1 of 2)

Debra Angel — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:41:56 +0000

Most job seekers send their resume/CV through the front door and then wait to be contacted. Unfortunately, only about 3-6 will ever be seen by the person who has the power to hire. The rest will only be seen by people who only have the power to screen out. So we suggest your skip the front door and go through “side doors” to get interviews, while your competition is still waiting in the lobby.

1. Be Willing to Standout From the Crowd
Side Doors are a deliberate effort to get noticed by the decision-maker — so you must be willing to do things differently from everyone else. For this reason I can’t give you a list of things to do – as soon as everyone is doing them they would be ineffective. However. I can tell you what they look like, and encourage you to think creatively and try something new.

2. Show them a Skill/ Quality that is Hard-to-Find
What can you offer the employer which most of the other 200 or 300 applicants either can’t offer or wouldn’t think to offer? It must be something the employer wants — the rarer it is the better. It may be a specific vocational skills (Ability), but the other five areas of PADMAN (see here for more information) are just as important and often more difficult for the employer to find or teach.

Customer Service person who displays genuine pleasure in serving others
Waiter with an excellent memory for names & faces so returning customers feel like VIPs
Young person who is the first ones on the worksite and the last to leave
Labourer who automatically clean-up after themselves and others
Manager who inspire their staff to give their best and creates a positive atmosphere even during difficult times.

Caution: The unique attitude, skills and abilities you demonstrate must be something the employer needs. What impresses one employer won’t necessarily impress another. A creative CV would work for a Marketing Executive – but not an Accountant. Most companies don’t want their Accountants to get too creative.

Next Wednesday I’ll share 2 more keys to unlock those side doors and stand out from the crowd.

The WorkNET » CV

4 Keys that Unlock Side Doors (part 2 of 2)

Photo by Hyperfinch

4 Keys that Unlock Side Doors (part 1 of 2)

Photo by _Zeta_