Why
Relying on Resumes Won’t Produce an Offer
By Perri Capell
Ronald R. Evans is senior vice president of People Management
Inc., a search firm based in
·
You say in your book that many job hunters leave their
common sense at the door. Why?
Most people are obsessed with fear of not finding [a job], and
they become very tactical. It's as if their house is on fire, and they look for
a window to hurl themselves out of, instead of saying, "How much time do I
have, and what is the most sensible thing I should do under these
circumstances?" It's the pressure. If you aren't on the phone smiling and
dialing, you feel as though you aren't doing anything.
·
Why do you maintain that resumes are ineffective?
Focusing all your energy on your resume shifts the responsibility
of clearly defining who you are and what problems you solve from you, the
seller, to the buyer. I get 100-plus resumes a day, and what most people are
saying is, "Help me figure myself out and fit somewhere." Buyers
don't have the time to do that.
Resumes are the most voluminous form of spam out there. They are
choking up the Internet. Most importantly for job hunters, sending out a resume
doesn't achieve what they want to achieve. They do mass resume-distribution
campaigns because they fail to be strategic about their job hunts. If they were
strategic, they would spend their time focusing on only the right companies.
·
If job hunters 'kiss their resume goodbye,' what should they
do then?
First, define what you have to sell or your "personal value
proposition." This is what a venture capitalist would demand to know if
you were an emerging-technology company seeking funds. It should not be lengthy.
Clearly and briefly define the value you bring to the marketplace.
Second, clearly define the businesses that require this value
proposition. Think about the kinds of business and services you worked for in
the past. Now ask yourself, "Who are the suppliers, competitors and
customers to this segment?" Your universe is these three camps.
Identify 10 businesses in each of these groups that are most
likely to want you. Figure out which ones are suffering from problems you have
solved. Rank them from one to 10 and then choose only the top five in each of
the three categories. Now you have 15 companies that have some sort of
connectivity with you.
Look at the problems you have solved and select the companies that
are struggling with those types of problems. Approach them about your ability
to help them solve those problems. This puts you in a conversation with them
about their problems, instead of your coming to them with a resume and saying,
"Can you help me?"
·
What is the best way to contact those companies?
Most people let their network lead them. They say, "Here I
am. Whom do you know?" Your network contacts don't know your value
proposition and what your targets are. If you don't know, they'll lead you all
over hell's half acre.
Ask yourself, "Whom do I know who could provide a door-opener
to one of those companies?" Lawyers and accountants are good prospects.
They are probably plugged into any company we could dream up, and they are keen
on ingratiating themselves to their customers. It behooves them if they can
make a strategic introduction.
If you say, here's my personal value proposition and the companies
I want to target, you can take advantage of the concept of "six degrees of
separation," meaning we are only six people away from anyone we want to
meet. You are telling the market, "This is where I am going," versus
it telling you.
If you can't get an introduction, call a contact at the company to
discuss something you are familiar with at that company. Perhaps it's a
supply-chain issue. This gives you your opportunity to talk with them. Follow
up the call with an e-mail or a letter.
·
Do you even need a resume?
Yes, but only after an employer says, "That person is really
sharp. We could use him." Then you whip it out. You don't send it as a
door-opener, because it isn't. It's at the back of the process. It should be
short and sweet. Give employment dates and accurate titles. Don't fudge with
stuff like that.
·
Who has used your method successfully?
The first time I encountered someone doing this sort of thing was
when I was doing a treasurer's search for a Fortune 500 company. A candidate
called me out of the blue with the right credentials and background. I asked
him how he got my name. He said he was doing research on competitors of his
past employers. He had noticed that several had real problems that he had dealt
with and he called one of them and talked with the chief financial officer. The
chief financial officer told him the company was searching for a new treasurer,
and he should call the recruiter handling the search, which was me. That person
became the archetype for showing job hunters how to tackle things this way.
One person used the methodology to move to a different industry.
He mapped the target companies and developed his contacts with them around a
value proposition. He said he had solutions for issues they were struggling
with and set up his meetings around that offer. That meant he had a different
type of conversation with them -- he was giving before asking.
This isn't the tactic most people use. Most people drown in their
own stew. I have watched for 20 years from the buying side. All the advice job
hunters get comes from people on the sell side, and that alone should make you
curious.
-- Ms. Capell is a senior correspondent for CareerJournal.com.
She can be reached at frances.capell@dowjones.com.
Article from CareerJournal.
October 2004