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Obtaining INTERVIEWS:

"How to Find a Job in a Jobless Recovery"
Prepared by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

1. THE RESUME:
2. Obtaining INTERVIEWS:
3. THE INTERVIEW:
4. THE FOLLOW-UP:
5. BUILDING AND USING CONTACTS:

Once you have created a list of contacts and job leads, the next step is to begin making phone calls to arrange interviews. In each call, your goal is to contact an “action person,” someone who can see you and then offer you a job.

Contact the hiring authority, not HR. Human Resources rarely makes the final hiring decision, unless the job opening is in that department. The heads of the various departments determine when new people are needed, so it is critical to get their names. If you want to work in sales, then get the name of the head of sales. The best way to obtain a manager’s name is simply by calling the company. (Avoid telling the switchboard the call is about a job or else face transfer to Human Resources).

Seek interviews when others are not. Oftentimes, the key to obtaining an interview is having the flexibility to fit into the interviewer’s busy schedule. Since you are meeting with a manager, not human resources, chances are the person is very busy with several projects in addition to hiring someone. Let the interviewer know that you are willing to meet before or after hours, on the weekends or at a location other than the office.

Do not take a holiday from interviewing. With Labor Day approaching, followed in a couple of months by the Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Year’s holiday period, many jobseekers take a vacation from the job search, figuring that no one is hiring. This is a mistake on their part, but one that can be used to the diligent jobseeker’s advantage.

The fact is employers are hiring all of the time. If there is a need for workers, then it does not matter if it is the week of Christmas. And, while it is true that some of those you wish to interview with are on vacation, there are going to be many others who are working throughout the holidays. Job seekers who keep up their interviewing schedule during the holidays, or even try to increase their activity, will likely be rewarded with several interviews.

Be aggressive and unconventional. Some jobseekers are afraid to employ more aggressive or unconventional techniques to obtain interviews. However, these are often the methods that stand out in an interviewer’s mind and can lead to the appointment.

• E-Mail Your Way Into An Interview. Check the company web site or call the main switchboard to find the e-mail address of the person managing the area in which you want to work. Send a brief but persuasive e-mail on why he or she should meet you face-to-face. Do not send a resume. Rather, explain in the message what you have to offer and why you are qualified for a position with the company.

• Waiting It Out. Arrive at the company you would like to work for as the office is opening.

Ask to see the person you want to work for without an appointment, after confirming that he or she will be in. Tell the secretary that you are willing to wait until the manager has a few free minutes. Even if it takes all day, it will be worth it if that is where you want to work and the manager reasons, “If you waited this long, I will give you ten minutes.”

The Dawn Patrol: In today’s competitive global economy, executives often arrive at work early and stay late. Call the company switchboard operator for the night number of the person you want to meet. Try to reach the executive early, before a secretary is there to screen your call. You may find a receptive executive willing to meet with you early the next day or after office hours.

The Pen Is Mightier: Write a “personal and confidential” letter to the person you want to work for, praising his/her secretary for the outstanding job he or she was doing screening calls so the executive could concentrate on work. Close the letter with a request for a job interview. Do not be surprised if the next time you call, you find a friendlier tone to the secretary’s voice and the news that you have an appointment the next day.

Score One For Alexander G. Bell: Use your cell phone — a tool that every jobseeker should have — to call from outside the building where your prime prospect is located. Call the person you want to see and explain that you are downstairs and would really appreciate a few minutes of his or her time. Often times, executives are willing to take a few minutes after hours to meet. In one example, this approach won the candidate a “few minutes,” which then turned into a long conversation and, very unexpectedly, an offer of a job! •

1. THE RESUME:
2. Obtaining INTERVIEWS:
3. THE INTERVIEW:
4. THE FOLLOW-UP:
5. BUILDING AND USING CONTACTS: