By Markey Read

Tip #1

Remember that your resume is a marketing tool.  Include information that will enhance your best qualities and eliminate potentially controversial information.  Think of your resume and cover letter as paid advertising.  For each page of resume and cover letter you send you have 92 sq. in./page available.  On the average you will have 184 sq. in. to sell yourself and about 30 seconds to catch and keep the reader’s attention.  If you are aiming for a salary of $30,000, each square inch of your materials is worth $163.00; if your goal is $50,000, each square inch is worth $271.00.  This is premium advertising space – use it well.

Tip #2

In sales and marketing the goal is to get your product name in front of the consumer as mush as possible.  In fact, the general rule is to expose the consumer to your name seven times and the consumer will remember your name.  And since we buy what is familiar to us, the more comfortable and familiar with are with a company name, the more likely we are to purchase it – consciously or unconsciously. 

Apply this same methodology to your job search.  Get your name, face, and/or resume in front of a potential employer seven times and you will significantly increase your likelihood of being hired.  You might ask:  “How do I do that without becoming obnoxious?” 

1. Call and introduce your self to a networking contact:
2. Send a letter with your resume to this individual.  Ask for an appointment to meet to further discuss your qualifications.
3. Call to follow-up.  Verify that your information was received.  Make an appointment to meet and discuss how you might fit into the company’s current or future needs.
4. Within 48 house of the meeting, write a thank you letter for the meeting and reiterate why you think the company could benefit from hiring you.
5. Within a week, send an interesting article that relates to something you discussed with a quick handwritten note: “Thought you would find this interesting.”
6. Attend a professional or social event where you accidentally-on-purpose bump into your contact.
7. Use your imagination:  you are close to “familiarity” and should look for another opportunity to have contact.

Tip #3

Before contacting a company, use your friends, family, and business associations to obtain and name inside the company.  Contact that person directly, using the name of the referral, and skip at least two levels of familiarity depending on the quality of the referral.

Tip #4

Before your contact a potential networking contact, be clear about the purpose of your call. 
Do you want general information about the career field?
Do you want information about the specific company?
About the training and education required for a particular field?
Current hiring trends for your field?
Comments on your resume and general professional presentation?

Tip #5

There is a theory called “Six Degrees of Separation” that state we are only six relationships from anyone else in the entire world – including heads of state and corporations.  In the State of Vermont (where there are only 600,000 people in the entire state), I believe the theory could be renamed to “Three Degrees of Separation.” 

Since 70% of the people working today obtained a position via a networking contact, and 40% of those people helped the company create an appropriate position with that person in mind, USE YOUR NETWORK OF PEOPLE TO FIND YOUR NEXT POSITION.