David Perry writes today for the blogswap. He talks about using technology to further your job search.
There’s an old sales adage that applies to job hunting which goes something like this: “success is 98% just showing up”. Following Hr Guys post yesterday I want to expand on the use of technology and how to apply it to your job search.
The new rules of modern job hunting change daily as does the technology and counter-technology companies use. Because of that, a traditional staple in the job-hunter’s arsenal is coming back into vogue – FAX. Guerrillas know that often the best weapon is “old reliable”. I wrote an article for California Job Journal on the use of fax technology as an effective alternative to email, snail mail and web forms. It’s well worth reading. On the Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters site there’s a free trial offer as well. With Fax your document cuts through all the technology barriers in your way.
Fax was pivotal in a successful marketing campaign I ran to place two candidates as a team [no easy feat]. Fax was the KEY distribution tool for the launch which also consisted of direct mail, web site and blog – along with a direct marketing campaign lead by me – to leverage the full power of the Force Multiplier Effect. Without the initial traction from MyFax, it’s very likely I would have worked a lot harder to schedule the 39 interviews. With it I simply zeroed in on who had opened the fax as the hottest prospects.
The two candidates where successful in closing on 38 offers from the initial round of 39 meetings. Their progress was tracked – in near real time – and podcasted on LandedFM in 3 segments over a 6 week period. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3. As far as tools go it’s also worth while looking at the web site he designed and the accompanying Blog. Using one tool in isolation will increase your ability to penetrate the companies you want. Using several of them in tandem has an exponential impact.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I have to disagree with this approach. Unless you have a direct number to the recruiters personal fax machine, chances are that the fax will never get to him. With e mail, and the ability to attach files either with pdf. or doc. extensions there is no need to take the risk that the phone connection will be poor, resulting in unreadable documents.
Apart from that, as a person who reviews many resumes, I tend to think that people who insist on using faxes instead of e mail are stuck in the past.
For my own hiring, I prefer a file by e mail that I can keep on my computer, rather than taking up file cabinet space.
I hate faxes. I hate to send them, I hate to receive them. One page will look fine, the next page will look like crap. Plus, unless it is a confidential fax line, everyone who walks by can see what you sent – or what was sent to you. And, it seems more likely that paper faxes would be “lost” or “misplaced” easier than an email.
Steve sorry to hear that you think dinosaurs use fax. I suggest you read the whole piece on incorporating fax into your job search: a.) because email gets stooped by spam filters NOT faxes and b.) because it’s only one of several tools that where used simultaneously so you need to understand the mix of tolls we used. AND if that’s not enough .. 38 out of 39 is as close to 100% as you’re likely to get.
Kelly,
You faxes can look crappy sometimes unless you use a service like MyFax.com Try it before you dis it. again. faxes are more likely toarrive at their intended destinations and be read than emails are now.
This is exactly what I expected to find out after reading the title ce Multiplier Affect – Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters | YourHRGuy.com. Thanks for informative article