Introducing Yourself to the Right Person

How do you get your resume in front of the right person? Well if you use the old traditional ways, you can be sure that it may be a great feat. The right person by my definition is the hiring manager and short of a person introduction, you have work to do on many levels to ensure that they see your resume.

First thing I recommend is that you have a well written resume and cover letter that is targeted for the position that you are interested in. The next thing that will help you in this market is networking. I know you are probably hearing that word a lot lately, but it so critical to your success in your job search. You can get your resume in front of the right person without networking, but the odds of them landing on you amongst all the other candidates competing for the same job is astronomical. I know may be discouraging, however the reality is that there is a lot of competition. A lot of qualified applicants are in the market, and you want them to land on you. So you have to differentiate yourself from ALL the other competitors in the race. Networking will help you do that – differentiate yourself. Here are a few ideas to consider:

1. Determine if you know someone who knows someone you need to know – a friend that may be willing to make a personal introduction

2. Determine if you know someone in your network – online network, using LinkedIn. Yes, you need an online network of people “working” for you. Use your network to get an introduction.

3. Do something unusual. I have heard of everything from getting the name of the hiring manager and sending a Federal Express package, with your resume and cover letter in it, to bumping into them at a local event. Creativity works for some, not for all, but it doesn’t hurt.

4. Develop a blog and share your expertise. This may take a little longer, but if you can pull it off, it is a great tool to help differentiate yourself from other candidates and gives the hiring manager additional information about you that no one else may have.

Those are just a few suggestions. Sending your resume in with the masses, is relatively a lost cause if you are serious about getting a job. This is by no means a reason for not sending your resume, but you need multiple access points into the organization so that you are not relying on one method and “hoping” someone notices you. That to me is like a wall flower at the dance, hoping that some will come over and invite them to dance. Probably not going to happen and if it does, the wall flower may have been standing there all night and on the last dance, the question is asked. You want to enjoy the party. You want to get in this and give yourself a chance to compete for jobs as early in the process as you possibly can and than outshine the other competitors and get the job.

Image Credit: sxc.hu