I feel rather inspired this week.  Perhaps it is all the holiday cheer and Christmas decorations, but I love this time of year.  "Tis the season to be jolly... even if the economy is terrible with a jobless recovery well underway.  If you are looking for a new position, this story is for you. I want to share a scenario about a personal friend who just landed a sweet new sales job. 

As a job seeker, you have got to make the magic happen, and this is how he did it.  I will call him, Bill.  Bill started off like every other unemployed person out there: clueless.  He had an old resume, internet access, and a so-so professional network.  For the first month, he looked online for job postings, added folks to his linkedin network, and made some calls to former colleagues.  After several weeks of this, he really didn't get much traction.  After several conversations and lots of moral support from yours truly, Bill had to do some soul searching.  He was coming out of the construction industry and needed to find a new career direction.  Like so many others, he needed to reinvent himself and figure out what he could to get hired or least get some face to face interviews.

Looking at his past experience, he decided a solid sales and business development role was the best way to position his skill set. So, RaveResumes (shameless plug) put together a smart sales version of his resume. He knew companies were more likely to hire revenue generators, especially in a down market, so then it clicked.  Bill got serious.  His search was more focused and he could network with confidence by telling others specifically what kind of job he was searching for - a sales job, and had a resume to show his past success.  Even though he had not landed a job at this point, he knew he was headed in the right direction.

Bill had figured out what he wanted to do and thought about which companies would be a good fit.  After doing some research, he created a target list of potential employers.  He picked up the phone and started calling the hiring managers (not HR).  He left short, well crafted messages, and you know what, he got a call back from the district manager of the top company on his list.  There was no position posted, the hiring manager wasn't even looking to hire anyone.

I think everyone knows how this story ends... yes, he got an interview and yes, he got a sweet new job all because HE made it happen. Bill rocks, and I wish him all the best in his new position.  The time frame was about nine months from the beginning of his search to the end, which isn't bad. There is a learning curve when it comes to a job search, and the interview process takes longer than it used to.  However, some people still haven't figured it out, and would rather complain about it... Perhaps this will help.

Happy Hunting!
Leigh