When you start your first campaign, you will be full of hope. Your resume will be great, and you will be talking to lots of people. Some will tell you that you should have no problem finding a job. They are being sincere. But job offers dry up. What once seemed like a sure thing does not materialize.
There seem to be phases and cycles in each campaign there is the initial rush, the long haul, the drought, followed by the first poor job offer and the later better offers. After a letdown, job hunters can lose momentum. They sometimes think they will never find a job.
If, however, you have already started that second campaign, you will know that those cover letters are in the mail working for you. You stand a chance of getting some response from the second campaign. You will do better in the interviews from your first campaign because you will not feel so desperate. Your second campaign backs you up.
Your second campaign could include additional people in the same target market as the first. (Do more research and get more names.) It could be a variation of your first target market (a related field or a related industry) or a new target.
I have had clients start a second campaign even when they were in the final negotiation stages of the first. Those negotiations went better, and helped them land the job because they had the comfort of knowing that the second campaign was in the mail.
If, perchance, your first campaign does not work, you will not lose momentum if you are already in the midst of your second or perhaps even preparing to start your third. It is better not to lose momentum.
Customize Your Campaign
Think of yourself as a corporation. Given equal economic conditions, certain corporations thrive while others fail. Successful companies adjust their approaches to the changes in the economy. And even when the economy is at its worst, certain companies come up winners.
In many respects, job hunt management resembles the management of a company. The economy has changed dramatically over the past several years; times are more competitive for companies and for job hunters. Whether you are managing a company or managing your own career, adjust the techniques you use.
Statistics show that certain techniques work better than others in the aggregate. Consider what might be best for you and your situation. The hiring system works differently in different industries and in different companies. Remain flexible: do what works in the industry and the profession you are interested in.
In addition, do what works for your personality. For example, certain job hunters phone company executives rather than using the written approach of a direct mail campaign. What if you are the sort (as I am) who finds it difficult to make calls to people with whom you have had no contact? Or what if you are currently employed and find that heavy use of the phone is out of the question for you? Or it may be that the industry you are approaching considers this technique an arrogant way to do business.
This same rule applies to the techniques you will find in this book. Use what you want. Do what works for you.
A Campaign To Promote Yourself Just Like Promoting A Product
Airlines run promotional campaigns to get passengers to fly with them. Computer software companies use their promotional efforts to get people to buy their software. You will conduct a promotional campaign to generate interest in your "product."
You and an airline go through the same steps to market your respective products:
- An airline analyzes the market to determine the kinds of people who are interested in its product, the number of potential customers, and how much need there is for the product. Analyze your market to determine the kinds of companies that could be interested in you, and the number of companies and the number of positions in your field of interest. Find out how much demand there is for your services in your target market.
- An airline defines itself by its features, such as the kind of seating it has, the cities it flies to, and so on and it also defines its personality or style. For example, an airline may say it represents the "friendly skies" or is the "only way to fly." Or it may define itself as a bargain or as an exclusive carrier.
Define yourself not only in terms of your skills and experience, but also in terms of your style and personality. There are many qualified people for each position, just as there are a number of airlines offering the same kinds of planes going to the same cities. The difference between the airlines is not in their basic product, but in their personality and the way they go about their business.
You and your competition will often be equally well qualified. The difference will lie in your style and in the way you go about your business. One main difference in Wally's "before" and "after" resume is that the "after" resume has personality. It highlights Wally's "ability to inspire workers" and says that he is an "innovator with people, processes, and equipment." Let your personality come through.
