GET PAST THE ELECTRONIC RESUME: SELL YOURSELF TO ME

Lately I have been doing a ton of interviewing and hiring. My schedule is packed with meetings and phone calls from sunrise to well past sunset. All in all, I'm not the easiest person to get in front of. Point is just like everyone my time is precious to me.

We use the typical recruiting tools such as Indeed, Career Builder and Monster etc. These tools are of course good for sourcing candidates however, when I set my 15 or 20 minutes aside to review the 400 resumes I have received overnight tell me what have you done to catch my attention? You see, I'm more likely to hire you if you seek me out proactively and really position yourself well.

Although I am not the easiest person to get a hold of between traveling, calls, meetings and oh yea my assistant who should have been a gate keeper at a Attica, with just a little effort you might could get my attention. Send me a LinkedIn invite or InMail with a clever or witty tag line and ask me to review your resume. Call my assistant and tell her I won the lottery and you need to speak to me right away. Endorse me for some skill you have no clue if I am good at or not (at least I will recognize your name).

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but spending your days sending out your resume to company after company is going to make you go nuts. Think about the hundreds upon hundreds of resumes that hiring managers receive through Job Boards, etc. The odds are stacked against you even if you are the most qualified person for the job.

I love technology as much as the next guy however, relying on technology alone isn't going to get you hired.

So step away from the computer and go find upcoming networking events that you KNOW my company will be participating in, find a clever way to get in the door. Also, start having your network make introductions on your behalf to the right people you need to meet. Odds are if you want to work for me you probably know someone who knows me or someone at my company. If not, get to know someone.

Your resume alone won't sell you...you gotta put yourself out there and be your own champion. Print up some business cards with your contact information, bring copies of your resumes, and just start meeting people. Take it one day at a time and I promise you you'll have more luck finding that job you always wanted.