How not to get a job, or make a sale...

How not to get a job, or a sale….

Social media, and the internet overall, means that a great deal of information is out there, if you look for it. If you want a new job or to sell your services or products, then identifying the people to talk to has never been easier. However, such access brings with it challenges and as someone who is approached several times a day by potential candidates or suppliers, I thought I would give my perspective, and a few tips. Being on the receiving end can be frustrating:

Take for example the woman who emailed me every three days for four months seeking to arrange a meeting with me, as her software for tracking and managing our fleet of vehicles could easily save us over a $100k per annum, and she could prove this with case studies. She clearly thought ‘Driver Group’ must be something to do with large scale vehicle operations and had not bothered to look beyond the name. She also had not checked to see where we are based, as became clear when I delighted her by finally accepting her request to meet with me. Her delight was short lived. Apparently having just three company vehicles and not being within an hour of Scottsdale, Arizona, is a problem. Still, at least she has stopped emailing me.

The company name has caused confusion and job applicants do not look further than the name in many instances. The role of Associate in our Northampton office was advertised on LinkedIn a couple of years ago. Over 75 people applied within 24 hours. This sounds great but how to sort out who to interview from the volume of applicants was a challenge. In the end we replied to each of them offering an interview on a wet Wednesday morning in Northampton. Not one of the some 74 applicants from the Indian subcontinent with an HGV licence turned up for their interview. Disappointing.

Some people think that bragging about their skills on LinkedIn is a way into a senior position. We read this stuff before deciding whether to interview or not. If you have set out how brilliant you are at a complex skill such as delay analysis, and claim to be better at it than anyone else, or invented shortcuts that allow you to deliver the right answer in 10% of the time other professionals do, and you have spotted loopholes in construction contracts which have left highly qualified QCs and world renown experts gasping at your brilliance, you will either be a star of the industry, or a complete nutter. If you have been out of a job, for a number of years, because no one has spotted your stellar skills, the nutter option is far more likely. One chap who had been fired from his two previous positions in under a year, because his former employers felt threatened by his brilliance, comes to mind. He doesn’t work here…

Then there was the guy who was interviewed for a job in one of our Middle East offices, did not get the job, and decided to write to me in detail setting out why our local management team had got the decision wrong and that our business would undoubtedly suffer in the future due to our failure to recognise his level of talent, which should be clear to everyone. No, he doesn’t here work here either….

Not a week goes by without a job applicant for an entry level QS position in somewhere like Dubai applying direct to the COO of our business. I have never yet read one of those CVs or sent them to another team member.

What makes people think that sending their details to the most senior person, they can identify, in dozens of businesses, without even looking at what the company does, is going to get them a job or even a meeting?

Here are some tips, from the other side of the fence:

1 - Communicate with the right person – It will almost never be a member of the Board. Identify where you want to work and give the office a call. In most firms, the receptionist knows everyone, knows what’s going on, who is who and is usually very happy to tell you who to contact and how to do it. If you are polite enough, they may even deliver your email or letter to the right person for you.

2 - Do some research – It’s not hard, find out a little about the firm, its culture, locations and what they do. If you don’t know what a firm does, you have no business contacting them.

3 - Not everyone will want to employ you or buy from you – Recognise the long shots or the no-hopers and politely move on. Dentists surgeries don’t buy light aircraft or employ lion tamers, so don’t bother them or waste your time.

4 - Be careful about what you post – People read this stuff and if they get the wrong impression you won’t get through the door. Get some advice or training on this point and ask others to review your post critically, and honestly.

5 - Be succinct – No one has the time to read a ten-page CV with the relevant bit hidden on page 8. Explain what you want and why we should engage with you in no more than two sentences.

Finally, and on a positive note, we are always looking for great new suppliers and excellent staff. Those who approach in the right way and offer the right skills and services do get through and enjoy long and successful relationships.