Shotgun Vs. Sniper Approach

This week I talk about one of my favorite topics on the podcast, the shotgun vs. sniper approach. I love talking about this topic because I see so many students using the incorrect approach when it comes to landing their dream job. If you’re using the shotgun approach, it means that your playing the numbers game. It means that you’re handing a generic resume to as many company’s as you can in hopes that at least one of these company’s will give you an offer. If you’re using the sniper approach, it means that you’re targeting specific company’s that you want to work for and focusing your effort into making yourself stand out. I can tell you without a doubt in my mind that using the sniper approach is more effective, yet I see most students using the shotgun approach. 

You may be wondering why the sniper approach is best. The reality is that company’s are receiving hundreds and hundreds of resumes at career fair so it’s important to try and make yourself standout. When I recruited at career fair, I couldn’t believe how many students would come up and ask me what jobs we were hiring for. This information is readily available for all students and if they had taken any time at all to do research beforehand they would know the answer. That immediately tells me that this student is unprepared and that they’re not sure what job they want after graduation. This is not the best way to approach a recruiter. You would make a much better impression if you approached the company’s that you want to work for and say something along the lines of “hi, I’m Daniel. I know you’re hiring for this position and let me tell you why I would be the perfect fit.” Customizing your resume is also very important. Most recruiters only spend 7 seconds looking at each resume on average. By including the company’s name in your resume and using keywords that they’re looking for, you have a much better chance of getting an interview. 

If you’re planning on attending career fair anytime soon, make sure that you don’t make the same mistake that many other students make by using the shotgun approach. I promise you that quality is better than quantity in this case! Find about 5 companies that you want to work for and do your research! You have a limited amount of time to try and convince the recruiters that you deserve an interview so make sure that you don’t waste your time asking them questions that you should already know the answer to. The recruiters will definitely be able to tell that you’re prepared and you’ll be one step closer to landing your dream job! 

If you haven’t listened to this weeks episode yet, make sure you click the link below!