Job Seeker: “I’ve applied to over 100 companies, and not
one person has gotten back to me. What am I doing wrong?"
Career Coach: “Well, that’s
1 Point of Contact. 5 to
go.”
Or . . .
Job Seeker: “Well, I did what you said. I went to the Job Fair, and followed up with everyone I talked to, and no one got back to me!"
Career Coach: “Well, that’s 2 Points-of-Contact. 4 or 5 or 6 or 10+ to go.”
Professional salespeople used to say
it takes 6 Points-of-Contact - referred to POCs - to make the sale. What they’re really talking about is follow-up.
Salespeople talk about the fact that
it takes time, and several interactions, to go from introducing yourself, and
your product or service, to a prospect, to the point of finalizing the deal in
which the customer actually buys something! And .
. .
● The more complex the sale - the longer this
can take.
● The more complex the sale - the more steps
between saying “Hello” and saying “Thanks
for the sale!”
What does this have to do
with finding a job? . . . Everything!
Finding a job requires "selling a prospective employer" on the premise that you can do the job! Successful salespeople follow-up – multiple
times – with their prospective buyers before they make the sale and successful
job seekers do the same. Finding a job
generally takes multiple interactions with a prospective employer before you are
offered the job - or, in sales jargon, before you make the sale! Looking for a job is all about sales -- selling yourself.
Look at it this way: Since finding a job is all about sales, when you are looking for
a job, you are searching for a buyer of your skills, knowledge, expertise, aptitudes,
attitudes, track record, education and certifications that you possess. Your buyer is the prospective employer.
● If an employer has enough need for your
capabilities, and
● If you have enough of the capabilities the
employer is seeking,
● A
deal is made.
•
In other words: You’re hired.
The complex sale - Why it
takes so lon-n-n-n-ng!
In today’s employment market,
it generally takes months to find a job.
Why does it take so long for an employer to make up their mind and hire
someone? Because making a hiring
decision to bring an unknown entity into their organization, and hoping that
the new employee can actually perform as they purport to be able to, has a high
degree of risk attached to it.
What if something goes wrong:
● .
. . the new employee can’t perform to expectations, or
● .
. . the new employee can’t fit into the organization's culture, or
● .
. . the new employee is only using the position as a placeholder until their
dream job comes through?
It’s an expensive mistake on
the part of the hiring firm who now must start the process all over again.
So the hiring organization
tries to minimize the risk every way
possible. Employers - the buyer of the
service the job seeker/prospective employee provides - generally have a multi-step process in place to
raise the probability that no costly hiring mistakes are made. A series of vetting steps are in place, from
the initial screen of a potential employee’s resume and application to a
multiple-step interview process by stakeholders. It’s a complex sale.
You, as the job seeker, need
to convince a series of decision makers, over a period of time, that you can do the job. If you feel like you are jumping through a
set of hoops . . . you are. You are selling
yourself in what is aptly named a a complex sale. When you are offered the job, you have
made the complex sale.
The
"Hiring Shuffle"
It’s easy to get lost in the “hiring
shuffle" when there are multiple candidates vying for the same position and the
decision takes months to be made. So, it’s
your job to find ways to stay in touch and stay visible. Just as good salespeople expect to make 6 or 10 or 16 or more contacts to make the sale, in looking for a job, discover ways to do
the same. Here are some ways:
There are a lot of ways you
can gain visibility and stay in
touch with introductory and follow-up:
touch with introductory and follow-up:
- e-mails
- phone calls
- letters
- notes/thank you notes sent
via USPS with your business
card enclosed
card enclosed
- networking with individual
contacts and in networking
groups
groups
- social media activity,
including Linked In at a minimum
2. You can also . . . .
- set up a website and
announce it to your network
- write articles or share relevant articles with your network contacts including prospective employers
with whom you have struck up a relationship
with whom you have struck up a relationship
- blog
- secure speaking engagements
- volunteer where you’ll meet
helpful contacts and prospective employers
- attend association
meetings, neighborhood activities, events, job fairs, conferences, courses
- get on committees
- help out at conferences . . .
. . . . . . . . . . all in the vein of seeking to increase your visibility among those who can help connect you with the right folks.
- get on committees
- help out at conferences . . .
. . . . . . . . . . all in the vein of seeking to increase your visibility among those who can help connect you with the right folks.
Multiple interactions with
employers
So, expect multiple
interactions - 6 and probably more POCs - with most employers in
order to be hired.
Multiple interactions with
support network
Expect multiple interactions
with people in your support network who can help - again, 6 and probably more
POCs or follow-up.
Here Are Some Rules of
Thumb
● Be proactive with
employers. Don’t just sit, wait,
and hope to hear.
Let’s take, for example, a Job Fair you attend. How do you use POCs
to take it from a 1-time meeting to a possible interview?
1. POC-1 may be a job fair you attend.
2. A sincere thank you note to each
recruiter/manager you met is POC-2 (with updated and relevant resume attached).
3. A follow-up e-mail, call, or USPS letter
re-expressing your interest, qualifications, and enthusiasm is POC-3.
4. A new certification is reason to reconnect
with an updated resume in POC-4.
5. Asking a colleague you met in your networking
to hand-carry a resume to HR or a manager and put in a good word for you is
POC-5.
6. Getting a phone call or phone screen
interview is POC-6.
7. A follow-up thank you “sales e-mail” in which
you emphasize a couple points of the discussion from your phone screen interview is POC-7.
8. You’ve got an in-person interview - POC-8.
9. Follow-up thank you notes to each person who
interviewed you is POC-9. . . . . . .
You get the idea! There are a lot of ways to maximize your initial contact with that recruiter or manager you met at the Job Fair. Each POC lets the firm know that you are serious about your search and demonstrates your interest in their firm. Each POC keeps you visible. And, here's the point, each POC that keeps you visible, in touch, and moves you to the next step is a “small sale” with the aim of leading
to the big sale: “You’ve got the job!
● Follow-up an initial networking meeting or activity with anyone you meet
(Point-Of-Contact-1) in your job search - multiple times.
1. POC-1 is the initial meeting.
2. A sincere thank you note is POC-2.
3. A follow-up e-mail or call 3 or so weeks later updating your contact on your status is
POC-3.
4. Sending an article you wrote, or some helpful
bit of information on a topic of interest to your network colleague is
POC-4.
5. Extending an invitation to your colleague to
some event, get-together, or just a coffee on you is POC-5.
6. Sending a progress note on how your meeting
went with a person your colleague referred you to is POC-6.
7. Updating your colleague - who is a reference
- on the interview is POC-7. . . .
You get the idea! Find ways to stay in touch and remain
visible.
● Multiple contacts keep
your network contacts and prospective employers engaged and interested in you.
Plan, schedule, and chart your follow-up activity.
Plan, schedule, and chart your follow-up activity.
-
Network contacts should hear from you every 3 weeks or
so; if they don’t, they make the obvious assumption: You’ve been hired!
-
With employers, after an initial informal meeting to network, or formal
interview, try to gauge how often you should stay in touch. And don’t be afraid to ask!
● Use multiple media to
stay in touch.
You engage people, or get their attention, in different ways. Sometimes an e-mail may get overlooked but a phone call gains attention. Or a letter or note gets a response while a call did not. "Different stroke for different folks," as they say. By utilizing different media, you raise the probability that you'll get their attention as staying visible on their radar screen!
You engage people, or get their attention, in different ways. Sometimes an e-mail may get overlooked but a phone call gains attention. Or a letter or note gets a response while a call did not. "Different stroke for different folks," as they say. By utilizing different media, you raise the probability that you'll get their attention as staying visible on their radar screen!
● The # of POCs depend on what
you’re selling.
Here;s a simplistic equaiton that makes this point:
The higher the level of position
+ The greater the responsibility
+ The higher the compensation
= The longer the sale will take.
Here;s a simplistic equaiton that makes this point:
The higher the level of position
+ The greater the responsibility
+ The higher the compensation
= The longer the sale will take.
Organizations
may search a year for a senior director, VP, or general manager/CEO,
whereas
hiring a junior level engineer may take 3 months.
● Price matters.
The
lower the price = the shorter the
selling time
The
higher the price = the longer the selling time
● Little sales lead to the
big sale.
Recognize “small sales” and celebrate these successes along the way. Small sales lead to big sales; they're all steps on the path to your next job or role.
Recognize “small sales” and celebrate these successes along the way. Small sales lead to big sales; they're all steps on the path to your next job or role.
- Hearing back that your resume is
being reviewed and considered is a small sale.
-
Getting a meeting with a referral who is well connected in your industry is a
sale.
- Getting past a "gate keeper" and connecting with a key contact inside a firm is a sale.
- Getting past a "gate keeper" and connecting with a key contact inside a firm is a sale.
-
Making it past an initial phone screen is a sale.
-
Speaking at your professional society is a sale and if a audience member
compliments you it’s another sale.
-
Hearing back from a hiring manager that while they have no openings now, he or
she is keeping an eye open for you is a sale.
- Hearing from this same hiring manager they learned of an opportunity at a colleague's firm and thought of you is a sale.
- Hearing from this same hiring manager they learned of an opportunity at a colleague's firm and thought of you is a sale.
Each obstacle passed - each
hoop jumped through - that leads to the next step is a small sale and a
success. Celebrate it and then plan your
next POC!
For additional information on marketing yourself and your capabilities, please refer
to the many articles found under the Articles tabs of the AJC–Career Strategy website.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
nancy@ajcglobal.com www.ajcglobal.com AJC - for Your Career Path
Linked In: www.linkedin.com/pub/nancy-c-gober/6/14b/965
Twitter: @AfterJobClub
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