This is the little known formula that will get you a juicy job in less time. I call it the Direct Marketing Job Hunting Approach because it follows the same idea that Direct Marketers use to sell their goods and services. The
usefulness of this approach lies in the fact that
. You target the decision makers directly.
. You don’t struggle with thousands of other job seekers trying to get interviewed
. You have the opportunity to negotiate your pay package
. You sell yourself directly to the company of your
choice without distraction.
Now, we are through with the preamble. Here are the ten steps to landing the fat-paying job of your choice:
FIRST, Identify the exact kind of Job you want and the exact job position or title
SECOND, Identify three possible firms or companies you will love to work with
THIRD,— Pick the first company, Research it, get the contact address,, Name(s) of decision makers of the firm and their accurate positions. Next, find out the skills, qualifications etc required for the particular kind of job you want.
Eg if you want work as a Network/ applications engineer and you have identified maybe three firms like Starcomms, Reltel Wireless and Globacom to work for, you now have to find out what the required skills are for a network engineer.
You can find out the required skills by making enquiries from the employees of the companies you shortlisted who can tell you what it takes (This is not the time to be shy or lazy). You can also find out the requirements for that job by looking at past vacancy adverts in newspapers relating to that type of job and by adding one or two of your own
analysis.
FOURTH, Evaluate yourself. Are you in a position to take the job? Look at your strengths versus your weaknesses.
If for eg ( I like teaching with examples ) you are attempting to land a job as Regional Manager in an organization like the Department For International Development (DFID), you can find a past advert in newspapers for the post of manager by the same DFID. The requirements may include;
• Fluency in English language
• A good Bachelor degree in Social sciences, or Administration
• Numerical ability
• Sound financial knowledge and skills especially in Budget monitoring and implementation, accounting and bookkeeping
• Experience useful but not necessary
• Sound human relations skills
• Good ability in use of Microsoft Office ( Word, Excel, PowerPoint )
Let’s say the above are the required skills and qualifications you discovered for this kind of job.
Now, looking at yourself and the skills and qualifications you have you can draw up your Strengths vs Weaknesses table
Maybe you
• Know how to speak English very well,
• You are very good in managing and leading others( you have held various leadership positions in the past where you have done well)
• You are proficient and capable in the use of all the listed Microsoft Office programs
• You have a good degree in a social science
• You have good financial knowledge (in fact you have an
OND in accounting or any other financial course)
These become your strengths i.e. the required skills and qualifications you already have.
Your weaknesses then become the skills you don’t have or those knowledge you don’t have that will hurt your chances of getting the job.
If perhaps you are weak in mathematics and numerical calculations, this becomes your weakness.
So your Strengths vs Weaknesses table will look like this
STRENGTHS
* Good communication skills (you have written several good
reports and speaks well )
* Skilled in managing and working with people (give instances
of past positions held and successes recorded )
* Very skilled in all Microsoft Office
applications
* Good financial knowledge (state Qualifications if any like
Ordinary National Diploma ( OND ) inaccounting or simply,
can read and interpret financial statements, draw and interpret
budgets and forecast )
* Good first degree in social sciences
WEAKNESSES
* Poor Numerical Ability
FIFTH, Add to your strengths, Erase your weaknesses as much as possible. If for example using the above illustration your only weakness is poor numerical ability you should then undergo training on relevant mathematics and statistics to improve your numeric ability.
Thus you can erase your weaknesses by undergoing seminars, trainings, or programmes that will give you the required kills that you don’t have.
SIXTH, Design your extra-ordinary CV using the Instant Job CV Guide. Most CVs are not spectacular but if you go through the three page CV guide I’ve prepared you’ll discover how to make a CV that will impress the
potential employer.
SEVENTH, In place of the usual dull cover letter, write a 2-3 page convincing letter selling yourself, your skills, your goals for the company and why you are qualified to seek for that particular job with the company.
(Repeat these processes for the other shortlisted companies you intend applying to.)
Watch out for my explosive sample of “The Instant Job Application Letter: How To Write A Job Letter that Will Get Companies and Organisations To Call You”
It will teach you all you need to know to write a killer letter that will attract attention to together with your well made CV.
EIGHT, Package the CV and Job application letter in a neat envelope and address to the person who is in the situation to take a decision.
Here’s a guide to use
a) If the company is a large one eg Globacom, Nigerian Breweries etc, send a copy each to the Human Resources Manager ( or Head, Human Resources ) and to the Managing Director.
Better still, get the direct fax or personal email of the person or persons in charge of hiring and send the CV and letter to them. This is to avoid any middle person in the company blocking your application from reaching the right persons.
How can you get the personal mails or fax number of the big manager you might ask? It requires creativity and boldness. Go through the secretaries and receptionists or through a worker at the firm who can give advice on
how to make your application reach the right persons.
You need to develop friendships with insiders in those companies you want to get employed in.
This is not the time to be shy and afraid. If you want this advice to be useful to you, you must implement these pieces of advice we give you. If you can succeed in sending your application direct to the person or persons concerned your chance will be increased greatly but if you just send to the general head office, even though in the envelope you addressed it to the managing director or Head of human resources your application might stop on the waste bin of a secretary.
b) If the company is a small or medium sized one that doesn’t have a Human Resources Manager send to the Managing Director/ CEO.
NOTE; Find out the full names and title and use that on the envelope plus the company name. Example;
To
MR DAN KEYAMO
MANAGING DIRECTOR
On the back side
LONGMAN COMMUNICATIONS
12 NAWFIA STREET,
INDEPENDENCE LAYOUT,
ENUGU,
ENUGU STATE.
(This is just an example and not an actual address)
NINTH,-Send by courier (if possible ask for a confidentiality seal on the envelope, it shouldn’t cost more than a thousand naira to send). Your letter
will be delivered to the person who should get the letter.
But if you can get hold of the fax number or email like I told you before that should be better, faster and more direct in order to jump all the middle
persons who may stop your application.
TENTH, Prepare for interview when you’ll be called.
This is the ten step magic to landing a lucrative job. It is not a strategy for the faint hearted and will require a lot of determination and willpower.
No comments:
Post a Comment