The jobs they listed had already been filled, and the other jobs they suggested you apply for weren't the kinds of jobs you were interested in. You have also met with contacts you've developed through your friends, through alumni, and through a few social organizations you belong to.
Although a few good leads have sprung up that you've pursued, nothing tangible has yet been offered, and it seems counterproductive to keep on waiting and hoping without exploring other options.
Actually, the option you'd like to explore most is the one you've uncovered while doing your research. What you learned there is that your first priority is a marketing position, and although you'd be willing to pursue it in any industry (in fact, you've already interviewed in the banking industry, the computer industry, and the cosmetics industry), your preference is the food industry. And although you're still willing to go on other interviews, what you'd really like to do is to develop a job search campaign that is industry segmented, because you feel there must be a more direct way to proceed.
There is. It is called the Direct Contact Approach, which simply means that you identify the companies in the industries in which you are interested in working, and you contact them directly - without knowing whether or not a specific opening exists. This is a simple, rather basic approach that is often successful. What's more, while utilizing traditional sources is often passive (you tend to be in the position of waiting for someone to do something for you whether it's returning your telephone call or responding to your resume), the direct contact approach is active. It puts all the initiation of action into the hands of the person who cares most about your job search – you. So how do you begin utilizing this approach? Once again, you start out in the library.
Library Research
Before you start out, it's helpful if you are clear what your objectives are. Just because you've been in the library before, during other phases of the process, doesn't necessarily mean you can skip this step. Your objectives here are quite different, and you may be using some additional resource materials now that your search has become more directed.
Objectives
You have four objectives. Your first objective is to identify companies in which you are interested. Your second objective is to uncover the names and position titles of key personnel within these organizations. Your third objective is to learn some basic information about these companies, so you can approach them intelligently. Your fourth objective is to write them a letter. Let's begin with first things first,
Identifying companies
Your goal here is to compile a list of approximately 10 organizations you'd like to approach for employment. Some of you will have already completed this step in the information-gathering chapter when you did your company research. For those of you who haven't, rest assured that for whichever field you have chosen, there will be a directory that in some fashion describes many of the organizations in that field. One excellent resource is The National Job Bank: A Comprehensive Guide to Major Employers in the Nation *s Key Job Markets, It is published by Bob Adams Inc., and can be found in many libraries and college placement offices. The article lists organizations, contact people, a brief description of an organization's principal business operations, and typical professional positions, as well as including an Industrial/Geographical cross-index.
Determining key personnel
Your second objective is to uncover the names and position titles of key personnel within the organization at which you'd be interested in interviewing. How do you decide who to contact? By interest. If you are interested in a position in sales, you might contact the Sales Man-ager. And if you are interested in an accounting position, you might contact the Director of Finance. If you are interested in a position in human resources, you might contact the Vice-President of Human Resources. The best reason for contacting people at these levels is because they are generally the decision-makers, and writing to senior officers has a few major advantages. First of all, they are usually on the lookout for talent. Secondly, they probably won't be intimidated if you're bright, enthusiastic, and aggressive - characteristics that can threaten lower-level managers who might view you as an antagonist. Thirdly, if you can enlist a key person in your job search, you dramatically increase your chances of getting an interview. Last of all, at the very least, they will send your letter to someone beneath them, which still works in your favor. There is nothing better than walking into an interview with a director whose boss has told him to interview you. It gives you a nice edge. So how do you identify vice-presidents, or other key management personnel?
Many times, their names and position titles will be listed in the directories, annual reports, or other resource materials you used when you targeted their company. If they are not listed, you can always call a company to find out. In any event, the person you contact should never be in personnel. The fact is, the personnel office is usually asked to recruit for a position only when it has become a reality; that is, after a job has been approved and a job description has been written. That's too late, and should be avoided. It doesn't give you the edge you want.
What you want is to intervene in the process, if possible, before it gets to the personnel office, while it is still in the mind of the creator. It is that person's responsibility to know that so-and-so will be taking a leave in two months, that a new contract has been negotiated for the new fiscal year, or just that he wants to add a person to his staff. In other words, the person responsible for a particular function understands the scope of the staff needed. That is the person you want to know in the organization. That is the person who has the authority to make hiring decisions. That is the person to whom you will direct your letter.
One cautionary note. The anti-personnel orientation of this book is nothing personal. If you are referred to a personnel recruiter by someone higher up, fine.
