Correcting Strategic Job-Search Errors
by John M. O'Connor
The recruiter in Atlanta, GA called Ellen Jimison that morning to schedule the interview. The phone
call and subsequent interviews went well? What happened? Why didn't she get the job?
Most big companies look for Ellen Jimison. Just look at some of her experience. In her previous roles
she worked with four international vendors to sell suites of security software products to end user
accounts. She handled key national and international accounts and traveled a bunch, managing software
and performing many project management solutions for multi-million dollar engagements. Ellen just had
a few issues, such as her positive experiences ended about the end of the technology boom in 2000.
Sure she had a track record of overachieving but that track detoured. She made a decision to stop
traveling when reality hit three years ago. She was pregnant with twins, served about six months and
then made the decision to quit her highly lucrative and international job. Her twins are healthy today
but her marriage wasn't surviving stress, changes and mini-crisis associated with it all.
"Life changes. I knew I had the kind of background companies would love to see," she said. "However, I
knew I had issues that might be a concern like my family, restrictions on travel, and a time out of the
market." Most of the positions she applied to in sales and software sales required a road warrior. She
stated her willingness to relocate but travel only 25% due to family. All the contacts and competing
security solutions software companies turned her down initially. She created presentations to recruiters
through email and the phone but was met with even more resistance. Why the gap in employment? Were there
any personal problems? One recruiter even said: "You haven't had the bit in your mouth for so long and in
this market, with this technology, two or three years out is too long."
Ellen didn't like the tone of the recruiters she talked to or images of a bit in her mouth. So she did what
she thought a good sales person would do - call, call, email and cold-call - just hit the numbers harder.
Those calls spanned industry contacts, recruiters and friends. Friends offered a whirlwind of conflicting
but well-meaning advice on a variety of subjects: resumes, cover letters, email campaigns, Internet
posting, various approaches for networking within the field, personal advice. Everyone wanted to help. But
with two years of savings depleted by a new family and the obvious expenses of no job and recent legal
hassles of divorce things were heating up. The pile of books around her home computer seemed to be about
every self-help resource she could find online and in her local bookstores, e.g., resume writing,
motivation, job search, careers.
After compiling all of her advice, readings and so on, the mess got messier. "I really just started going a
little cuckoo from all that I was trying to master. It's easy to work on and solve other people's problems.
But like most people I was having trouble solving my own. My desperation could be perceived on the phone
despite my personal confidence and professional focus."
Her positive job search responses expected in the first months of search now looked even bleaker at nine
months into the search. Her planner looked full. She had interviews but none at the six-figure level she
needed for her goals and lifestyle. But her search activity consumed her with 40+ hours a week going out
into job hunting, multiple boiled down and built up renditions of her resume, a few regional job-search
seminars, software professional and sales professional meetings, and of course the endless online search.
This didn't include the children, the community volunteer work, starting a weight loss and personal
improvement program for local mothers of multiples, and, of course, hanging on to her marriage.
A few job offers finally developed. "They seemed okay but were mostly all commission, lots of travel. I
repositioned myself, received and turned down two inside sales positions at local companies that only paid
about half of what I needed. I have never not solved a problem professionally. With my personal life at an
okay level, I just thought I could do this on my own."
Ellen Jimison needed to transform her thought processes, not just do more and work harder. She needed to
work smarter. Here's how she eventually shortened her search, battle planned the effort, turned a strategy
of loss into that of winning, and is currently happily working.
Strategic Success Strategy 1: Get your documents professionally done
Ms. Jimison hired a career coach and certified professional resume writer to get the job done. After
interviewing five professionals with multiple qualifications she selected one. "This individual just
jelled with me. I got a good gut feeling from them that they not only understood what the documents
weren't doing in my million different formats, but they gave me a game plan." She purchased a complete
executive package that included: target cover letters (to recruiters, for ad responses, follow up, thank
you letters and more), three focused and achievement oriented documents, and support after the document
completions.
Some of the hottest new formats and styles were used, including taking all her comments by customers and
references and compiling them into a powerful web portfolio. "I just couldn't believe how bad what I was
sending out was." Ms. Jimison added. "I had so sliced and diced my background that I had no marketing
message. Here I am an accomplished marketer in my field but my presentation to employers and recruiters
read like a laundry list or fact sheet - no visuals, nothing! I learned that less is more and more is less
in this process. My personal web portfolio marketed me exclusively to VCs, presidents of companies or VPs
of sales divisions within my industry." Her personal presentation was now at the caliber of her
professional level.
She put away her 'change with every breeze' approach to resumes and used key core documents. She ended up
slightly updating four key resumes - software sales, major account management, regional marketing
management - software, and general sales. So with the ground secured, she moved on to the next right
strategic move.
Strategic Success Strategy 2: Plan a multi-tiered research, call and direct mail campaign
Most people think they just need to call everyone. Ms. Jimison logged 1567 calls made, messages left
and really had little to show for her efforts. So she stopped cold calling and started a multi-tiered
approach that required a combined effort. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, most jobs are
filled through the hidden job market, up to 75% or so. With her career coach's help, Ms. Jimison
crafted her direct mail campaign to 732 recruiters in the software field nationally who had placed
professionals like herself.
She sent a short, powerfully written statement covering the hot buttons to recruiters: positions and
desired opportunities, travel requirements, salary tolerations/requirements and other preferences.
Recruiters want to know this information up front from candidates. She gave it to them. Her career
coach recommended posting on 43 national sites and 64 company sites. All this happened within a matter
of days after her strategically written documents were developed. Timing keys job search. "I really
sent so many resumes and made so many calls when I was unproductive," Ms. Jimison says. "What I needed
to do was to have my own focused campaign. Instead of blasting with a shotgun I used a rifle approach."
Strategic Success Strategy 3: Learn a new language and attitude
"In all my efforts and things happening to me personally," Ms. Jimison adds, "I began to lose
confidence in myself and my abilities. I know I was pressing. I know it was coming across in all my
calls and correspondence." Her career coach assessed her strengths and suggested selling herself from
a position of strength not weakness. In her mind, when she called, she would let recruiters, contacts
and others know how well things were going. Remaining with this positive tone, she sent the message
that things were going well in her search, letting on nothing about her concerns.
"My tone changed about everything," Ms. Jimison states. "There was no way I was going to get a great
opportunity or even a decent opportunity in this tough market without being positive. I let every
recruiter and human resources professional know my job search was going great, had interviews lined
up, but I still thought I would like to consider working for their company because of my potential
value add of A, B and C." Any negative that slips out can be fatal in a job search. Ms. Jimison learned
the game she knew well from her very recent sales days. She states: "Be upbeat. Let your customers know
you care about them, but if they don't get on board and buy from you, their competition will. That's
how I got after my job search tactics, language and attitude changed."
The Results
Ellen Jimison now works about 35 hours a week from her Atlanta, GA home office for a Fortune 100
company. She coaches software sales representatives nationally and calls on a local base of accounts
in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Most of the work happens on the phone with the
occasional travel. The income level looks good - she now is tracking $74,000 this year. But her
lifestyle is better. Her career coach suggested she do this anyway.
"I focused on what was right for me and my family not just the prestige of a title or money," says
Ellen Jimison. "I did some assessment testing as well. From this I found out that I was looking not
just for a job but for the best opportunity I could find. The company I found valued family even
though, of course, production mattered." When she found the employer that embraced these values, she
took the position. The money followed. That may not have been the biggest blessing or strategic move.
Stress does crazy things and can create tensions personally not just professionally. She and her
husband got back together and are doing fine. Their boy and girl twins, now two, are happy also.
About the Author:
John O'Connor
Why Shouldn't We Hire You?
Effective Personal Marketing