Here it is – short and sweet. Most of you wouldn’t think you could apply these same techniques to your job description. Well, I’m here to say you are probably wrong and just need some creative adjustments in your thinking and awareness.
I recently hired Pam to do a little work for me. She got the job instantly. How did she get the job? It was actually very easy. Did she send a resume? Nope. References? Nope. Did I know her? Nope. Did a friend refer her? Nope. She simply downloaded an e-book I had written, edited the first page, sent it to me and created her own job!
Now, I was no English major and I tend to write like I talk; not always the best format and certainly not proper. And of course, even though numerous people proofread the book, it still had typos and your basic grammatical errors. Frankly, if you are one of those people so concerned about every little detail and never see the value of the content you are reading, then you are missing out on a lot of what life has to offer.
Okay, back to the story.
Yes I hired her on the spot via e-mail. No resume, no references, no interview. Her sample work was all of those and better! She answered all three questions every interviewer wants to know.
Do I like you?
Will you do the job?
Can you do the job?
But, most people are not willing to show their work before getting paid. Essentially, it is an on-the-job interview. I can actually hear your pessimism now. Pam has it easy, there are thousands of e-books all over the Internet and most of them are probably written by layman (like myself). So, how can this work for you if you are a more traditional worker? Well first of all, you have to give Pam credit. Yes, there are thousands of e-books on the Internet and there are also thousands of writers out of work. But, she is the ONLY one who did what she did.
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Here are a couple of interesting ways you can be the ONLY one in your field getting work.
1. Package a project you worked on in the past and send it via snail mail (package) to companies you feel might get solid benefit from it. Stick with small companies who NEED help (like me) and have fewer resources (like me) and will really appreciate what you can bring to the table. Small businesses are the backbone of America but they just don’t get the great press that big, public companies do. In down economies, they are the only ones hiring.
2. Put together a simple coupon offering your services as a consultation for 1 hour including a free write-up. You can have 100+ post cards printed up for about $25 or less at the local print shop. Canvas the small businesses around your home. Especially if you have an industrial park close by. There are probably hundreds of small businesses you are not even aware of.
3. Do the same as #2 but offer strictly contract work. Did you know contract work has exploded recently? Why? Because companies still have work that needs to be done but they are on a shoestring budget and can’t make a long term commitment. But, you get the opportunity to highlight your skills, make great connections and get referrals like crazy. So, explain the benefits of what you can do for a company as a contractor on a postcard and include a link to your LinkedIn profile, an e-mail address (get a free one from Gmail just for this) and a visible phone number. Heck, why don’t you throw in a testimonial (some people call those references) on the card as well?
4. And, here’s the best part. You now have the opportunity to follow up with companies you send your cards or past projects to. It’s your foot in the front door.
Good luck and have fun. You can meet some great people and get a leg up on your next career move.
[This article was originally posted on an earlier date]
Colin Daymude is the chief employment officer at The Job Genius and specializes in teaching active job search strategies that dramatically reduce the time a candidate spends in the market.
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5 Comments
I absolutely love Collin Daymude's tips since the first time I saw the video http://www.videorolls.com/watch/The-Almost-Dail… (there are lots of them actually, each giving you helpful pieces of advice) you know it often happens that in theory everything sounds easy, but in practice it is extremely hard to implement this knowledge. this time everything I learn works just great!
I absolutely love Collin Daymude's tips since the first time I saw the video http://www.videorolls.com/watch/The-Almost-Dail… (there are lots of them actually, each giving you helpful pieces of advice) you know it often happens that in theory everything sounds easy, but in practice it is extremely hard to implement this knowledge. this time everything I learn works just great!
Great ideas. I like how she was bold and forward-thinking in her approach. Sometimes you just have to go out there and get what you want. A simple, yet refreshing example of some ways to put yourself out there. Thanks for sharing!
Colin, Great article! I have written about interviewing and how the way most people interview these days is tethered to a process that's been in place for eons and shows little to no innovation. I love the 3 questions. How awesome woulf it be to walk into an interview and have the interviewer honestly say, “I have 3 questions” and then allow the process to evolve from there. I can't tell you how many times in my last job search that very senior level people asked me “walk me through your job history and how you got from A to B.” Really? We are going to waste this time with me telling you a story that you can read right in front of you? Is this a storytelling job? How often have I wanted to respond to “Tell me about a weakness.” with “What weakness are you looking for?” Bottom line – I like your interviewing innovation, thanks for sharing.
Colin, Great article! I have written about interviewing and how the way most people interview these days is tethered to a process that's been in place for eons and shows little to no innovation. I love the 3 questions. How awesome woulf it be to walk into an interview and have the interviewer honestly say, “I have 3 questions” and then allow the process to evolve from there. I can't tell you how many times in my last job search that very senior level people asked me “walk me through your job history and how you got from A to B.” Really? We are going to waste this time with me telling you a story that you can read right in front of you? Is this a storytelling job? How often have I wanted to respond to “Tell me about a weakness.” with “What weakness are you looking for?” Bottom line – I like your interviewing innovation, thanks for sharing.