CHAPTER 3

THE CAMPAIGN

In this section you will:

¨ Learn How to Put it all Together to Secure Multiple Job Offers

¨ Develop Successful Telephone Techniques

¨ Learn How to Accomplish an Effective Follow-Up to Your Job Campaign

¨ Prepare and Write Effective Cover Letters

Overview

One of the main goals in your job campaign is to attempt to secure multiple job offers. To accomplish this, you must make prospective employers aware of your qualifications, past accomplishments, and what contributions you can make to their organization. In effect, you have to advertise—and like any other ad campaign, copy, style, layout, etc. can influence your results.

Because your broadcast letter and resume will reflect your attributes, the Creative Writing Staff of Allen And Associates spends a great deal of time preparing your materials in the most professional marketing manner possible to create interest without overselling.

Each year we have hundreds of clients who send their new resume or broadcast letter to companies they had previously contacted using their old materials—companies that had either rejected or simply ignored them. In a large percentage of these cases, this new contact, using professional marketing materials and professional follow-up techniques, created enough interest to result in interviews and job offers.

You have already started to develop a positive attitude and you should now have a clear understanding of your P.E.A. Your broadcast letter and professional resume have been prepared and are ready to be mailed.

This section will further enhance your campaign by providing follow-up procedures to convert that campaign into multiple job offers.

THE UNADVERTISED JOB MARKET

It is a fact that approximately 80% of the positions available at any given time are not advertised. These jobs are in the unadvertised job market. Unfortunately, about 85% of all job applicants concentrate on the smaller 20% advertised job market.

There are a number of reasons so few applicants go after the unadvertised market. Some do not know about it, some do not know how to go after it, and there are some who know about it and how to go after it, but will not or cannot put forth the time and effort necessary.

As we stated earlier, a successful job campaign is almost a full-time job. It requires discipline, determination, budgeting of your time, a positive attitude, and a willingness to follow-up every opportunity. The unadvertised job market is where you will uncover the largest share of those opportunities.

The Broadcast Letter

As the name implies, the broadcast letter broadcasts your qualifications, accomplishments, and objectives to many companies. It is primarily used to uncover a job opening or potential job opening in the unadvertised job market.

As stated above, the broadcast letter is usually sent in place of a resume, yet contains enough information to create the interest to secure an interview.

Like any mail campaign, the measure of success for your broadcast letters will be the results you receive. In this case, your results usually fall into two categories:

1. Initial requests for interviews, which generally range from ½% to 2%.

2. Letters that say “thank you, but no thank you,” or letters that ask for additional information. This letter response usually ranges from 8% to 12%.

The results you get will vary with each job campaign. Some clients receive many initial requests for interviews but few letters. Others may receive a large number of letters, but few, if any initial interview requests.

Following up these letters in a positive manner, as well as contacting the companies that do not respond (as outlined in this chapter of your manual) should provide you with enough interviews to develop multiple job offers—the ultimate goal of any successful job campaign.

There are many sources leading to the unadvertised job market offering access to a host of openings. These four major categories are:

¨ Friends/Relatives

¨ Business Associates/Contacts

¨ Trade Publications/News Articles

¨ Business and Professional Directories

The Allen And Associates Research Department will concentrate on finding those companies that most closely match your qualifications and personality from their own extensive computer database along with companies from numerous business and professional directories. While any one of the four listed sources could lead to a job offer, it is far more productive for the job applicant to use all of them for a successful job campaign.

Friends and Relatives:

Friends and relatives tend to be the most sympathetic to your job hunting, so do not be afraid to tell them you are looking for a new job. Do not pressure them, but let them know you would appreciate their help. The key to using this group is to remain positive and not to be embarrassed discussing your job campaign. Be sure to go over your resume with them. Sometimes friends and relatives have very little idea of your job responsibilities or your qualifications. You might give them a few extra copies of your resume in case they find a lead. Remember, sometime in their career most of them have gone through a job search, so accept their support and help. One final point—you may be in a position to help them someday.

Business Associates/Contacts:

Many of your business associates are familiar with your industry, and they are usually in a good position to give you insight into potential job opportunities. Sometimes they know the person who should be contacted. If you ask them, they will usually provide you with an introduction. This introduction can be by phone, in person, or through a letter of introduction. In many instances, this could be to your advantage. Do not limit your business leads to close business associates. Everyone you come in contact with could provide you with a job lead, whether it is your competitor, a customer, a salesperson, your tax accountant, or someone sitting next to you in an airplane. We know of some applicants who were very successful going over business cards they had collected over the years. They called these individuals, reminding them, if necessary, who they were and asked if they knew of any job openings. It all reverts back to keeping your eyes open to opportunity.

Shown below is a sample cover letter using a third-party reference.

Trade Publications/News Articles:

In addition to the obvious mention of job offers in a given industry, trade publications and news articles carry stories that can point out job opportunities. For example, an article might show that company X just received a large government contract. Reading that article should prompt you to write to the company. In your cover letter, you should state that in view of their new contract, the potential increase in personnel, and because of your qualifications, they should consider you for a position.

To show you an example of this, we use a true case history. The Regional Sales Manager of a medium-size automotive manufacturing company, a division of a Fortune 500 company, had tried for 13 months to find a new position as a V.P. of Sales or National Sales Manager. When he read about using trade publications, he recalled an article telling of another medium-sized manufacturer of auto parts that had experienced record sales for the previous six months. The article quoted the president of this company as saying, "I wear most of the hats. I'm the sales manager, production manager, and general manager. It wasn't bad a few years ago, but now..."

Our applicant was ready to grab opportunity when he saw it, and this article was clearly a good opportunity. Here was a growing company, a president also acting as a sales manager, and an indication that this man needed help. He wrote directly to the president, referring to the trade article, stated his qualifications and accomplishments, and asked for an interview. He got his interview and the desired job. He was hired as National Sales Manager.

Shown below is a sample cover letter referring to a news article about a specific company.

Business and Professional Directories:

The most direct source for conducting a blanket job search is through the use of directories. By going to the public library, you will have access to a large selection of business and professional directories such as Standard and Poor's Register of Corporations, Dun and Bradstreet Reference Book of Corporate Management, Thomas Register of American Manufacturers, etc. In addition to these general directories, the library will provide access to directories by state, association, industry, and sometimes by city.

These directories provide you with the name of an executive, as well as addresses, for the companies. In addition, they also provide you with valuable information regarding the nature of the company's business, their finances, and growth potential.

In putting together your mailing or contact list, you should determine in advance some of the following: the industry, manufacturing (specific or general), service, etc. — geographic consideration, —company size preference, —growth history, —type of management, —objective as to the size of the list.

Your actual mailing will normally consist of a one-page broadcast or job search letter, which is in effect an employment application letter. In most cases, this has proven to be more effective than sending a full resume.

Telephone Techniques

To make your phone campaign as successful as possible, and to help you overcome any reluctance you might have to use the phone, we have prepared a number of specific guidelines for you to follow:

1. Set daily phone goals and keep them. It is to your advantage to divide your follow-up phone calls in such a way that you have a realistic number of calls to make every day. For example, you can plan on making 15 follow-up calls a day (allow at least five to 10 days for the mail to deliver your broadcast letter and for any responses to come back). Once the goal of 15 calls is set, your next step is to pick up the phone and start dialing. Whatever you do, complete a minimum of 15 calls that day. Have your daily phone list with you during the day so there will be no excuse for not making your calls.

We know of one applicant who would systematically make a few calls each morning during his coffee break, then take an early lunch in order to make additional calls, making the balance of his calls during an afternoon break. The secret is planning ahead and utilizing available time to make your calls. Do not procrastinate. The more you put off making the calls, the more tension you will feel. Do not delay. Do it now!

2. Do not have unrealistic expectations. If you approach your phone follow-up campaign expecting everyone to welcome you with open arms, you will be disappointed. If your expectations are realistic, your phone campaign can and will be a pleasant experience. Remember the statistics in the following story about a former career Army officer.

He called 200 companies, and spoke to 48 executives, which means that in more than 75% of the calls he was unable to get through to the executive. In some cases, he had to make as many as five calls before making a contact.

Of the 48 executives he spoke to, 12 invited him in for an initial interview (which means 75% of those he spoke to were not interested). Of the 12 companies with whom he interviewed, five offered him a job (once again, over 50% of the companies were not interested).

Our only purpose in recapping these statistics is to show you that when you start your phone follow-up campaign, you should expect a lot of not interested responses before you get someone who invites you in for an interview. Knowing what to expect is a key factor in maintaining your mental attitude. Think of each no as one step closer to a yes. Make a game of it. If they tell you that they are not interested, thank them and dial another company. Do not spend time thinking about companies that turn you down. Keep your mind on the fact that there are good companies out there waiting for you to contact them. Approach your phone follow-up campaign in this manner and you will not be disappointed.

3. Prepare your phone presentation. The two most common concerns of most applicants, when it comes to using the phone, is, “What will I say?” and “How will I say it?” The easiest way to overcome this fear is to use the same techniques used by professional phone salespeople, namely, prepare a script in advance then practice using it over and over again until it is natural and you feel relaxed using the words. Keep in mind that the purpose of the call is not to ask for a job, but rather to indicate how you can make a contribution to their company.

Try to do a little research about the company you are calling. If you know what business they are in, and how you can fit in, you automatically have something to talk about.

When you prepare your phone presentation, you should also include plans for getting to the right person. Attempt to avoid the secretary screening calls and strive to get your message across quickly. When asking for a key executive by name, the secretary, in most instances, will ask your name and what you are calling about. Do not indicate that you are looking for a job. Instead, use phrases like: “This is a follow-up call to a letter I sent him/her last week” or “It is personal.”

If you are forced to refer to your broadcast letter, do so in very positive terms. “I sent Mr. X a letter last week outlining how I could contribute to the future growth of the company and am now calling to arrange an interview.”

One of two things will happen: either Mr. X will talk to you or he will not talk to you. If he does not, he may have referred your broadcast letter to someone else. In that case, you would follow up with the new executive referring to your conversation with Mr. X's office: “I was just talking with Mr. X's office and they mentioned that a letter I wrote to him recently was referred to you,” etc. If he has not referred your letter to someone else, ask the secretary, “Is there someone I can talk to?” and then ask to be transferred. Again refer to having talked to Mr. X's office. If you ultimately receive a not interested, thank them for their courtesy and call another company. In other words, prepare to pursue your phone conversation to conclusion. You do not want inconclusive conversations. What you are looking for are yes or no situations. You have a given number of companies to contact and your objective is to secure as many interviews as possible. Good will and a pat on the back will give you nothing; you are looking for an interview. If you develop the right mental attitude and will follow this advice, you will get the appointments you are looking for.

If during your follow-up call you get a voice mail recording, we recommend you leave a concise, professional message:

Good afternoon. My name is John Brown and I am responding to your job opening. I am eager to meet with you to discuss this opportunity. I will be at the following number until 9:00 PM this evening...

To help you in preparing your phone presentation, we have provided sample follow-up phone presentations at the end of this section.

4. Be aware of your attitude on the phone. As we stated in Chapter 1, the development of a deep-rooted positive attitude will be reflected in the tone of your resume, your voice on the phone, and your general appearance.

There are many job applicants who fail to get that all-important interview because of the impression they gave over the phone. If you sound dull, hesitant, apologetic, or lacking in confidence, you will be disregarded quickly. On the other hand, if you are positive, enthusiastic, and confident, you will open doors and secure interview opportunities.

While we have been primarily concerned with your attitude during the phone follow-up campaign, a positive attitude is equally important any time you use the phone. You may receive a call from a company requesting an interview, or maybe a call requesting additional information. Regardless of the reason for the call, you will convey an image of yourself, whether accurate or inaccurate, based on the way you answer the phone.

One recruiter we know in Denver stated: “We look for people who are vital and full of life, and you can tell if an applicant fills that bill from your initial phone contact. You would be surprised how many applicants sound tired and bored. If they sound that way to me, we know they will sound that way to our customers; and that's something we cannot afford. We might be doing a disservice to some of these applicants, but when you have as many people applying for a position as we do, we can pick and choose the best. There is no point in going after the marginal candidate.”

Keep in mind that you can control the image you convey on the phone, and that if you follow the guidance in this manual, your image will be that of a winner.

5. What about “thank you, but no thank you” letters? In any job campaign, you must expect to receive a number of what we have come to call “thank you, but no thank you” letters, letters that acknowledge receipt of your broadcast letter, resume, or both, but in which the company indicates that there are no immediate openings. When you receive a letter such as this, and it is in response to a broadcast letter you sent, immediately contact the individual who signed the letter and thank them for their response. Indicate you are still interested in joining the company and mention that you would now like to send them a resume that will expand on your qualifications. Mention that you will call in a few days to see if they have any questions and whether an interview can be set up.

When you receive a no thank you letter after sending your resume, still call the individual who signed the letter, thank them for reviewing your qualifications, and request that a note be made on your resume that you have followed-up and are still interested. As we said before, most resumes are kept on file for at least six months and if an opening does become available, yours will stand out because of the extra effort you made to keep in touch.

Bear in mind that one of your goals in phoning the individual, even if that person is only a clerk in the Personnel Department, is to establish rapport. It is common for this person, once rapport has been established, to take up your cause and provide you with assistance.

As a general rule, if you receive a completely cold shoulder—you can send a resume if you like, but it will do absolutely no good—then do not send a resume. Follow up with another call indicating how the qualifications shown in your resume can serve the interests of the company.

When dealing with turndown letters, it is especially important that you maintain your positive attitude. Remember, it is not important for you to know how or where your job-getting interviews will be generated, but it is imperative you know you are going to get them.

6. What do we do if the overall results from my mailing are disappointing, and I choose not to follow up on the phone? While the overall effectiveness of the Executive Job Search Program is dependent on follow-up, there are some procedures that can be used by someone who, for one reason or another, cannot or will not use the phone in their follow-up campaign.

A copy of your resume can be sent to those companies that did not respond to you with a short cover letter stating something similar to the following: