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Marketing Your
Resume
By B. Dear
On the Web
There are a
number of
different services that allow you to post your resume on the
web. Each website will
require some type of registration before allowing you to post your
resume.
Registration only takes a few minutes and it is a small price to pay
for some
very wide exposure. Here is a short list of resume posting sites to get
you
started:
The list above is by no means
all-inclusive. Search Google, Yahoo, and MSN Search for more Resume
posting websites.
After posting your resume to
a number of these websites, do some research and find a few companies
that you
would really like to work for. Go to their web
page and
find their resume submission link. Many company websites have a way to
send
resumes directly. Post your resume to as many companies website
databases as possible. This will get your resume into their database,
although it may not
get you noticed immediately.
You’ll want to follow
up
with a call, explaining who you are, what type of job you are seeking
and
inquire about any vacancies that they may have. This step will probably
get their
attention because so few people do it anymore. The call allows HR
personnel to
learn a little about you, and helps your resume get out of the database
and
onto someone’s desk, further increasing your chances of being
hired.
Passing Resumes in Person
After
posting your resume
extensively across the web, the passive portion of the job search is
pretty
much over. You will now need to move to the active phase, Social
Networking.
When I say social networking, I do not mean in the
“MySpace” sense. I mean
talking to people in the flesh. You will need to find ways to meet
people in
person and pass your resume to them.
Locate individuals from
competing companies or who are close to a position that you are
seeking. Strike
up conversations with them, discuss your desire to work for their
company and
pass them your resume.
One strategy is to write to
executive level people at accompany that you want to work for. Write
about pet
projects they may be working on, your admiration of the work they have
done on
the project, and expressing a desire to work with them on the project.
This often results in the
executive handing your resume to an HR person with instructions to hire
you.
Job Fairs
Check your
local paper or
the Internet for Job fairs for your industry. Put on your best suit and
tie,
and bring about 100 copies of your resume. At career fairs, there are
usually
long lines of people waiting to meet and talk with HR personnel from
different
companies.
You will spend a lot of time
in line, so brace yourself for it. You can maximize this time by
striking up
conversations with other job seekers in line and exchanging business
cards and
tips on who might be hiring for what positions. Go to the companies you
really
want to work for first and repeat this process until the career fair is
over.
When you get your time to
talk to the company, be prepared to explain what type of position you
are
seeking, what your qualifications are, and be able to speak to your
past
experience and accomplishments.
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