Studies show clearly that a critical factor in life and business is resilience in the face of adversity. The question many of the unemployed, or those dissatisfied with their present employment, ask, is will my resilience last long enough for me to find and start my new job. Reports in the media already show that many people in the job search process have just quit looking for a new job.
How many rejections, unreturned phone calls, unanswered resume submissions, or just everyday bad news about the market, have challenged your confidence and resilience? The reward for your persistence may not pay off until the time is right. However, you may be able to compress your job search timeline in simple, but proven ways, that you may have forgotten or abandoned. Let’s review some successful ways to secure that next job interview and proactively take steps to reduce your unemployment cycle.
Communicate Directly With the Decision Maker About a Job
I have a friend (let’s call him Bob), who boasted unabashedly, that he could secure business from any client in the world. Let me describe how he got to the decision-maker.
This example deals with one of the world’s largest retailers. Through his due diligence in his job search, Bob discovered his target company had a long tradition of executive meetings on Saturday mornings. He assumed that on Saturday the “gatekeeper” would not be working and the target executive would arrive prior to the scheduled meeting to get ready. Bob went to his office on Saturday morning and called the executive, who answered his phone and was very courteous and receptive to Bob’s brief summary of his value proposition for a job.
I must admit that, in spite of the perfect timing, he was blessed with a little luck when this contact provided him the time to make his case for a job. As a result, a meeting was set and within 30 days a very large contract was signed.
You may be thinking this was dumb luck, and the stars were aligned just right to produce these results. I believe this is more a case of resilience and perseverance, which is ultimately rewarded. Keep in mind that it is the strategic design and execution that is preeminent and not the tactical approach. You must be creative and diligent.
Key Management Changes May Work in Your Favor
Going into the end of his third year of trying to secure a potential client’s business, Bob read in the Wall Street Journal, that the company was bringing in a new president. Based on the WSJ story and his own knowledge of the company, he knew that this president had a different management style than any of this company’s predecessors. This president had a reputation for change and also had a history of taking over companies and preparing them for acquisition.
Based on Bob’s hard data, as well as his speculation that the company might be going on the market for sale, he wrote a brief but direct letter to the incoming president. He explained, upfront, his history of attempting to do business with this company. He explained his company’s service and its history of adding value to clients. Finally, he asked for an opportunity to meet and describe what made his company better suited to be the new president’s vendor of choice.
Bob was invited to present his company’s proposal. At the conclusion of the presentation, and after three and a half years of trying, the president awarded the contract to Bob and asked for his letter of agreement by the end of the week. This was clearly a case of preparation, perseverance and timing.
