Emails such as this one hit my inbox on a weekly basis:
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Dear Peter,
I am writing to you out of total frustration. It has been 4-months since I began my job search. My resume is in the hands of more than a dozen headhunters and I have applied for more than 100 job postings for which I think I am qualified. The result has been only 4 interviews and no offers.
It seems that my resume needs major surgery by "The Career Doctor". Can you help?
Best Regards,
Ms. Job Seeker
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While Ms. Job Seeker's resume might indeed need a little tweaking, the more likely problem is her interview-generation strategy. In today's hyper-competitive global marketplace, getting the attention of employers requires a more proactive approach.
Ms. Job Seeker will find it more efficient and effective to increase the amount of time she is having real conversations with real human beings, preferably face-to-face. Here are three proven approaches she can easily implement:
▪ ask for informational interviews with people who are somehow linked to her target industry and/or functional area
▪ volunteer on committees that are linked to her target industry and/or functional area
▪ attend conferences and seminars that that are linked to her target industry and/or functional area
In short, Ms. Job Seeker needs to spend less time behind her computer and more time talking to people.