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CM Journal Articles Human Resources Corner: Guerrilla Tactics for Job Hunters
CM Journal Articles Human Resources Corner: Guerrilla Tactics for Job Hunters
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 This is a tough time to be unemployed. Job Hunters report that this is one of the toughest times to land a position in IT. To be successful requires a lot more than just a good resume and solid experience. Job Hunters have to employ tactics that can uncover opportunities and then open doors so that they can compete for one of the few available positions in their field of expertise. I have been asked to council many IT professionals who were looking for work, some unemployed for over a year. What follows are tactics for a tough job market for those who are serious about finding another job. Frankly, some of my suggestions may even border on being slightly unethical. As a father of five children my view is that I will do whatever I have to do to stay gainfully employed.
These Are My Opinions Only Obviously, I have to mention that I am offering these suggestions as a private individual. They are not necessarily the opinions of CM Crossroads or the financial services firm that I work for. Of the hundreds of people who have called me to talk about job search strategies, I have seen the same mistakes over and over again.
I encourage people to make a list of jobs that they could perform. The jobs could range from being the IT Director to Help Desk support to washing down Rail Road Trains (my grandmother was great at this one). The A list should be their ideal “dream job”. The B list is the more practical jobs, often exactly what they have experience and comfort in today. The C list are those jobs that they know that they could do if they have to bring home a paycheck. On Monday’s I suggest that people work on the A list, Tuesday’s the B list and Wednesday’s the C list. The point here is to broaden your job search efforts to include jobs that you would really love to have along with the more practical realty of what you will probably be able to successfully land in a tough job market. For the unemployed, I view the C list as an important way to make sure these people don’t procrastinate in unemployment. It’s true that job searching is a full time job itself, but I have also seen too many people get comfortable with unemployment and stay that way for a very long time. Reading the Help Wanted Ads… People have to be much more thorough when reading the want ads. Most of us know to look under Computers and Programming, but recently I noticed a number of IT related positions listed under Technology, Internet, Web, and Systems. This just shows that the ad was probably placed by a Human Resources person who may not be familiar with where IT positions are usually advertised. On a bright note, if you uncover a position listed in one of these unusual places, rest assured that you may be the only one who noticed it! Using Job Search Agents I always have a number of automated job search agents running. Some are set to query for Clearcase jobs in the NY area and others look for Rational Tools anywhere in the world. I also look for any job that has CTO, CIO, or Director in the title. Reading these ads gives me a good sense of what positions are in hot demand. My next stop is to the bookstore to make sure that I am learning a new skill that is in strong demand. Job search ads are an excellent source of information for IT professionals who are committed to keeping their skills current and sharp. Posting Your Resume Online When I am looking for a job (and sometimes when I am not) I keep at least three versions of my (abbreviated) “online” resume posted on the numerous IT job boards. The first version is a very optimistic view of my skills which is honestly where I would like to be in the future. The job second is a broad flexible version that shows me as a flexible technology professional and the third has my strongest skills and is closest to the one that I would actually hand someone in an interview. Why would I go to all this trouble? The first thing that I have found is that I am often surprised at which version of my resume gets the most responses. I experiment and then I sit back and see how many responses I get. The optimistic resume shows me who is looking for people with the skills that I want to achieve and often the job description sends me back to the Bookstore to learn another skill that I discover is important for my own growth. Sometimes I respond to the queries and sometimes I decide to stay silent. But I never send my resume via email to an agent that I have never met. There are many ways to find competent executive recruiters who are interested in people with my skills. I contact them next and I arrange to meet with them in person. What Good Does it Do? You might ask why I would post a resume listing an optimistic view of my skills. First, I discover which recruiters deal with this type of position. My next move may be to show up with my “real” resume in hand for their review. Did I mention that I always hand deliver my resumes? This is a great tactic. I innocently show up at their door to drop off my resume. Usually, they have five minutes to see me. I find it useful to know what their office space looks like and (don’t them I told you this) competing agencies are often in the same building. So if you stop to drop off a resume, you may find that on the next floor is another agency that may also be glad to spend five minutes with you. Yes – carry extra resumes! Managing Your Agent Search Executives work for the client who pays the bills. The agent wants to show the client that he has a lot of qualified applicants. The only way that he can do that is with an updated resume that can be sent to the client for review. My rule is that I will send a brief 2 paragraph description to an agent. But if he or she wants to represent me then I want to meet with them in person. Meeting with the agent means that you are bound to make a better impression and the agent can do a better job of representing you. Now I know that many fine agents won’t meet with candidates and I wish them the best of luck. I like to know who I am working with and which companies they are sending my resume to. I keep notes on everything that they tell me. If agent X says that he is sending my paperwork to Goldman Sachs then I call back in a week or two to see how things are going there. I have had many agents remark to me how surprised they are when candidates don’t follow up. How Many Agents? The more people working to get your resume out there the more likely you are to get a job. But this is only true if you can keep track of what they are doing. You need to straight and honest when your says has anybody sent your resume to Company X. Don’t believe an agent who tells you to divulge where your resume has already been sent. This is just a tactic to get leads from you. Don’t be intimidated. I have had a lot agents give me a song and a dance. (I have also been involved with hiring IT professionals.) Casting a Wide Net One of the things that I find very effective is to listen to the expertise of the agent with a view towards which part of the business that they know the best and where they see me having the best opportunities. I may have one agent focusing on the financial services firms and another may be looking into a different business sector. A different approach is to have one recruiter look for a broad management IT Services job and another may be looking for Systems administration positions. Casting a wide net is a great way to get in the door for an interview. More than once I have taken an interview that was completely out of my league or expertise – and I have gotten offers! Above all else be honest and open to new possibilities. Finally, Don’t Wait Until You Really Need a Job Technology professionals need to be constantly sharpening their skills. By keeping your resume updated you are keeping an ear to the ground and staying on top of the skills that in demand today and in the future. The ideal situation is have long term relations with recruiters who are honest and ethical. They can help guide you to stay sharp throughout your career. Then in the event that you must find another job, you are already half way there! Bob Aiello is the Editor-in-Chief for CM Crossroads and an independent consultant specializing in Software Process Improvement including Software Configuration and Release Management. Mr. Aiello has over 25 years experience as a technical manager in several top NYC Financial Services firms where he had had company-wide responsibility for CM, often providing hands-on technical support for enterprise Source Code Management tools, SOX/Cobit compliance, build engineering, continuous integration and automated application deployment. Bob is a long standing member of the Steering Committee of the NYC Software Process Improvement Network (CitySPIN), where he serves as the chair of the CM SIG. Mr. Aiello holds a Masters in Industrial Psychology from NYU and a B.S. in Computer Science and Math from Hofstra University. You may contact Mr. Aiello at raiello@acm.org or link with him at http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobaiello
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| Last Updated on Tuesday, 17 June 2008 12:18 |
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