Guerrilla Marking for Job Hunters 2.0 Part 15

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Table 4.1 Search Term Results Search Term Results

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There are still too many hits, so we add the area code 212, which in turn reduces the hits to local retail manager jobs in the 212 area code only. This is a good list to start with.

Note: Your results may vary because Google changes minute by minute. Your results may vary because Google changes minute by minute.

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GUERRILLA MISSION.

Now you try it. Fire up your PC and connect to the Internet. Go to www.google.com. Click the Advanced Search link and you should see a screen like the one shown in Figure 4.7 Figure 4.7. Replace the 2 words "retail" and "manager" with 2 words that are specific to your job search. Next, replace the 212 area code with your area code or the area code of the city you want to research. Click the "Google search" b.u.t.ton and start reading. This research is fast and accurate. It won't uncover every opportunity, but it will enable you to find many more offerings than you would see using just the job boards or newspapers-and you will do it much faster, too.

FINDING LISTS OF PROSPECTS

Using the Internet is not the only way to gather information. Here are some easy ways to find lists of prospects for your job-hunting campaign.

Chambers of Commerce

Nearly every city and town in the United States has a Chamber of Commerce whose sole job is to promote commerce. If you call their office, I guarantee you they will give you a list of their members. It may also appear on their web site. Chamber of Commerce members tend to be among the most civic minded in your community and are quite accessible. Finding them on Google is simple: just type in "Chamber of Commerce" with the name of your town or city and Google will find it for you.

Industry a.s.sociations

If you are looking for information on a specific industry, business a.s.sociations can be helpful. As noted, the American Society of a.s.sociation Executives is a good place to start: www.asaenet.org.

Industry Newsletters and Professional Journals

The targeted readers.h.i.+p for these publications means that you can often pick up leads from the authors of the articles by calling them. These authors tend to be industry experts who know everyone.

Looking for start-ups? Then you have to check out startups. alltop.com/ run by none other than Guy Kawasaki of-you guessed it-Apples' first marketing guru and the author of many of the most useful books on management today. run by none other than Guy Kawasaki of-you guessed it-Apples' first marketing guru and the author of many of the most useful books on management today.

Web Sites for Conferences, Conventions, or Trade Shows

To find events that are specific to your chosen industry, do a Web search for an industry name and terms such as conference, trade show, or convention (see Figure 4.8 Figure 4.8).

Figure 4.8 Google search industry. Google search industry.

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Figure 4.9 Google search industry links. Google search industry links.

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Google search industry shows the screen for a Google search for [conference or tradeshow or convention] and the industry, which for this example is medical.

Google's results reveal 2 large shows. Clicking on the links will bring you the site and a wealth of information (see Figure 4.9 Figure 4.9).

GUERRILLA INTELLIGENCE.

Service Corp of Retired Executives (SCORE) Mark Haluska

SCORE is comprised of both retired and working business executives. These people know decision makers! In many cases, they still work together, go golfing, belong to the same clubs, and mix at socials. So, they personally have a first degree contact with decision makers, many of which are current or past close colleagues.

Most people think of SCORE as a resource (which it in reality is) when you want to get advice to start up a new business venture. But with a little tact, a true guerrilla would turn that inside out to obtain solid leads.

Contact SCORE; ask to speak with an executive who (and this is important) has worked or (most preferably) is working in your profession/industry. They will a.s.sume you need business advice. Pleasantly greet them preferably on the phone and tell them you have a problem and thought they would be someone who could help. Then tell the counselor what you really need and do it in this order: tell them what you do then quickly (no more than 1 minute) hit them with quantifiable and truly impressive facts that you've outlined on your guerrilla resume. Next, ask how does my experience sound to you?

Then, go for the gusto and ask how you can obtain the specific decision makers' names and contact information (not human resources, unless you are in human resources) at a given company or companies who could use your expertise to help them solve a pressing problem(s).

This "back door" approach will probably take the counselor by surprise, but that is okay. They have volunteered to join SCORE because they want to help people. SCORE is a free resource that all guerrillas should attempt to use. This tactic can fast track you into a decision-maker's office and your compet.i.tion won't even think about it until they've read this book. I highly recommend you find a SCORE representative near you (www.score.org/findscore/index.html).

Contributed by Mark J. Haluska, founder and executive director, Real Time NetWork, www.rtnetwork.net LinkedIn address: LinkedIn address: www.linkedin.com/in/MarkJ.Haluska.

GUERRILLA TIPS.

An immediate way to find hot leads is to ask your friends, family, or business a.s.sociates who have recently landed a job in the industry if you can see their lists of prospects. The research will be current and likely pretty detailed, too. They may even know of openings that were not suitable for them but might be ideal for you.

Here are a few other sources:* Career centers and job clubs* College and university career placement centers* Internet career sites* Job fairs and career days* Local and federal government personnel offices* Yellow Pages* Your area business journal (www.bizjournals.com)

STUFF THE CIA WOULD RATHER YOU DIDN'T KNOW

The length of this book does not allow me to do a detailed expose on the really advanced means for unearthing information. A lot of cloak-and-dagger work goes on behind the scenes of many search a.s.signments. Your quest to find your dream job is unlikely to require that kind of search. Explaining those advanced strategies and tools is beyond the scope of this book and would require 200 or 300 additional pages, but I won't leave you hanging either.

The United States has 2 gurus on the application of compet.i.tive intelligence to recruiting and job hunting: Shally Steckerl and Dave Carpe. These 2 professionals are the absolute best when it comes to using the Internet. I highly recommend you visit their web sites if you want more information or a deeper understanding of how to use search engines and the Internet to maximize your job search.

Shally Steckerl's site Job Machine has more than 100 screens full of tips and techniques for finding your way around. A "Google Cheat-Sheet" and a "Tool-Bag CD" are available on Shally's site (JobMachine.net).

Dave Carpe's site Pa.s.sing Notes at www.pa.s.singnotes.com is a virtual cornucopia of tools and tricks that will take you deep into the world of compet.i.tive intelligence. Check out the article, "Confessions of a Call Girl is a virtual cornucopia of tools and tricks that will take you deep into the world of compet.i.tive intelligence. Check out the article, "Confessions of a Call Girl ... ... or How to Give Good Phone." or How to Give Good Phone."

GUERRILLA INTELLIGENCE.

Become an Easy Target Jim Stroud

If I wanted to hire you, could I find you? If I looked on Monster, CareerBuilder, and HotJobs, perhaps I could; but what if I did not look there, or on any other job board for that matter? Here is an ugly little truth that job seekers do not think about. When a company posts a job description on Monster or searches its database for resumes, it costs money. So, you know what happens? Large companies look for free resumes on the Web to save the money they would have spent on job boards, and smaller companies that do not have accounts with these job boards look on the Web to find free resumes. The bottom line is that if your resume is not online, you are doing yourself a disservice. If you search the Web for "free web hosting," I dare say that you will find plenty of resources for posting your resume (or any other content) online for free.

To be sure, positioning your resume where all recruiters will have free access to it is imperative, yet that is only part of a winning strategy. Recruiters look for resumes using a series of specialized searches called "searchstrings." Searchstrings are based on keywords that the recruiter thinks would be on your resume. For example, a recruiter looking for a programmer in Atlanta might visit Google and enter the following searchstring: int.i.tle: resume programmer education atlanta GA 678 770 404 -submit -apply ext:doc ext:pdf.

To explain this searchstring, I am looking for doc.u.ments formatted in Word or PDF that have "resume" as a t.i.tle with the keywords "programmer" and "education" mentioned in the doc.u.ment. I am also looking for the words "Atlanta" or "GA" because that is the preferred location. Furthermore, I added area codes specific to the Atlanta area as well. Why? Candidates often list their phone numbers on their resumes. To see the results of this search, please visit: tinyurl.com/6b23h4 and you will be redirected to a Google search results page. and you will be redirected to a Google search results page.

Now that you know how recruiters search the Web for resumes, why not make it easy for them to find you? I suggest that you create a resume profile page in lieu of a cover letter. What is that? A resume profile page is a keyword list a recruiter can scan to get a quick understanding of what you have to offer. When I was looking for work in 2002, I created an HTML version of my resume profile page and placed it online. Today, I am still being contacted by recruiters who have found my resume profile from a Google search. (See it for yourself: jimstroud.com/resume.htm.) The moral of the story is simply this: If you position yourself to be found, you will not have to look so much. (Smile.) Jim Stroud is a social media development manager for EnglishCafe, EnglishCafe, the premier English learning community for global professionals. Prior to EnglishCafe, Jim Stroud ama.s.sed a decade of recruiting experience consulting for such companies as Microsoft, Google, MCI, and Siemens. He can be reached via his web site: the premier English learning community for global professionals. Prior to EnglishCafe, Jim Stroud ama.s.sed a decade of recruiting experience consulting for such companies as Microsoft, Google, MCI, and Siemens. He can be reached via his web site: www.JimStroud.com.

GUERRILLA TIPS.