Get out of the queue … and get 1-1 with your future hiring manager

Do you like queues? I don’t – I hate them! 

So why wait in an online queue to find your next job, only be added to a long list of people to be reviewed (and reviewed some more), contacted, screened etc? 

 I’m sure you get my point.

I’ve now been an executive recruiter for over a decade, working with major corporate hiring managers, and I know that there are much more effective ways to get a new role than just responding to job ads. 

How many times have you looked at a job ad and thought about whether you should apply or not? Then you decide to apply, but you need to tweak and update your resume and write your covering letter, so you think some more and wait some more, applying a few days later. 

But guess what? There are 357 other people ahead of you, all applying for the same job.

Good luck!

What if there was a way of going right up to the front of the queue, having the right conversation and asking the right questions to get what you want?

 I’m here to let you know that there is. Whether you are excited or feel challenged by this possibility, you can save yourself a lot of time, so choose to swim against the tide and stand out from the pack.

People know people and that has a compounding effect for your network and its reach within the industry, whether you remain in your current role and industry or change to something new. 

If you’re like most people, you will feel some degree of resistance to asking others for help. This can range from minor resistance (where you do it anyway) to major resistance, where you procrastinate and don’t do it.

Let me ask you to consider this question – would you invest $1 on the odds that you could get a $2 return? Or maybe, to up the value, would you invest $1,000 on the odds that you could get a $5,000 return? I know I’d say yes.

Now if I said, ‘Would you invest in an action that has a discomfort level of two, three, four or five out of ten to get a return of seven, eight, nine or ten out of ten?’ Surely you would if there was a low risk investment to get a high-return and high-reward outcome. 

So, just do it – ask people. At worst they will say no or not respond. At best, you could get the job you want.

How to connect with people

Yes, we need to talk about this. 

The way we communicate for work has dramatically changed over the last decade. People are far more informal than before, which is good news for you because you may not have to deal with the challenging ‘gate-keepers’ any longer. 

People are more visible and accessible as well. There is almost always a way (if there is a will) to contact the person you want to connect with.

Channels of communication: 

• In person. This is the richest form of communication that uses all senses.

• Video/conference calls. These offer in-person connection over distance and include Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts and FaceTime.

• Phone. This is popular and influential, but it is challenging trying to reach people during prime office hours.

• Email. This is still popular and allows both parties to think before communicating, but there are lower opening rates and restrictions as a result of spam filters.

• Text messages. These are mainstream at work and highly effective because they are instant with near 100% open rates. Texts can be exchanged at any time and allow both parties to think before communicating.

• Social chat apps (eg WhatsApp). These are growing in popularity.

• Internet message. These are boards for groups and provide the ability for members to message one-on-one.

•  Social networks. LinkedIn messaging is currently the most predominant for work.