How to Set Up 3-5 Job Interviews This Week - Even Without a Resume!

After working in the recruiting industry as a corporate employment specialist, professional recruiter and business owner of a job placement firm based in Illinois for over 16 years, I am amazed at how routine job seekers have become. They still do the same thing. They wait patiently for a job listing. They submit a resume. They wait patiently for someone to call. Wait patiently for another job listing. Submit a resume. Then, wait patiently for another person to call.

As a professional recruiter & owner of a staffing firm www.usatechsearch.com, it certainly is not the way we conduct business. In fact, if we did, we would be out of business in a matter of months!

A good recruiter would never send in a candidate’s resume, then sit and wait for a response, and repeat the same process over and over again with minimum results. A good recruiter would call his client (or potential client), pitch the candidate’s experience, and arrange an interview (or at least a tentative interview) before submitting a single document.

Maybe it’s a hidden secret amongst recruiters. Maybe it’s a general rule only experienced recruiters seem to follow. Either way, it time for the general public to start doing things differently and dramatically increase their job interviews instead of waiting by the phone for it to ring.

It’s quite simple. Professional recruiters do this all the time. There are FIVE easy steps:

I. Decide which positions you are interested in

II. Create a list of potential employers

III. Source the names of the hiring authorities you wish to speak with

IV. Call them and create an interest by “selling” your experiences

V. Set up the interview

I. Decide Which Positions You Are Interested In:

This is an essential step in this process because most people are pretty vague when communicating what kind of positions they are interested in. This annoys hiring authorities quite a bit. In fact, it is a primary cause for applicants being turned down for positions. I discussed this in great detail in my book, 25 Reasons Why I Won’t Hire You! What You Did Wrong Before, During and After the Interview- 2nd Ed, which can be found at www.25ReasonsWhy.com or www.Amazon.com

Remember, always have a focus and be as specific as possible when calling a potential employer about what kind of work you would like to do, or which position you are applying for.

II. Create a list of potential employers

There are several ways to create a list of potential employers. One way (the most obvious way) which is probably what you are most comfortable with, is to search the internet and/or job section of your newspaper or employment magazines. Do not send in your resume, simply record their name.

A second way to source names is to contact your local Chamber of Commerce and talk with them about local businesses– who is coming to town, who is expanding, etc. You would be surprised at the resources your local Chamber of Commerce might have to offer.

I recommend that you create a spreadsheet of all your potential employers so that you can keep your list organized. This is a necessary step to stay on task and document your results.

III. Source the names of the hiring authorities you wish to speak with

This is where some skills and creativity are going to have to come in. In most cases, you can’t just call a company and expect the receptionist to give you the name of the hiring manager, but in some cases (with less experienced receptionists), it does happen. If the name of the hiring authority (not HR contact person) is not listed in the ad, one effective way to get his/her name is to call the company and simply ask for that particular department.

Note: Often times, the HR representative is the name listed in the ad. This is not the person you want to talk to (unless you are applying for an HR position).

For example, if you are trying to reach the person who ran the ad for an engineering position, you might first start off by asking for the engineering department. It doesn’t matter who answers the phone in that department, because you simply want to ask for the engineering manager.

You can run into some objections with this technique, and I discuss how to handle those objections in greater detail during private career counseling sessions. However, for the most part, this technique alone will give you some immediate results. Don’t get discouraged if you hit a brick wall a few times, keep trying… the results will happen.

IV. Call them and create an interest by “selling” your experiences

Here is where you really need to shine! Once you get that key person on the phone, you need to sell yourself. Take heed- do not go overboard with rambling on and on (out of nervousness) and talk too much (Ch. 9 25 Reasons Why I Won’t Hire You! - 2nd Ed.) However, it is your time to shine!

There are a variety of scripts that will work depending on the position you are applying for and your years of experience. In my one hour counseling sessions, I discuss this in greater detail and help you to develop a script specifically for your field and years of experience. Here is one script that should help most of you:

Script:

Hi Mr. Baxter, my name is John Doe. I wanted to contact you directly because I noticed you were looking for a mechanical engineer for the new California division. I have over 10 years of experience in this field, and I worked for one of your competitors (name drop if you can) for three of those years. I also have my BSME.

Mr. Baxter: Yes, we have been looking for a few weeks now, and we have interviewed a couple of potentials. However, I decided to run the ad for another week or so.

John Doe: I noticed you said that you already interviewed a few people, yet you decided to continue to run the ad. If you don’t mind me asking, what is it that the other applicants are missing or lacking? (Note: This is good to say because now you are engaging him in a conversation, and whatever skill sets they are missing, you can tell him that you have that experience… if it’s true).

During this dialogue, you will need to highlight more of your accomplishments and do the best you can to convince the hiring manager that you are a great candidate. By the end of this dialogue, you conclude by saying:

John Doe: I would like to stop by there some time tomorrow to give you my information. Will you be available to talk for a few minutes, or would a later time be best? (Note: Don’t say, “Can I stop by there.” Tell him you would like to stop by there. Phrasing your question this way makes it more difficult for them to say no.) Mr. Baxter: Well, normally I do require to see something first before I set up anything. You can come by around 3pm, and hopefully, I should be available. (At this point, he may ask you a few more industry related questions so that he knows he is not going to be wasting his time).

John Doe: Great. I will see you then.

Guess what? You just arranged your own interview without a resume! Welcome to the wonderful world of professional recruitment!

Fact: The proof is in the numbers. Don’t give up after your first try. In most cases, you will have to talk with 10-20 people before you get your first interview. Either way, it’s better than waiting for the phone to ring!

Note: Be wise with the information you decide to place on your resume. Read 25 Reasons Why THEY Won’t Hire You! and learn how people of all ages and nationalities are discriminated against on a daily basis because of simple mistakes they make on their resumes, and during the interviewing process.

Put these simple techniques to work, refuse to give up, and you should be able to set up 3-5 interviews in less than a few days. Trust me, experienced recruiters do this every day, and it works!

I strongly encourage you to consider scheduling a one hour career counseling session. I have over 16 years of experience coaching and developing jobs for people in positions from skilled labor to the executive level positions.

Some of the things we will discuss include, but are not limited to:

1. Your career objectives

2. Your resume

3. We will perform a mock interview

4. Various scripts to use when arranging your interviews

5. How to handle objections, such as: a. Just send me your resume first b. We don’t see any applicants without first seeing a resume c. We don’t know when we are filling that position d. We already have a lot of applicants e. You seem overqualified f. You do not have enough experience, and much more

6. How to get past the receptionist when you call the company

7. How to walk into a company and get an interview on-the-spot

8. How to create a job opening. Forget about the ads!

9. What to do if you were terminated or fired from your previous employer

10. What to do if you have a criminal background

11. What you must do if you are:

a. Pregnant and searching for work

b. Over the age of 40

c. Have an “ethnic” name

d. Been unemployed for 6 months or longer

e. Have a physical disability

AND SO MUCH MORE…

To schedule a one hour career counseling session today, send your request to: jobs@25ReasonsWhy.com

Be smart. Get educated.

Z. Glass www.25ReasonsWhy.com

Recommended Reading:

25 Reasons Why I Won’t Hire You! What You Did Wrong Before, During and After the Interview- 2nd Ed.

25 Reasons Why THEY Won’t Hire You! How to Overcome Unfair Hiring Practices AND Get Hired

About the Author

Zenja Glass has over 16 years of experience as a corporate employment specialist, professional recruiter, and business owner of a job placement firm serving clients in the USA and abroad. She has interviewed thousands of people for positions ranging from general labor to presidents of some of the leading corporations in the USA today. To view her books, visit www.25ReasonsWhy.com.

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