FYI Candidates October 2007
Behind Enemy Lines
Try a Guerrilla Assault for Your Next Job Search
by Orrick Nepomuceno, CPC
Vice President of Development, Dick Wray Executive Search
Sometimes the job search can feel like a battle, with you playing the part of the unlikely underdog doing everything in your power to get behind enemy lines. When all hope is lost, don’t give up; just try a few guerilla tactics to get yourself noticed – and sitting down for an interview.
Don’t be afraid to try something new – or even seemingly impossible. “If you want to succeed in your job search,” warn the folks at CollegeGrad.com, “you need to step outside many of the artificially imposed boundaries and seek to accomplish the impossible at least once each and every day.”
What, exactly, is a guerilla hiring tactic? Did you hear the one about the guy who walked down a busy city street wearing a “job wanted” sign on his chest? This guerrilla tactic got him a story in the Wall Street Journal – and eventually a job. Or what about the guy who only sent the prospective employer half his resume – with a note to “get in touch” if they wanted the punch line?
These are both great, but risky, examples of a guerrilla job search. If they sound right up your alley, a guerrilla assault might just be the best strategy for your next job search. But before you slap on that “job wanted” board or cut your resume in half, here are a few tips:
• Don’t be reckless. A guerrilla job search can involve new ways of looking at old ideas, but it should never include being reckless, disrespectful or just plain stupid. You want the tactic to get you the job, not land you in jail!
• Walk a mile in their shoes. Be clever, fun, original and aggressive – but always be empathetic with the company doing the hiring. If you were in the hiring department and saw these tactics, what would you think?
• Be yourself. Never try a guerrilla tactic that doesn’t fit your personality. If the
tactic works and gets you the job, chances are it displayed a strategy or quality
the company wants you to repeat, day after day, on the job. How will you do that
if were just faking it until you made it?
Orrick Nepomuceno, CPC is Vice President of Development at Dick Wray Executive Search. He is also author of Hitchhiker In The Corner Office: Avoid The Hiring Potholes So Your Employees Don’t Hit The Road! He can be reached at orrick@dickwray.com