Chris Bigelow
Disparate thoughts and musings…Archive for interview
Why You Should Keep Your Job Search Pipeline Full
So you’ve targeted a company, landed an interview, done your research, and think the interview went well. You’re excited! This is “the one!!”
It’s natural at this point to breathe a sigh of relief and want to take a day off. Maybe two. Don’t do it! No matter how well the interview went, or how much you desire to work for that company, you should keep applying to other positions to keep your “pipeline” full.
Why? That plum opportunity may not turn into an offer. Or it may not turn into an acceptable offer. If you let your pipeline go dry while you wait, and bad news comes, you could set your job search back by weeks. Not good, right?
If you keep it full, the worst case is that you’ll receive multiple job offers. Oh wait – isn’t that the best case? And before you write in saying “No one gets multiple job offers in this economy,” let me tell you that is precisely what happened to two friends of mine during their job searches this year.
As of this writing I am awaiting news on the results of interviews with three different companies, the oldest dating back to the first half of September. What am I doing while I wait? I am continuing to network and apply to other companies. In fact, I have an interview with a fourth company this coming Tuesday.
I’ve also attended the Career Navigator job search “boot camp” to brush up on my job search skills. And I’ve been giving presentations on social media and job search to keep my presentation skills up, blogging to keep my writing skills up… you get the idea.
It’s easy to drop your guard during your job search when you have landed one or more interviews. Don’t do it – keep your pipeline full.
Radio Resume
I’ve never been big on self promotion. Funny how things change when you’re in job search. Not only have I learned to self promote now, but I’ve realized that I need to do so for the rest of my career (for some tips, read Brag!: The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn without Blowing It).
This week I thought I’d talk about my experience being on the radio. Seven of the local Clear Channel radio stations have been running a promotion during the last few months called “Radio Resume”. This is a free public service they initiated to help unemployed folks advertise their availability.
I learned of this promotion a few weeks before it started and immediately applied. On 22 July I received a call from the WHAM general manager saying I’d been chosen and on 23 July they called to record my Radio Resume.
What’s a Radio Resume? It’s a 30 second spot (5 second intro & 25 second pitch). About 3-4 sentences. It closes with a request to see your resume on the station’s web site, where all of the Radio Resume participants’ resumes (past and present) are hosted.
Last I checked the promotion was still going on so, if you are unemployed and live in the Rochester area, I recommend you consider applying. The application process is simple – just enter why you feel you should be chosen – in 300 characters or less. For those of you on Twitter or LinkedIn, that’s just over two tweets or status updates.
If you are fortunate enough to be called, here are my recommendations:
- Repeat your name twice
- Give your title or function
- Tell the employer what value you will bring to them (this is WHY they hire you, right?)
- Refer them to your resume on the radio station’s web site (call to action)
Things not to say (either because no one cares or you’re just wasting precious seconds):
- When you were laid off (or how long)
- Personal financial details (like bankruptcy or foreclosure)
- Marital status, number of children, etc.
Write out what you want to say, bold the words you want to emphasize, and add hyphens anywhere you want to pause. Then practice, practice, practice. Time yourself. Whittle it down to a punchy delivery of the bare essentials. This is radio – your message is only as good as the delivery. Oh wait! Isn’t that true of all of your self-marketing materials?
Is a Radio Resume worth the effort? Absolutely! Worst case, people in your network will hear it and you will be top of mind with minimal effort on your part. If they hear of a position that fits you they will remember (and think of) you. Best case, it can lead to an interview and, possibly, employment. I know of two people, including myself, that received interviews as a direct result of someone hearing their Radio Resume.
So stop sitting around reading blogs and go apply for a Radio Resume. And best of luck!
Chris Bigelow 