If you're planning on finding a new job this year and have updated your CV to
start sending it to companies then stop before you go any further.
This is the wrong strategy for finding good work, or in fact for finding any
work at all. The reason is the message that you are sending along with your
CV. The message in this case is:
"I'm part of the crowd and I'd like to join the queue along with the hundreds
of other people looking for a job."
If you were to receive your CV amongst thousands of others what would you do?
Richard Bolles
, describes this approach as
our
neanderthal job hunting system
. Ask around and see if you can find
anyone who has had success with this approach. I would bet you find less than
one in a hundred.
The approach that does work is to first spend time figuring out what you are
good at. Then decide who would give you an opportunity to do what you are good
at. Lastly sit back and figure out how you could make contact in a way that
will send the person who receives your letter linking your skills with their
need (not CV), into a frenzy as they call to make sure they get to you before
anyone else does.
Tip: your letter needs to hint at something they really really want.
This is a strategic way to step out of the crowd.
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