Are you struggling to find work in today’s crazy business environment?

Jill Konrath has just released her highly anticipated new book, Get Back To Work Faster: The Ultimate Job Seekers Guide.

Finding a job anytime is a challenge. It’s even worse when the economy is in bad shape. Traditional job search strategies are stacked against you. And, it’s virtually impossible to come out a winner when hundreds of qualified people apply for the same position.

It’s time to stop playing the old game! This new book will change how you look at job hunting forever. You won’t learn how to write a better resume, prepare for interviews or excel at networking. Instead, you’ll find out how to eliminate that ordeal entirely.

In Get Back to Work Faster, you’ll discover how to:

• Sharpen your value proposition so it appeals to employers.
• Position yourself as an invaluable resource, not a job seeker.
• Developing compelling emails, letters and phone messages.
• Target and research prospective employers.
• Launch an effective campaign to get a new position.
• Earn an income while you’re still looking for work.
• Get employers to create a new position specifically for you.
• … and much more!

Use these fresh strategies to become a “must hire” candidate and land a new job without any competition.

Get Back To Work Faster is BRILLIANT! This practical system, that any job seeker can implement, takes the agony out of the job search and puts YOU firmly in control. – Jeb Blount, CEO of SalesGravy.com, Author of Power Principles and 7 Rules For Outselling The Recession

Get Back to Work Faster is required reading for anyone looking to recover from a job loss, as well as anyone who is looking to establish their own brand.  Read this book now before it’s too late. – Dan Schawbel, Personal Branding Expert, Author of Me 2.0

The advice for job seekers in Get Back to Work Faster is beyond world-class. Jill offers a rare and refreshing breath of solid advice in a world that is jammed with hype. I hope job seekers wake up and get this book. It will improve their job-finding odds significantly, quickly and easily. – Mark Hovind, President of JobBait.com

Jill’s ideas are energizing and inspiring-she’ll get you moving in the right direction. - Tory Johnson, CEO of Women For Hire and Author of Fired to Hired

Jill Konrath is the driver of the Get Back to Work Faster initiative, an internationally-recognized sales strategist, author of bestselling book, Selling to Big Companies (a Fortune “must read” selection) and an in-demand speaker at annual sales meetings and professional conferences. She helps salespeople, entrepreneurs and consultants crack into corporate accounts, create demand for their products/services and win big contracts. Jill has written hundreds of articles on sales strategies and is frequently quoted in top business media. She’s appeared in Success, Inc., WSJ Start-Up Journal, Entrepreneur, New York Times, Business Journal, Selling Power, Sales & Marketing Management as well as countless online publications and radio shows.

One of the most misunderstood parts of a job seeker’s career search involves meeting with an agency recruiter.  Many times I walk out of a meeting with a candidate and think, “That is a great candidate.”  Your goal as a candidate is to get whoever you meet with to think the same thing.  As a recruiter, my thought process after wrapping up an interview is to think about how I think a candidate is going to represent me, my company, and him/herself.  Why are the first two things me and my company? – Because, I have to protect my reputation and our brand with the hiring managers that we work with on a daily basis.  If they start to think that the candidates that I send are consistently not the right fit then a hiring manager is of course going to look into other avenues to find the candidates that are the right fit. 

As a candidate what you should be thinking of is treating the interview with a recruiter as important as an interview with a potential employer.  Why?  When your recruiter has to put their reputation on the line to speak to your abilities and candidacy – you want your recruiter to be emotionally invested in selling you.  As a flip side to this I recently had an interview with a candidate who told me in no uncertain terms that she wanted to make more of a base salary, work less, and that she didn’t really like to work that hard at all.  The last part she told me twice. And the topper was that her sales accomplishments were less than impressive.  But, I wanted to find her a job and thought there might be a chance with one of our clients.  Until, I got one question. 

What was the killer question? – The sales manager for our client who I have built a relationship with called me and asked, “Brian, would you hire this candidate for your team?”  I hemmed and hawed to come out with some type of explanation as to why I felt she could succeed.  My lack of positive feedback spoke more volumes than anything and in the end, ruined any chance of setting up an interview.  I am sure some of you reading this will think, “Why didn’t you just lie?”  The answer is based on my interview with the candidate I had no confidence that she would not walk into an interview and tell a manager that she didn’t like to work that hard.  Also, there are times when you need to put your neck on the line for your candidates and you can’t burn your reputation as a recruiter for someone who didn’t want to impress you. 

On the positive side I have a candidate who was referred to me.  The candidate was aggressive about getting me on the phone and then when he came in to meet with me he was all positive energy, engaged, and looked the part of a salesperson.  He was successful in sales and was asked in his previous company to move into a non-sales role.  When his company downsized him the challenge was getting back into a sales role.  But, because of his presentation I was willing to put my neck out with my clients as I knew that if he had the chance to meet with a sales manager they would be impressed.  He started last week in his new sales role.  Morale of the story; do your best to impress your recruiter and we will work hard to have doors opened for you.

Social networking is nothing new – we learned how to do it in grade school. Remember when you made friends with that kid because he always brought PB&J sandwiches and you wanted an ‘in’ to trade with him…that was social networking. When we first became professionals we often attempted to expand our resources and network by attending events. We walk around a hotel lobbies with cocktails in hand and introduce ourselves to everybody. Personally speaking, I find that networking events are not very effective for my business. I typically meet a lot of good people but there is nothing that comes from our encounters besides an exchange of business cards and courteous emails. If you want to find something to do with those business cards – go to www.jigsaw.com Over the past few years social networking websites have swapped our drink tickets and awkward conversations with effective introductions and value added propositions with a few clicks of the mouse. Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo and a myriad of other sites have proven very useful and effective for professionals trying to broaden their exposure. There are so many functions to utilizing Social Networking sites – with a few strikes to your keyboard, you can broadcast an update about what you are currently doing at work, share a best practice, promote a great blog that you just read (ahem), or even join a group that will expose you to people who otherwise you would never share a room with. The possibilities go on and on. I currently network with people halfway across the world and we are adding value to each other’s businesses. I would never have met these people otherwise. My point in bringing all of this up is to ask you, my network, – what do you find is the most effective way to network on these sites? What is a success story that you can share about a social networking site? Were you able to expand your business through a partnership initiated on-line? Did you find a new client across the country that you otherwise would never know? You may be doing something that someone else never thought of – sharing a best practice will lead to a growing network. Which is the name of the game, after all!

1.  The Negative Sell:

1.  
   • “You are probably overqualified for this position”
   • “This position, is almost 100% New Business Development, all you will do all day is make cold calls.”
   • “There are other positions open in Marketing or Account Management that you might be more interested in, would you like me to get you in touch with those hiring managers?”

One of the most common traps is the “Negative Sell.”  The negative sell can come in many different forms, but most commonly hiring managers will bait you with other positions internally that may or may not be open to try to get to the bottom of your primal interest.  You may be telling the interviewer that you are willing to hunt for new business but would much rather work as an Account Manager?  Are you unemployed and getting desperate, thus willing to take a role that you are overqualified for?  Are you an experienced Sales Person, tiring of the rat race, and thus looking for ways to get out of sales all together, (i.e: a Product Marketing, training, or something else).  Or are you an entry level sales person that ended up in sales purely out of default, still under the assumption that marketing, advertising or PR, would be the “sexier” career choice? 

In the market that we are currently in, where interviews are hard to come by, the key to overcoming this trap and ensure a positive interview you must have the following:  Tact and Focus.   

Be tactful and show focus to the job you are interviewing for:

(Example Reponses)

 “Everything I’ve learned about your organization leads me to believe this is certainly a company I want to be a part of.  I am here today to focus on learning more about the Account Executive Role.  I feel strongly, that based on my experience I could be both happy as well as highly successful in the role.  Do you have any questions or concerns that would lead you to believe I was not a good fit for this role, and is that the reason you are suggesting other avenues to take?”

There certainly are instances when you go into a company, interviewing for one role, and ultimately end up getting an offer for a different role.  The above response would allow for that while not disqualifying you for the role in which you initially applied. 

2.  The Bad Cop

Another very common trap in sales interviews is what we like to call Bad Cop.  You have had one or two interviews and great rapport with all the people you’ve met with until…..THE BAD COP.  Right off the bat, this interviewer is confrontational.  You show up on time, and they say you are late.  You answer their question and they always have a rebuttal.  No matter what you say, you just don’t seem to say the right things.  They object to everything you say, and purposely don’t answer your questions…they may even get up and leave the room while you are mid-sentence.  At the end of the interview, they may flat out tell you that you are not a fit. 

If this hasn’t happened to you yet, then consider yourself lucky.  This tactic is used by hiring managers and many times by outsourced consulting firms who are hired by the hiring company to simulate a challenging prospect you may encounter while in an actual sale.  This can commonly look like a terrible interview but it is in fact a trap the interviewer is trying to get you to fall into.

The key to this is to anticipate what might be coming and remember it is not a personal attack, this is an interview trap.  Just like in sales, you have your awesome prospects, and those that…well… are not so awesome.  Great Sales People find a way to win over any audience.  So keep your cool and remember their challenging personality could simply be a trap to gauge how you would handle yourself.  Take your time overcoming their objections in a non-defensive way.  Ignore their blatant disrespect by spinning conversation back to positive aspects of your background whenever possible.  Of course, no one wants to work for a jerk, however, get through the interview by treating it like a sales call, don’t let your feathers get ruffled and then later in the process probe and qualify who this person is and in what capacity would you work together. 

3.  The Comfort Zone:

Oh, the comfort zone…how easy it is to sink right into the casual conversations about your weekend activities, how much you hated your last boss, or the fact that you are really looking for a sales role that pays the most money but requires the least amount of work.   The Comfort Zone might as well be a hole full of quick sand because when you fall into The Comfort Zone there is no talking yourself back out.  You’re done.

At first read, you may say, “I know better than to do this,” however it is easier trap to fall into than you may think.  The more experienced your interviewer, the more artful they are in creating, “The Comfort Zone”.   Even with all of today’s technology, sales is still about people and ultimately, people buy from people they like and trust…they also hire people they like and trust.  Thus, within that conquest to relate to the hiring manager, to get him/her to like you, it is one’s natural inclination to walk down the same conversation paths as the hiring manager. 

The key to this isn’t unlike any of my other advice….it is all about preparation.   Be cognoscente that these traps exist, so you are on your toes, looking out for them and tactfully sidestepping them.   Definitely relate to your interviewer, but avoid all potential topics of controversy or inappropriate nature.  You can have a very dynamic conversation, full of positive affirmations, head nods, laugher and eye contact without saying anything damaging!!!! 

After all, “failure to prepare is preparing to fail.”  Think of a mouse trap….it only works if it catches the mouse off guard.  Once the mouse knows that it is there, the mouse can easily take a different path to bypass the trap.  Some mice even get skilled enough to take the cheese out of the trap without it closing on them.  These Mice go happily on their way with a belly full of cheese.  So, next time you’re gearing up for your next interview, put some time into anticipating these common traps and others. 

Interviewing is a skill.  With a little preparation, you will soon find yourself facing interview traps with confidence and leaving interviews not overcome, but leaving with offers!!

NOPE! 

Any company that orchestrates a job fair will tell you that Job Fairs are a very effective resource to finding a job. 

I, on the other hand, will tell you they’re a waste of time. 

Job Fairs are built for companies, not job seekers.  Job Fairs are based on an advertising business model, which is precisely how the organizers make their money.  The model is not about getting people jobs; it is about creating enough hype and promoting traffic in order to entice potential clients to purchase space.  Simply put:  Job Fair companies sell advertising.  That advertising comes in the form of booth rentals, company sponsorships and print advertising.  The larger the space, the larger the revenue.  The larger the ad in the Job Fair directory the larger the cost.  Due to contrary belief, the goal of a Job Fair company is not to get people jobs, but instead to drive enough traffic to sell ad space.  

The advantage for companies is that it is an inexpensive way to promote and build brand awareness around your firm especially if you are always hiring due to attrition.   So for those companies that have a lower need for talent, this type of model gets them in front of many people.  These companies typically have a high turnover rate and need to constantly keep the funnel full of applicants.  For them the business model is bodies in seats.  After 30 days, if they retain 2 people out of 50, they consider themselves successful.  The point being, the next time you are at a job fair, look around the room and see what kind of companies are there.  You will typically find well branded companies with jobs that are not very appealing.  Because of the low cost of entry for these firms, there is limited risk and little importance placed on the actual candidates that visit the booths.  It is more about driving a consistent message to the public and yelling from the roof tops that a company is hiring.  Companies do not attend to find a specific skill set, instead they are there to speak with the masses.  

In conclusion, Job Fairs are about volume.  As a result, I cannot say there is any advantage for job seekers.  I would love to tell you that Job Fairs are a great resource to getting a new job, but it is simply not true.  Most of the opportunities are high turnover or  entry level where past experience is not necessary.  If you are just starting out in your career and have no idea what you want to do and have time to experiment, then by all means give it a shot and at least gain some experience of what Job Fairs are like.  Otherwise, if you are successful in your career, use your network, search firms, Linkedin, Facebook and other social media to spread the word and target real people at real companies with a real need.  The time you spend at a Job Fair could be spent digging up qualified leads to truly help you advance your career.  The goal is to find a career, not just a job.    

Now that you know the model behind Job Fairs you can decide for yourself if they are worth while.  If you get lured into a Job Fair make sure you are not wasting time and if you find that you are, just leave.

The past year has been almost overwhelming in regards to the amount of change that has occurred.  Not only has the economic landscape changed but there has also been a huge shift in the way business/sales are being conducted.  At this point, I am sure that the majority of sales professionals have heard of Sales 2.0 and the changes it is bringing to sales models and sales processes.  It seems to me that most companies and their employees know they need to do something but they struggle with what they need to do to change. 

In the book “You Gotta Get In The Game,” Billy Cox challenges you to think about playing the game, not watching it.  He mentions that if you only watch from the sidelines you’re allowing your peers, your competition and your industry to pass you by.  As sales professionals, we are all playing in a new league and the game, as we know it, has changed.  There are now new techniques in how to prospect, new techniques in how to move a sale and more importantly, new techniques in how to close a deal.  At this point in time, you seriously need take a look at what you have changed in your current process and what techniques you have learned.  

This book gives great recommendations on simple techniques that you can start applying today in your daily task and actions items.  The chapter that had the biggest impact on me was “Raise the Bar”.  This chapter is short and very simple: give more today than you did yesterday.  If you apply this one very simple rule you will continue to close more business, influence more people and continue to improve yourself personally and professionally.  

In the book, Cox refers to the story of Roger Bannister, the first man to run a mile under 4 minutes.  Roger was told by doctors that it was humanly impossible to run that fast and there was a grave possibility of his heart exploding.  Despite the warnings, Roger refused to let fear or medical recommendation stop him.  As an untrained runner, Roger disciplined himself by setting aside only 45 minutes per day to try to beat his old record.  Sometimes he only beat his record by milliseconds but he continued to push himself more and more every day.  This is what Cox is challenging all of us to do:  continue to push yourself.   

Cox also talks about in-depth about discipline.  Typically when I hear the word “discipline” I think about a child being punished for not cleaning his/her room.  That is negative discipline.  Cox challenges you to strive for positive discipline.  If you are focused and discipline yourself on a daily basis you can “Raise The Bar” for yourself.  The best quote to demonstrate this point is, “You will always be disciplined – you can either choose to discipline yourself or life will do it for you.”

All and all this is a simple read with a couple of quick stories to help us “Get In The Game”.

As a child, we are constantly asked by teachers and parents “what do you want to be when you grow up?”  Back in the day you may have said that you wanted to be a famous athlete or astronaut.  What I highly doubt you said at the age of 8 is that you wanted to be an ERP Software Sales Rep or that you wanted to sell medical devices.  However, at this point in our career, we may know that is the path that we want to take.  But how do you get there if you’re not in that industry right now?  We know that making an industry change can be difficult. So what do you do? How do you convince a hiring manager that you are the perfect fit for a sales role that you have never had experience in? How do you move into a new industry without taking a step back?

One of the first things that every professional needs to realize is that switching industries in this economy can prove to be extremely difficult.  In a time where companies are trying to rebuild their organizations, they will be looking to hire talented professionals from their direct space who will come with industry knowledge and perhaps a book of business.  Many companies may not be able to afford hiring a candidate from another space due to the time, money and resources it takes to train and ramp up a new hire.  We know that when you decide it is time to make a change, the best offers will come from the industry that you have the most expertise in.  So as you can see, it will prove to be a difficult move, but not an impossible one.  In order to switch industries and continue to build your career in today’s economy, you need to have a game plan.  Where should you start?

• Think about the industry that you want to be in and do some research!

Before you set your target on a certain industry, make sure you do your homework!  Check your gut and find out what you are really passionate about.  What are you moving towards or want to get away from.  You do not want to find yourself in a new industry facing the same challenges as the one you just left.  You have to ask yourself what you are looking for.  Write down what you need and the requirements for the job you want.   I would also include skills and abilities that are valuable outside of work.

• Present vs. Future

Realize where you are in your career and what you’re looking to accomplish.  Not only do you want to satisfy the things that you are looking to change now, but you should also take into account what you are looking to do in 3-5 years? Do you have a career plan?  Is the opportunity you’re currently looking at going to help you reach your ultimate goal?

• Leverage your strengths and transferable skills.

Once you have found the industry that you’re looking to break into, you want to focus on the skills you have that can be leveraged.   The resume you have is filled with words that only the people in your current industry understand, so refocus your verbiage to reflect the buzz words from their industy. Highlight what would make sense and focus on skills that can be utilized in order to make a transition.  Treeline Blog: How to articulate your story on your resume.  Showcase your past experiences, responsibilities and success that are relevant to the job you want.  For an example, if you are trying to break into an outside role you do not want to highlight your inside experience.  A sales manager is looking for 2 things, culture and most importantly can you do their job.  Treeline Blog: What makes your resume stand out?

• Have a positive attitude!

You need to have confidence in yourself and walk the fine line between confidence and cockiness.  Show the hiring manager that you have the intangibles that cannot be taught!  You have to fight for the opportunity you want because at the end of the day, good opportunities do not come to you. You have to know what you want and how are you going to get it.   Remember, take charge of your career and be your own CEO!!

Every once in a while you hear horror stories about the old “bait and switch” tactic: someone buys something with the expectation that they’ll get what they were promised but once they money has been exchanged, they realize they’ve been duped. Sometimes the same scenario can happen with a job search. What should you do when you find an opening, interview for it, get an offer, accept it and when you come on board – you realize that this role is not at all what you were told it was? What now? There is no handbook to this situation or proper protocol that you should follow. This can be a frustrating situation so I will share with you some scenarios that might give some insight if you ever find yourself in this pickle:

• Take emotion out of it. It is easy to get frustrated and feel betrayed – but this is business and those who get emotional will always fail. I had a candidate that was hired on to be a Director of Field Sales and when he came on board, he was informed that the company laid off the entire field sales team. Now he has no one to manage and he has to build the team from scratch. Instead of rising to the challenge or exploring other avenues, this candidate took it personally and left the company within a month. Now, he has no income, no referrals and a red flag on his resume all because he did not keep his cool.

• Seek information internally – go to HR or your hiring manager. Do not talk to them with the intention of cracking skulls or complaining but go with the intention of finding some direction and get a gauge on what is happening within your company. I once had a candidate that was hired on as a Business Development Specialist and after being in the role for a month, the company is having her focus on an Account Management role, up selling current accounts. She, in turn, went to her manager and presented an idea to split her time between new business and current accounts. If your company is reorganizing then they most likely will want to hear new ideas – especially if it is going to prove profitable.

• Don’t beat a dead horse. I had a candidate that got a role as an inside sales rep and after being in the role for 6 months, he was fully ramped up with a strong pipeline, he started getting handed administrative projects. He is a team player so he took care of them but they just kept on bringing the projects to him. He went to his manager and discussed the fact that he is being spread too thin and cannot focus on his sales. The manager heard him out but told him that there would be no change. The company needs him to sell and complete the administrative projects and that is that. My candidate was cool, calm and collected – told his manager that he can be relied upon. Then he immediately called me with an updated resume to start his search for a new role. If there is no flexibility and you are stuck – then start looking while you work. You are always more marketable if you’re still in a job.

Once you recognize what the situation is, then you can make up your mind and decide not to be a victim. These things happen to everyone but it is what you do in response that matters.

In a market where national unemployment is around 9.4% and so many talented professionals out on the market, it’s no wonder why it’s a buyers market for potential employers.  Across the nation, job descriptions have become more specific, hiring managers are conducting harder interviews and they are becoming less forgiving on the flaws of potential employees.  It may seem like hiring companies are in a phenomenal position and they are being picky because they can, but the real reason that companies are scrutinizing new hires is because they can’t afford to make a mistake.  Whether you like it or not, hiring the wrong candidate comes at a huge cost. 

Think about the time it takes and money it costs to ramp up a new hire.  A base salary is a liability and a mark on the “loss” column of the spreadsheet before it has the opportunity to be a “gain”.  Therefore, employers are proceeding in this market with a “buyer beware” type of attitude, especially when it comes to sales professionals. We all know that sales professionals have a history of exaggerating or packaging things in a glamorous light, therefore, hiring managers have put practices in place that will bring the truth to the surface and ensure them that they are getting the best candidate possible.  Two of these tactics are credit checks and W2 requests.

Although both of these reports pertain to your financial history, they are requested for very different reasons.  Employers request credit checks to gain a better understanding of your personal history and your allocation on your own personal finances.  If you have a shaky credit history with a potential bankruptcy claim, why would an employer trust an expense account to you?  Also, if you run your own personal finances into the ground, what will you do with their business?  When it comes to sales, you’re main objective is to make money for your company and ultimately, yourself.  So the best way an employer can get to know how you run a business is to look at your credit report.

W2s, on the other hand, are requested at the end of an interview process to ensure that employers aren’t being taken to the cleaners by their potential employee.  At the end of the day, we all want to make as much money as possible and if we can get a nice base salary that will cushion all of our expenses, of course we’ll take it.  However, a company asks you what you’re currently making and what you need to make to ensure that they are getting their money’s worth in a candidate.  One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a candidate is exaggerate your current base salary and W2.  Being a recruiter for several years, I have seen candidates grossly over exaggerate their wages in hopes that they’ll land a job with a $20-40K raise on the base.  Not only did it bite them in the end and force them to lose an offer, it ruined their reputation with both the client and the recruiter (see Burning Bridges).  Let’s face it, the best way to get a raise in pay is to prove to the employer that the juice is worth the squeeze.  If you tell them that you’re currently making more than what is stated on your W2 you better pray they don’t ask for documentation.  Once they see the report, they’ll see that you blatantly lied to them and you’ll lose the offer.  Lying is no way to start a relationship.  Raises are earned, not conned. 

So before you ruin your credit and then attempt to pay it off by requesting too much money on a base salary, think about what those implications can lead to.  This job market is hard enough, don’t make it harder for yourself.

Okay, so you have spent the time to craft a well constructed resume that highlights your successes.   You have identified a company that is hiring and a job that you feel fits your background…. Now what do you do?   

Step One: PIPELINE

FIND TEN MORE.  Seriously, maybe twenty more.  This blog will discuss doing all you can to get in front of the interviewer; however don’t focus on just one job, no matter how perfect it sounds to you.  Just as in you sales careers, your pipeline needs to be consistently full.  As you move forward in the interview processes with companies, you will find that many will prove to not fit what you’re looking for or will disqualify you from the interview process.  Don’t over analyze the opportunities, just apply.  Apply to jobs despite the fact that they may not be perfect.  You can only learn a small amount of information from a job description – your perfect job could be hidden in a poorly written and vague job description.   

Step Two: DIRECT CONTACT

Don’t submit your resume blindly to a company’s website portal.  Find the name of the HR manager or Sales Manager and submit your resume directly.  If you cannot find those individuals, you can still apply to the website, but if you do, you might as well wad it up in a ball and tell your dog to carefully deliver it to the decision maker.  Instead, use one of the many online names databases like LinkedIN, Jigsaw and ZoomINfo to find the name and in some cases the contact information of a Sales Manager, VP of Sales, Director of HR, or Director of Sales. 

Step Three: PROFESSIONAL FOLLOW-UP

Now….go back to the basics and get yourself noticed by not one, but many different individuals in the organization.  You are marketing yourself, creating a buzz.  This process is identical to the steps you would take in order to secure a meeting to sell your product.  Repeat after me, your product is now yourself.  It is not personal, this is business.   

Email to EVERYONE that could be potentially involved in the hiring process.  Use an Email Cover Letter and attach your resume. 

Quick Tips For an Email Cover Letter:

Lose the fluff.  Tell them what they want to hear and only what they want to hear.  Read the job description and highlight all the pieces of the requirements that you have in short bullets.  Short!  Always include:

1. The types of companies you sell to; whom within these companies you talk to
2. Your average size deals
3. Your quota numbers for your last five years.  Percentage towards quota and sales team ranking. THIS IS MOST IMPORTANT
4. Any special awards, notable client wins, large deals.

Step Four: PHONE FOLLOW-UP

Using the direct phone numbers you have gathered from Jigsaw or traditional sales prospecting; call each potential decision maker to let them know you have recently sent your resume.  Make sure that you are brief and to the point.  A Sales Manager’s #1 priority is driving revenue.  If you have helped a Sales Manager achieve that goal before, sing to your successes; VERY BREIFLY.

(example)

“My name is Kimberly Collins and I’ve recently sent my resume for your consideration.  I have 6 years of experience in sales recruiting and have consistently ranked number 1 in my company and averaged over 200% of goal.  I would love the opportunity to speak with you about your open role.  You can reach me at (xxx) xxx-xxxx.”  

Articulate your contact information slowly and clearly. 

Step Five: CONTINUED FOLLOW-UP

This is the stage of the process when follow-up becomes an art.  You have to feel it out carefully and conduct yourself differently to almost every prospect. 

The goal: Creatively Stay in Front of Your Prospect

• After three days, email the exact same email again.  Follow up on the phone.
• Few days – find a Press Release or article on the company; email it to your prospect with a comment.  Attach your resume follow up with a phone call.
• Phone call again, zero out to operator, POLITELY (this is key) ask to have your prospect located.  Are they in the office?  At a meeting, when can they be reached?
• Send a hand written note
• Use social media
• Does your prospect have a blog?  Make a comment
• Does your prospect have a LinkedIN/Facebook/Twitter site – send a connection request

Gone are the days of submitting your resume, sitting back and waiting for the interested parties to start contacting you.  Just like in sales you need to work to get in front of these hiring managers.  Your actions during this “courting” process will also display who you really are as a sales person.

GOOD LUCK!