Besides being a recruitment guru, David is an interesting guy with some great stories on job hunting and innovation within the space. Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters is in its 3rd edition, and without banging on about how good it is, I will just say that it is definitely worth a read for both those people that are presently looking for a job.

In this interview David tells us:

• What a Guerrilla Job Hunter is

• How to get a job using Facebook ads

• Why you need to get your CV found on the web

• Why you should stop APPLYING for jobs

• A top recruiters secret

• How to strategically approach interview questions

• How to optimize your LinkedIn profile

Note: The audio quality gets a little fuzzy in places. Apologies – this was due to a temperamental internet connection

David’s links:

www.gm4jh.com

@RogueRecruiter

http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=113709&locale=en_US&trk=tyah

I have just finished reading this book, and have found at least 80% of it very helpful. I kind of wish I had read it 8 months ago when I was heavily involved in the job hunt.

The book provides job hunters with a repertoire of skills and tips that gets them ‘out of the starting blocks’ ahead of the rest, and has their application/CV/cover letter grabbing the attention of prospective employers. Moreover this modern edition of the book goes a step further and provides the job hunter with the knowledge necessary to create an online personal brand through leveraging social media. It tells you how to build an online personal brand and market it through a multitude of distribution channels. It champions not just being able to search for a job effectively, but also more the importantly the art of being found – Tapping into the hidden job market.

In the book you can find the following powerful graduate job tips on how to effectively create a personal by using the ‘Lighthouse Personal Branding Model’:

> How to spice up your CV  by adding a ‘grabber’ statement at the top (usually an adjective definition)

> How to create a ‘killer’ cover letter by using a gripping opening clause that will grab an employer’s attention

> How to optimize your LinkedIn profile so that recruiters always come knocking

> How to maximize the various social media platforms at your disposal

The only thing I did not find that useful in the book was the chapter on ‘Attitude check’. Although what was written was true and certainly valid, I felt like this sort of information is a given, and in my opinion if you have made the effort to buy and read the book, then I’m sure you have the right attitude toward the job hunt.

Out of all the job-hunting books I have read this would certainly rank in my top three. In terms of a rating, I would give it s 4 out of 5:

1.  Create a rough skeleton of the speculative job application email you are going to send. The rest of the email should be tailored to the recipient. Research the organization and individual thoroughly and drop some ‘meat’ in there about how you liked their recent award for xyz, and how you were very impressed with their ability to grow year on year profits by x%.

2.  Find the key people in the organization that will view such an approach in the right way. In my opinion reach for the stars and get hold of the CEO, MD or Department Director. HR (because they receive such a high volume of applications) often just spit out something generic, like how you should apply in 6 months time, or how they “are not hiring at present, but will endeavor to consider you for roles that may come up in the future”. The best is when they say they will keep your CV on their records. Do you know of any organization that has contacted you further down the line to offer you an interview, because your CV just happened to be in the ‘future prospective applicants’ archive? Of course HR will have to become involved in the process somewhere along the line, but at least if you get hold of someone high up in the organization, then the recommendation to HR has clout and influence.

3.   Keep it Guerrilla. If you can’t get their personal email address outright, take a few calculated guesses. Remember you have the bcc option in email. My tip is to try name.surname@company.com, and initial.surname@company.com. Perhaps send them an ‘inmail’ on LinkedIn. If you want to get more guerrilla, write them a good ol’ fashioned letter. This does take quite a bit of time in terms of conception to acceptance. Remember though, the recipient does not have that option of deleting or overlooking a letter like they can do with email. It gets physically handed to them, and they will at least read the first few lines before perhaps tearing it up. Lastly, if you have a superb telephonic manner you can get super-guerrilla and cold call them and pitch yourself. I would be careful with this one, as it can be quite easy to burn bridges this way.

Lastly, I would say the most important thing is not necessarily to ask for a job straight away. In the letter/email/phone call ask them just to spare 20 min of their time so that you could meet them for a coffee, so that you can go into a bit more detail about your aspirations and most importantly how you can add value to the organization.

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sometimes, to get that interview you so badly want, you will have to go above the gatekeepers, HR people, and anyone else standing in your way from gaining direct access to that Key Business Person. This is the person who potentially can not only grant you an interview, but also make the final decision on giving you job. Get hold of them, and the process could be more straight forward than you ever imagined.

Phoning a up the organization and asking to speak to this particular person is the most obvious and direct way of getting hold of them. If you can achieve this, well then great, but it is usually a very ‘tall order’. Below are my three ‘guerrilla marketing’ tips to getting hold of your Key Business Person:

1. Follow them on twitter and tweet them. Yes, this does work, and there is even software available whereby you can tweet them for their email  address which is shared on a private platform. This allows you to email them without you seeing their email address.

2. Email them – sure you may say that their email address is not publicly available. My tip is to look at the style/pattern of work email addresses at the company, and use that as template. E.g. If the HR person’s email address is joe.bloggs@abc.com, simply replace your Key Business Person’s name in the place of Joe Bloggs.

3. ‘Bump’ into them at a trade show/event – find out what some of the leading trade shows/events are in the particular industry they operate in, and attend one. Have a copy of your CV with you, and when handing it over to them, ask for their business card and also mention one reason why you think you’d add value to the company/provide a solution to a difficult problem they presently facing. Leave it at that, as they haven’t planned to talk you, so you don’t want to bombard. By leaving them with one powerful statement, you will have hopefully etched yourself in their memory. So, when you phone them for the follow up call, they not only remember you, but invite you in for an interview.