Tips and Tools

Persistence is the Key to Securing a Great Job  
By Robin Doering

With all the competition out there these days it’s easy to feel like your dream job is out of reach. New graduates entering the market may get discouraged when looking for a job and not hearing back from employers despite the countless applications they’ve sent out. There are several little things you can do to help yourself stand out but persistence is the key to landing a great job. Following are a few examples of how to “persist yourself” into your next job.

When you send out a large amount of resumes, it’s tempting to use the same template for all of them just to get them out and be done with it. But take the extra time to tailor each resume and cover letter to fit the job description of the position you are applying for.    

Go the extra mile and send a hard copy of your resume in addition to applying through the online application system. If contact information isn’t listed on the website, call and ask who is in charge of the hiring so you can be sure to put it to their attention.

If you’ve applied to a position and a week has passed, follow up by calling the company and let them know that you are hoping to be granted an interview. The same applies if you’ve interviewed and haven’t heard anything within a week. Call to thank them for the interview and express your continued interest in the position. Be bold and ask how you stack up to the other candidates they’ve interviewed.

If there’s a company you are interested in working for but they aren’t currently hiring, see if you can set up an informational interview. You might not be in the immediate running for a job but you’ll have a valuable networking opportunity and will have a foot in the door if a position does open up.

Persistence pays off! Don’t think just because you were passed over the first time that you’ll never have another chance with the company. I once worked for a man who was looking for a new sales associate. One of the candidates whom he didn’t hire sent him a follow up letter, expressing his disappointment about not getting the job and asking to be reconsidered in the future. Then my boss would receive a short hand written note every month or so from this man. He even sent him a holiday card that year. The next time my boss had a sales position available, guess who he called?

Q. I click 'apply' to a job and then I'm asked for my username and password again but when I enter them, I get a message saying it doesn't recoginze my user information. What's wrong?

A. You are being re-directed to the company's career application section on their website. Some companies will require that you go through their online recruiting process in order to apply to the job even though they are advertising through us. In this case, you will need to register as a new user on their site in order to proceed. Please read and follow the directions carefully.