You can receive messages back from the resume black hole!!

Events of this past week have proven two of my key learnings for conducting an effective job search; one, the importance of creating a list of target companies to work for to help narrow a search and two, submitting a resume even if a job is not the 100% right fit or not posted at all.

Last month I submitted a resume for a junior position at a company that just recently launched a smart phone designed to compete with the RIM Blackberry and the Apple iPhone. I received the automated "thanks for applying" email, but had not received any further communication from the resume black hole....until last Friday.

I had just got back from my 9:00am Friday morning run when my iPhone rang. The voice at the other end was the VP of Marketing for this re-energized smart phone company that, rightfully so, has sweaty palms. The VP had received my resume from HR who had filed it away for future use. Interesting...these online submission portal black holes have another side to them! The marketing team is in need of someone to lead their relationship marketing strategy and implementation and the VP found my experience very relevant. Cool.

This morning I met with the VP amongst all the media buzz of the new device. The conversation was very rich and a lot of fun. "What would you do to help us build relationships with our customers" type questions flowed. Fun. "It's all about engaging and winning the gadget enthusiasts...who, if they love it, will effectively sell the product for the company...and will engage others in the conversation. "

So where did this all net out? I'm not really sure. The job req has been approved, but no job description has been created. My meeting was more of a "meet and greet...and let hear how you think" session...or said another way, "a VP level initial screening." Hopefully I'm on the VP's short list of potential candidates when the interview process officially begins.

My biggest concern is will I need to publicly denounce my iPhone should I become employed by this private equity funded company who is looking to reclaim it's place in the hand held space? But...I love my iPhone.

Employers be ware: the perils of hiring a free workforce

The affect of the current economic downturn is far greater on the Bay Area job market than the downturn of the "dot.com bust" era in the early 2000s. Living through the downturn of the "bust," I can remember being fairly optimistic that a job would pop up and I did some consultant work to make ends meet and to give my idle brain something to chew on. However, based on this news story on these Job Nob gatherings/happy hours, it seems high tech employees are now willing to "consult" for free in hopes of securing a full time job when funding comes around. Yikes...



I remember consulting at Excite.com in 1996 as a way to get my foot in the door...which lead to me eventually landing a full time job. Now it seems the new trend is to no longer consult, but to intern. Hmmm...if people with 10+ years experience are taking the internship type jobs...where does that leave our college interns? Now of course a 10+ years of experience intern will do the job of a well experienced professional, but this trend is adding a skills hierarchy to a now free talent pool.

I see this trend creating a precarious path for struggling, funded and established companies. Yes, the job market is extremely tight now and is so tight that a willingness for skilled professionals to work for free is now a competitive advantage. From a worker's perspective, it sure beats watching Regis and Kelly in the morning and shopping at "Social Safeway" in the Marina looking for the value card specials on a Monday afternoon.

When the economy changes, however, worker's desire will quickly disappear as they seek revenue generating opportunities to pay the bills. Companies who get funding or have a growth in revenue will hire the knowledge base away from the other less funded organizations. Maybe this is a competitive strategy to learn what the under-paid competition is doing?

Companies who are hiring a "free" workforce really need to think through this process carefully. This trend may seem great now...but remember, you get what you pay for. An uncompensated worker is patient for only so long and money talks...especially in the Bay Area. When the free employee leaves, he/she takes a knowledge base to the next job...and knowledge is a competitive advantage. Executive staff may consider re-balancing strategic initiatives and work flows to match current bandwidth...and consider building the team when revenue's grow like most companies do in a soft market.

As for the idle worker...well that's a tough one. I've been using my time to build my marketing "tool kit" to become a stronger marketer and leader. I've been reading books and visiting AMA type blogs. When my butt gets soar from sitting too long and I've listened to all my iTunes music, I've been going for some great runs on the Los Gatos trail in the afternoon. Cool.

Comments welcome.

Apply for the job even if it's not posted

I have heard from several career search resources to create a target list of companies that I'd "dream" of working for. After I created my list, I clicked on the "Jobs" link of each company's website...to unfortunately not find any marketing positions posted.

I am fortunate to know a few people at one of my "target" companies. I took the initiative and sent a cover letter and resume to touch base with my friends, inform them of what type of position I'm looking for...and to "fish" if my contacts may know of positions that are not posted or may become available soon.

Bingo...this strategy paid off.

My contact was quick to respond with a note informing me of a marketing position that is an internal posting and has not been made public. He advised me to quickly submit my resume to the hiring manager with a cover letter referencing my internal contact. This worked like a charm...within a few days I got a call from the HR team asking for my availability to come in for interviews.

The big lesson here is to understand that companies are always looking for good people. Take that chance and submit the resume and cover letter to the dream companies for one never knows what may be in the works behind the "vail" of the job boards.