Okay, you’ve just culled a hot lead from ZoomInfo, Googled the exec’s background, rooted out their hot buttons and crafted a compelling resume – now what?
Thanks to email’s ubiquity, it might seem like the perfect resource for sending resumes. Unfortunately, the SPAM blockers that organizations use to fight unsolicited messages can stop your email dead in its tracks. Sadly, you’re not even likely to know if your masterfully crafted message reached its target.
Resume SPAM is out of control in America and employers are now fighting back, using technology that will intercept and delete or reroute resumes to the HR department – exactly where you don’t want your perfectly crafted resume to end up. Emailed resumes can be lost in bureaucracy and the ether of cyberspace.
Evading SPAM Blockers
So what does a Guerrilla Job Hunter do? Tunnel inside the company using technology the employer still trusts and can’t block – send a fax.
Businesses today still require fax machines to conduct transactions, process legal documents that require signatures, and receive purchase orders. In short, fax isn’t going anywhere, so use it gainfully. As little as five years ago it was common for jobseekers to send their resume by fax, and smart guerrilla job-hunters continue to use it whenever possible.
Faxing guarantees your nicely formatted resume gets printed and delivered to the exact person you intended it for. For job hunters, faxing lets you “zig” when everyone else is “zagging.”
Now I know not everyone can afford a fax machine nor do most people want to plug and unplug their phone every time they need to use it – let alone address a new cover letter each time. Fortunately the worlds of fax and the Internet have collided, creating a fusion which you can leverage to your advantage. Internet-based faxing – that is faxes sent from your PC to a company’s fax machine – offer significant savings on resume distribution while ensuring a speedy delivery.
Finding Hidden Jobs
We all know how easy it is to press the delete button on an unexpected, unwanted email, and the fax strategy eliminates that possibility. Using an Internet-based service further helps savvy job-hunters get past one of the biggest obstacles in their searches – pursuing jobs that aren’t advertised.
Since a vast number of potential jobs are never advertised to the public, faxing dozens, hundreds or even thousands of resumes could be part of a coordinated plan, when there isn’t time for a laser-focused targeting. After all, any one of those faxes could lead to your dream job. And fax can be one of the most effective tools in your kit to ensure you create a positive, professional impression on your future employer.
Unlike email, fax gives definitive control over what the recipient sees: format, structure and design. Ultimately, the combination of Internet-based fax and email pitches gives you the benefits of greater reliability, since you can electronically track your emails and faxes; simplicity, since it’s all based on PC applications you’re probably already familiar with; and the convenience of sending your job pitches from home or on the road over the Web.
As a headhunter, I use fax technology to get my message through to the executives I know need my services. I’ve used many of the popular tools like eFax and FaxAway. I even used Outlook successfully for awhile. However, after many trials and tribulations I’ve settled on a very powerful and simple solution – MyFax.com. Jay Levinson and I selected MyFax as best of breed for inclusion in our new book: Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters.
If you go to myfax.com, you can sign up for a $10-a-month account that enables you to send and receive faxes over the Internet using your existing email program, and you get an international toll-free (800) number so employers can fax you back. (Go to our website, gm4jh.com, for a one-month free trial of the service.)
Fax isn’t new technology, but then again neither is your microwave, refrigerator or stove. Effective solutions don’t have to be sexy, they just have to work. Put yourself to work today by using fax technology.
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