It is amazing to see how many of us fall for such promising headlines and simply think that may be this time it will happen for real. This headline is totally absurd. Yet, there is something more absurd and it is the method we use to get hired by great companies.
One thing is clear though. If you want to get hired, you better get noticed first. Especially when there are bazillion candidates out there ready to reap each other for that holy position.
You will not get that call. Because you suck. Period. Your resume and your way of positioning yourself to “job market” sucks. Believe me, I am not here to insult anyone who put their hours into insane efforts to craft those “perfect resumes” that no one gives a damn about.
Big brands, big names, big opportunities and huge army of those who desperately want to join one of “once in a lifetime” corporate boards. People who jobseek love to chase “ghosts”. They think that their resumes are defining factor for their success in any position hunt. I have bad news for you as a co-founder of VitalCV who gets to see hundreds of resumes daily. Your every attempt sucks big time when you download your resume and hope that one day you will get that “life changing” call from some fancy HR officer. The variety of CV-s and skills put into them dazzle me. I feel sad about the injustice of today’s reality.
We live in a crazy world. It does not care how fancy was the school you studied at or how many golden-plated certificates you have. You are boring. And this is enough to place you with others who failed to get the attention of big names. Ok. I admit if you have relationships and connections you will get there but how many of us have these connections.
I also have good news. Job market transformed into a connection hub which has social media plug to it. Rules of the game have changed and players who usually sit on the bench get to score big time.
You have all it takes to work for big companies. You have talent. You have hustle. You have energy and enthusiasm. But one thing is clear as the moon on a late night. You fail to position your personal brand so that it grabs some big time attention. So how do you hack attention?
1. Gravitate towards “extra” of ordinary.
1. Gravitate towards “extra” of ordinary.
We live in times when one blog post can give incredible publicity. When you give extraordinary effort to create and distribute your resume please make sure you focus on the “extra” part of this word. Every CV we read is a waste of time. Why? Because it is too predictable. Same combination of words and sentences. Same old song about the “Mr. Perfect for your position”. Now imagine companies dealing with millions of such songs and ask yourself: “If I were to sing again what would have to change in the way I sing?” “Where would I sing so that I get the best accoustics?” “What extra flavor would I add to my personal song?” Companies do not want perfect candidates. Companies want extraordinary ones. Ones that stand out from the crowd. Ones that go extra mile in the way they work and deliver results. So please concentrate on the “extra” part. It also means that when people around you use good old “resume” and “cover letter” method you use some extra tools such as “your personal domain”, “youtube channel”, “personal blog” and any other extra “channels” available. You want to be heard first learn how to sing properly and how to distribute your song to target audience. This takes extra effort and wit. Well if you really want what you want you will do what is required. Just like me who had to bounce on and off the laptop to babysit my two kids and get them asleep so that I could type for my readers. I know exactly why I sit and type via Medium. I know exactly where this extra step will take me. The question is what are you exact about?
2. Market yourself with your content.
We live in an era of drink-eat-live content. Same goes for any well-known company. Resumes, cover-letters and application forms are so not authentic, so old and so overrated. Look at where the eyes of community are? Thoushands of articles get published online every hour. Each article plays an architectural role for its publisher. Those who have content are more respected than anybody else. They share valuable stories, hints, points of view and observations. They share and this way they build their audiences which build their reputation in return. Look at how desperate Linkedin is for any Influencer out there. Yes, content by Influencers is what matters today. Nobody cares about your “resumetrics”. People want to hear something “younique”. Just like this new word you heard right now. Provide people with younique content and they will carry your reputation to a next level. Provide people with knowledge you have and don’t wait for a chance to boast about your abilities and skills within interview sessions. Show them via online and market yourself post by post. Your content is your new resume. Period.
3. Try to get hunted instead of hunting.
Have you ever wondered why some people are head hunted by corporations?Have you ever considered yourself worthy enough to be hunted as well?Great names and personal brands are so valued that big guys do almost anything to get them on board. So what is the hint?
Great companies are like hot women. Almost every man in the room wants to grab their attention. These hot women are usually bored because they get to hear the same dumb phrases like “you are so hot and beautiful” every day. Usually every man in the room becomes a victim of conventional thought. Boring, ordinary and predictable compliments by “desperate” men may work if companies look for security officers or accountants. (That is also a matter of time) But what about sales agents, designers, marketing specialists, PR and content managers?
Women make decision via calculation. They calculate the level of astonishment they experience when being next to you. The level of their excitement usually is triggered by what they hear and feel while hearing.
Think about the guy who positions himself in a room in a way that he gets hunted. This guy knows where to stand, when to speak and how to use “attention traps” to quantify his brand in the eyes of these women. So what are the attention traps? They are the other men talking about him. They are the other women talking about him. It is the whole room talking about him that will not only trap the attention but also ignite an instant desire to get to know that man. Suddenly they want to stand next to this man because instinctively they figure out if they stand next to him crowd will give some attention to them as well. So they start hunting. How many times you heard or saw big company sign a deal with some teenager after he or she got some media coverage or internet fame? Hell lot of times. So could you imagine those young people sending these companies resumes and seeking some internship position. No. No way. Even the founders of Whatsapp were rejected by some big names like Facebook and Twitter. But years later look how they were hunted back into the office. Gush this is a multi-billion dollar story that teaches so much if we are willing to learn.
So, if you are building your brand personally use attention traps in forms ofSlideshare decks, Medium posts, Personal blogposts, Facebook posts and etc. Write as much as possible and build your audience so that it speaks for you. Then simply watch how companies will get in touch with you and make irresistable offers. Be consistent in building your brand and your network of readers and followers.
Finally, remember it is better to do something extra-ordinary, fresh, provoking rather than resume-spamming company emails. It is better to be hunted rather than desperately hunting with tools that are useless to hunt with.
You have knowledge, experience and dozens of skills. Good to hear it. Just apply them all into the content you make and position yourself online instead of A4 paper or Application forms. It may and it will take some serious amount of time but it is worth it.
May all of the brightest heads be hunted by the greatest teams! Ameen!
If you have any extra hacks, offers and ideas on how we can collaborate feel free to send me an email via joshkerimov@gmail.com
