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Newspaper ads and Internet job postings should not be ignored, but they are of limited value because everyone else is doing it. Guerrillas venture upstream to get the prize fish. It requires a little more effort, but they find a fishing hole that no one else has discovered. Responding to newspapers is not a strategy; it is just another tactic.

In my experience, responding to newspaper ads gives you a 1 in 1,000 chance of landing a job. It is not unusual for an Internet job posting to attract 400 to 5,000 resumes. Do you like those odds? And who does the prescreening—the corporate recruiters or human resources department? Do you want them assessing your credentials? Still like your odds?

A WAR STORY

Jim Reil

In the mid-1980s, my cousin Randy Smith graduated from the theater program at the University of Victoria. He wanted to be a director, not an actor. He directed a few small productions in Victoria but then what? How could he start the kind of career he wanted?

In a newspaper, he read that the great American theater and opera director Robert Wilson was staying at the Hotel Vancouver in Vancouver, a ferry ride from Victoria. So Randy called the front desk and asked for Robert Wilson’s room. He was put through, and Robert Wilson answered the phone. Randy said something like, “Mr. Wilson, I just graduated from theater studies and I want to study with you because you are the greatest living director in the world. I will do anything that needs doing so I can learn from you.” A pause. Then Wilson said something like, “I’ve never got a call like this before. The answer is yes.”

A short time later, Randy was on his way first to Italy and then to Germany, where Wilson was directing. Everyone who knew Randy was astonished. He was a shy, quiet person. But he had a great passion for theater and knew that it was his vocation. He ended up in senior management at the Vancouver Opera. His story will always be an inspiration to me.

Compliments of Jim Reil, jim@jimreil.com.

■ LOGISTICS—BUILDING YOUR WAR ROOM

Next to knowing what kind of job you want, there is nothing more important than being organized. You will need to compile research, track your job leads, schedule calls, follow up your interview activities, and send correspondence. While this may not sound like much, it is a lot to keep track of, and if you misplace or lose information, it could cost you your dream job.

Here is what I suggest. First, find a space in your home where you can be out of everybody else’s way—an area that you can get other family members to agree is yours and yours alone. Having said that, I must add that the lack of space is no excuse for failure.

When I started looking for my second job, I was working full-time 50 to 70 hours per week. My workspace was the dining-room table in my dinky little apartment—until my best friend needed a place to stay. After he showed up, I put a filing cabinet in the trunk of my car with all my documents and resumes and a suitcase with 2 suits, 4 shirts, and 2 matching ties. I landed 14 interviews and 13 offers in a 4-week period.

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