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• Classic-Fiction

3. Do not say, “Enclosed is my resume.” The offeror has eyes.

4. Begin with a hook:

Your ad in Sunday’s Offeror Outlook mentions exactly the kind of position I’ve been seeking. As a marketing director with ten years in the industrial field, I have experience in developing a national sales program, reaching sales goals, and coordinating product support.

Note the three experience items just mentioned. They were the first three specs mentioned in the ad.

5. Ask for the interview. The ad may say “Send resume” or even “Walk-in applicants will not be interviewed.” There’s nothing wrong with stating you’d like to appear. (There’s also nothing wrong with appearing! They know what they want when they see you.) So, even if the ad discourages it, say you’d like to meet to discuss your qualifications and their needs.

Now, you never should pass up the classifieds again!

Do 21: Mining the Yellow Pages

Those Yellow Pages are instant interview gold mines! Any phone is your probe.

As with gold mining, you have to be intuitive and persistent. I was tested on the use of Yellow Pages very early when I was touring for How to Turn an Interview into a Job. TV talk show hosts would invite me on for the first segment, then challenge me to get some really frumpy audience member a job at the bottom of the hour.

It was really no big deal. I’d just take the person backstage, do an instant interview role-play as though I was the offeror, find a phone and YP, then start smiling and dialing with the YP. Then by the time the show was ready to sign off, we’d have an interview or two arranged.

This may sound low-tech, but some form of book has been around ever since man has drawn pictures. The phone’s been around a while, too. So has the ballpoint pen.

You can surf, click, and e-mail on the tube for a day and not get the results you can get in a few minutes by looking, calling, and writing in the margins of a YP.

Where else can you instantly find such a diverse list of offerors willing to tell you what they do (and how they can use you)?

There are specific mines and ways to mine them.

This is how it works:

Know the Differences in Yellow Pages

There are major differences in the type of advertisers and reach of these books. If you don’t see the words Yellow and Pages following one another, you probably don’t have the original AT&T version (“The real Yellow Pages”).

The others have lower rates, so tend to get advertisers who don’t have the money for the official YPs. I’ve tried using them, and there’s just not the same responsiveness. Due to the long lead times of directory publishing, however, the alternatives do snag startup businesses that are very receptive to interviewing.

Sometimes you have to check the covers of the alternative YPs for the areas covered because the listings are so different! (That’s a good thing for us.)

So get an official YP, all the alternatives around, and a stack of blank, lined index cards. Open the official YP and . . .

Go to the Heading for the Field You Want

Turn the pages to your field and notice who has the biggest ad. That business can at least pay for the ad. Is it successful or desperate? Who knows? Either one has reasons to wish for you to appear (Do 1)! Either one can turn your life around.

Write down the name, contact information, and anything else the ad reveals about the business on an index card.

There will be other listings for similar businesses too. Each gets a separate card. Once you’ve got a stack from that listing, google each offeror. Add more info about them to the card.

Look for Similar Businesses

The YPs are very helpful in this way. There’s a section that’s usually called “See Also.” Turn to those listings, then look through the entire book.

You’ll discover industries that wouldn’t have occurred to you. Many might be a perfect match for your talent and background. List them on the index cards and start the online research process.