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What would you do if tomorrow you were terminated or you decided to resign?

In today's business climate, you have to prepare for what has become an inevitability. Sooner or later, by your own choice or your employer's, you will need to market yourself to other companies.

During my 25 years of working with hundreds of firms on recruitment and training issues, I've regularly received calls from all levels of people who are unexpectedly forced to market themselves. Most people are surprisingly inexperienced in creating a successful recruitment strategy. Typically, they possess the skills and experience to get a new job; only their lack of job-hunting knowledge stands in their way.

If your company provides a comprehensive outplacement program, consider yourself fortunate. Many outplaced workers receive little support outside of some networking referrals. Going it alone can be a frightening prospect in a business environment in which the competition for top paying jobs is so fierce. But you can win this competition. What you'll need is a foolproof recruitment strategy.

Foolproof? Yes!

A foolproof plan is one that provides a diversified approach to securing interviews. The interviews are the key to getting the job because, obviously, you can't get a job without one. The more interviews you go on, the better your chances of getting hired. Many people who do very well in interviews have trouble securing those interviews.

My foolproof recruitment strategy breaks down to a few simple steps.

Step 1: Qualify Yourself
Write on a sheet of paper: a) what you want and need from a job, and b) what you have to offer an employer. Clarifying in your own mind what you have to offer--what I refer to as "Why Hire Me?"--is a crucial part of your preparation for the job hunt. List three "why hire me's" to accompany each feature you "want" and "need" from a job.

Step 2: Analyze Your "Why Hire Me" Points 
Many job seekers fail to inform potential employers of key facts about themselves, because they have not fully acknowledged their own strengths and skills. Ask friends and associates what they see as your strengths. Round out these points you've already identified with others' input to reach a total of at least 25 reasons an employer should hire you. This will help you more honestly and fully express yourself and improve your chances of being hired. Remember there are many laws that restrict an employer from asking you key questions that will give them information; however, there are no laws preventing you from asking any question and offering information that makes it safer for them to hire you.  Reassure their fears by making it very safe to hire you.

Step 3: Prepare a Resume That Will Secure Interviews 
The real purpose of your resume is to get you interviews. If necessary, enlist professional help to develop an effective resume that summarizes the key strengths you identified in Step 2.

Step 4: Implement Your Recruitment Strategy
Many professionals market themselves solely through resumes and networking. These tactics are limiting. You'll do better by creating multiple paths toward the central goal of getting interviews. List on a sheet of paper every method you can think of that could generate leads, and then follow up every lead until you get either the interview or another lead. The following are ideas you might not have thought of doing.

• Call people and companies you've always wanted to work for.

Whenever I receive a call from someone who says, "I want to work for you," I almost always grant the caller an interview. Try expressing that idea to people you truly want to work with, and you'll likely get the same favorable reaction.

• Tell everyone you know that you're looking for a job.

This doesn't apply as easily if you're still employed, but even unemployed people sometimes keep their job hunt a secret. The most well-meaning people can't help you if they don't know you're in the market. Broadcast your search and enlist support. Practice saying this in a request format. "Will you tell me about any leads or openings you hear about?" or "Will you ask your president if he will give me an informational interview?"

• Ask for information interviews.

Call companies and ask an executive for an "information interview" to obtain information about the firm and the industry. This is just a meeting of one person speaking to another. Also, it may generate additional leads for you.

• Ask for other names.

When someone turns you down for an interview, he or she usually feels badly about it. Most people want to help if they can, so ask the person for ideas or the name of a good recruiter who may generate interviews for you.

• Field prospects from the news.

When you read about the accomplishments of companies and people, send them notes acknowledging their successes. Then follow up with a phone call, and ask for an information interview or a lead. Or use this opportunity to try the "I am interested in working with you" approach.

• Join a job-seeking networking group.

There are many free networking groups that offer support, supply leads and make available computers and phones. Two are the Career Resource Center in Lake Forest, IL and the Jewish Vocational Services in downtown Chicago.

• Post your resume on the Internet.

Today, many recruiters are going online to find the best candidates to interview. This service is often free to the job seeker. Consider posting your resume on our site, other internet recruiting sites, your college alumni site, and your industry's trade association site.

• Take advantage of The Human Resource Store's
  "Personal Search Assistant"

The Human Resource Store's Personal Search Assistant takes the drudgery out of finding a job by helping locate suitable positions for you.  In addition to your own job search efforts, the Personal Search Assistant works on your behalf in searching out job leads, posting your resume, investigating target marketplaces and providing administrative support to you.

Step 5: Secure Interviews
When you target a person and company, call before you send your resume. Request an interview at least twice.

If your request is denied, counter with: Do you know someone who is hiring? Which search firm do you use? Will you keep my resume on file for future reference?

Make your job hunt a daily routine. Don't go to bed until you've taken some direct or indirect action toward getting an interview. A direct action might be calling a prospect to ask for an interview; an indirect action might be mailing out a resume or developing a new lead.

The combination of fully acknowledging why someone should hire you and implementing a diversified marketing approach can give you the confidence that if you are displaced for any reason, you will know how to go about finding a job. This knowledge may ultimately be as important to your security as the skills you've learned on the job.

Keep reading below for "Now It's Up To You."

A Guide Through The Interview Process

Your Commitment to Yourself
The greater your commitment to yourself, the great our ability to help you achieve your career goals. By giving us a complete and honest picture of your skills, achievements, and background, you enable us to represent you with honesty and enthusiasm to any prospective employer. And by fully understanding your abilities and the opportunities open to you, you will be able to cultivate an attitude of success that will help carry you through the next step: the interview.

The Employer's Commitment to Us
We develop as honest and open professional relationship with employers that we work with. Almost all of these employers work with us exclusively. You will hear about their openings only through us, as they are not advertised in the newspapers or listed with other services.

We like to visit the offices of employers so that we can offer viable candidates a fuller picture of the companies they may be joining. Employers encourage these visits and provide us with complete information about their companies. We always create a one-page recruitment description of the open position that includes an outline of the benefits the firm offers.

The Interview

Our goal:  We cannot get you a job; you alone can do that. We'll present your qualifications to the employer, and we'll brief you on what advantages the employer has to offer.

Our goal is to secure interviews for you. We work hard to match your qualifications with the position. So please treat each interview with the importance it is due-as if it is the only one you will even have.

Before the interview, ask yourself these questions:

• Why am I going to this company? What kind of commitment am I willing to make to this company?
• Why should they hire me? Do I have the skills and experience for the position?
• Am I interested in this position? Do I display interest in this position through my appearance and attitude? Am I willing to take this position if it is offered?
• Am I willing to learn? Am I willing to change my attitudes if necessary?
• Have I researched this company to make sure I'll ask intelligent questions?

The goal of the interview is to be able to answer yes to the following questions:

1. Does the interviewer know I am interested in his/her position and company?
2. Am I capable of handling this position? Explain in terms of your experience, skills, education, talents, attitudes and core values.
3. Will I stay for a reasonable length of time, and will my values and commitment align with the company's expectations?

Don't leave the interview until you:

1. Make it clear to the interviewer that you are interested, capable and committed.
2. Ask the interviewer if he or she has any further questions about your background.
3. Express an interest in the position! This is very important. The last impression you make is the one the interviewer remembers best. If you want the position, say so! This could be the one fact that sets you apart from other candidates with qualifications equal to yours.
4. Thank the interviewer for his or her time.

After the interview:
Send a note of thanks, either emailed, handwritten or typed. Do not send a printed card, and don't telephone your thanks.

Remember:

1. As a candidate, you can ask any question you want and tell the interviewer anything about yourself that may make it "safer" for them to hire you.
2. Follow up! There is no silver or bronze medal for coming in second or third, and for every offer you lose by being too assertive, you'll lose 10 by waiting for their call.

The Human Resource Store's Free Services

• Current Openings. All of our current client openings are here on our web site.
• Temporary placement or contract work. If you would like temporary or contract work while you are looking for a new position, we will refer you to one of our associates. If the employer likes your work, temporary placement can lead to a full-time position.
• Computerized updating service. After your initial contact with us, we may add your name to our computerized follow-up list.

Fee-Based Services

• One-on-one career counseling
• Behavioral testing for your strengths and weaknesses
• Resume and cover letter preparation
• Coaching on how to secure interviews
• Values assessment
• Human resource training tools
• Personal Search Assistant

We're Here to Help
We'd like you to view us as a human resource consulting firm that can assist you with your recruiting, orientation and training challenges. Browse this web site for further information.

While we consider ourselves to be exceptionally honest and professional, we try to conduct business on a friendly, informal basis in order to establish a relaxed, comfortable working relationship.

We're grateful for the opportunity to help you further your career, and we welcome any suggestions you might have that would improve our effectiveness.

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