Quote: (03-14-2012 08:00 PM)peterthephoenix Wrote:
Hey guys,
I recently finished my undergraduate business degree in marketing and management.
I'm looking to find a entry level-job in marketing/advertising/media etc. but it's pretty difficult at the moment.
Any tips on how to make your CV or cover letter stand out/better?
Any stories on how you got a particular job?
Regarding cover letters: Never say stuff like 'I want this job because I'm a people person' or 'I want a challenge', rather say 'I am a suitable candidate for this position because I have relevant training/experience, such as...'
Whether you CV is good or not depends more on the subjective taste of the person reading it. You may find that you need to tinker with your CV slowly over time to get it up to a universal standard. Kind of like which ramble you use when talking to girls.
I got all my jobs via networking with people in my field. The current jobs I'm gunning for are also opportunities seized through my network of acquaintances/friends/colleagues. I'm a friendly guy and I just mention that I'm looking for opportunities to people I know, and sometimes things crop up.
It's a bit a game, and networking can be hard work for a natural introvert such as myself. It has strong similarities to gaming girls. Roosh really needs to get around to writing 'Bang Employment'. That said, daygaming really helped me out of my shell and gave so much more confidence to chase jobs (from getting laid to getting paid!), so in a weird roundabout way reading Day Bang may help.
I'm busy rereading John Davies the $100,000+ career (which I found instrumental to getting my current opportunities in the pipeline). I'm planning to do a detailed breakdown later on, but for now some cool points from it, off the top of my head :
- Memorise an excellent story about yourself that shows how you manage a tough situation or highlights your talents (I use a story about a botched operation I was doing that nearly caused a loss of a life, still sends sweat down my neck. Or the story of how I took over a resuscitation and brought someone back from the dead. Still gives me a 'fuck yeah' feeling.)
- Do cold approaches. Call companies and people and ask them if they have opportunities, and even if they don't, if they could recommend someone you could talk to to learn more about what is available.
- Be a friendly, interesting dude. And the more indirect you can go, the better. Don't say 'I want a job.' Rather go, 'Hi, I'm interested in your company and would like to learn more about it, incidentally I'm on the search for opportunities to work for a company like yours.'
- Your initial cold approaches will suck. You will be brushed off and rejected. You will feel like a retard and a loser. But carry on.
- Be polite. Always ask if its a good time to talk. A person busy with a hectic client does not have time to listen to you or give you an opportunity, rather call them when they're not busy
- Eventually your cold approaching may win you a referral to someone else who may have an opportunity for you. This has a higher rate of success for job placement. Even though the first few people who you called saw you as a complete stranger, and just wanted to pass you on to someone else, that someone else will feel like you've been partly vetted.
- Keep track of the people you've called, always drop a thank you email or note, and call them again some time down the line; they might remember you and a new opportunity may have opened where there was none before.
- The book claims that you should land a job in the ballpark figure of 100 introductions. That's not 100 cold calls, but rather the introductions resulting from your cold calls. That requires a lot of legwork and meetings and calling - it's a job getting a job! But I believe the claim - if you have some game then people will like you, and sometimes that's more important than whether you have the skills/experience.
Another book I'm busy with is 'What color is your parachute?' It has some great stuff in it on networking and why its the best way to get a job; eventually I might do a breakdown on it as well.
I've also reviewed and did a breakdown of a jobfinding ebooklet:
http://www.rooshvforum.network/thread-11244.html
Skim the breakdown and then download the full ebooklet if you want more.
Anyway, I hope some of the above helps!