The Job Nobody Dreams Of

No Calls Please

I know someone who is looking to land a teaching job. They have experience and a passion for the job. I've told them that after applying for each job and/or sending in their resume they should call the appropriate person and ask for an interview. Their response was, "Principals don't like it when you call them." Really? I addressed this somewhat last month - http://tinyurl.com/nkee56

We've all seen the help wanted ads that said "No calls please." I suppose there is a possibility that the person doing the hiring could get upset at you for not following simple directions but what have you got to lose?

If you really want the job and you are certain you can be great at it then I propose that you are doing that company a disservice by not calling them! The reason they put that verbiage in their ads is so their day isn't filled with calls from people going, "You probably don't want to hire me do you?" or some other mindless dribble.

They don't want to sift through hundreds of applications and resumes and then make dozens of phone calls to set up a week's worth of meetings. They have work to do! If you can assist them in filling that open position with a well qualified individual and do it quickly...more power to you!

Assume you get an interview through the old fashion method of submitting your application and waiting. Once you get in front of someone you still have to "sell yourself" right? Why not be proactive and start by "selling" the idea of interviewing you. "Hello Mr. Hiring Manger. I'm calling about the open position and wanted to let you know that after reading the job requirements I got really excited! Given my experience there is no doubt that I can make you a hero by hiring me. I understand you are extremely busy but I would appreciate a few minutes of your time in the next couple of days to tell you why I'm the perfect person for this job. All I need is 10 minutes and I promise that I will not waste your time."

What's so difficult about making that call? Chances are very good that the first couple of times you do call you'll end up leaving it as a voice mail. What do you have to lose??? Not the job...you don't have it!

Think about the quote from my book at the beginning of Chapter 6 from Marcia Martin, “What I point out to people is that it's silly to be afraid that you're not going to get what you want if you ask. Because you are already not getting what you want. They always laugh about that because they realize it's so true. Without asking you already have failed, you already have nothing. What are you afraid of? You're afraid of getting what you already have! It's ridiculous! Who cares if you don't get it when you ask for it, because, before you ask for it, you don't have it anyway? So there's really nothing to be afraid of."

Don't wait for someone to give you a job...go out and get it yourself! Don't wait for someone to stumble across your resume or application...sell them on why they should hire you...immediately!

Happy Selling!

Hitting the Lottery

Well another Powerball Saturday has come and gone and I didn't win. The story last week on the dirt poor, 23 year old rancher winning 232 million dollars was heartwarming except for one thing...he bought $15.00 worth of lottery tickets. Now obviously it worked out for him but if you are dirt poor should you be spending fifteen bucks gambling? What's the point? If you are truly going to gamble why not gamble on yourself?

Even during the worst of economic times there are companies starting up...many times by individuals who were laid off. Should you join a start up? Well think about the pros and cons of joining a startup and possibly hitting the lottery. Working for a start-up company takes a certain intestinal fortitude. You could end up being employee No. 2 of the next hot tech company or you could end up unemployed again in a few months.

What is the upside?

• To see business ideas develop.
• To contribute to those ideas and chart a course of action.
• Collaboration with creative, enthusiastic professionals.
• Changing demands and a flexible, changing, schedule.
• Greater autonomy and authority.
• A quick education in how a business works.
• The potential for large financial rewards.

What can do wrong?

You mean besides the company folding in two months and you no longer have any income? For starters how about frequent confusion about who is in charge of what, how to solve problems without precedents, and the possibility of working with founders "in over their heads" who may act unprofessionally. While you could get rich if the company takes off, one financial mistake can doom the company. "If you want to work for a start-up, you must be courageous and very, very flexible.

Questions you should ask:

• How long the top management team been in charge and how well they get along.
• The source of the company's funding and the projected growth.
• What a typical day is like.
• The plan to improve the benefits program.
• How employees progress in pay increases and whether there is a bonus or incentive pay program.

Every year Forbes brings out its "Forbes 400" of the richest people in the U.S. You will find many of those listed got their start by either starting a company from scratch or joining a brand new company in its early stages. As the weekly layoff announcements prove there is no job security, but joining a startup can bring the same riches as winning the lottery...but it can also create more heartache than just losing your job. It's a gamble but a gamble where you have just a little more control of the outcome than you do in Vegas or with Powerball.

Happy Selling!

What Took So Long?

I'm not sure why it took me so long to do on post on what I do...technology sales. I have been in IT training and consulting sales for 9 years now and I recently came across an article from CIO magazine that itself is 7 years old. The author talks about sales being the toughest IT job (I've been trying to tell my instructors that for years!).

He goes on to say that CIOs get most of their product information from IT salespeople. This brings up an excellent point. All salespeople, not just IT salespros, need to be a resource for their clients and prospects. When someone asks me about training that I cannot provide (which rarely happens) I make an effort to find them help.

It might be tutorials on the web that can assist them or a webcast that can get them over started learning a new technology. I do this so that every time they have a learning need they think of me.

I want them to know that whatever they need Bill Becker will find it for them. I've made a great living the past 9 years working on that premise. Hey I was never going to make it on my looks or personality!

The interview subject in the article also states that sales skills are just as important to IT folks because of the need to sell their projects to upper management.

If you would like to read the whole article go to - http://www.cio.com/article/31046/The_Hardest_Job_in_IT_Is_Sales_Not_CIO

If you would like more information on the book that is referenced in the article (I bought it years ago and loved it) go to - http://www.howtoselltechnology.com

Happy Selling!