WorkWise BlogTip: Integrity

How can you let employers know you belong?

Tom McAlister (a.k.a. Brand Man) wanted an ingenious product to show employers that he knew what his occupation is about. He created a comic book resume communicating that, in promotional marketing and communication, he’s Brand Man to the Rescue (www.brandmantotherescue.com).

Get creative, he recommends. Trade on the industry’s symbols. A person seeking work in medical sales could “wrap the side of a big prescription bottle with a resume sticker that spells out why you are the perfect cure for this particular employer’s ills,” he suggests. Remember the jelly beans.

Be empathic, too, he says. Turn the table on the interviewer with something like, “I bet reading Resumes of the Recession has made your eyes cross. It’s cured you of even thinking about job hunting, hasn’t it?” Then grin.

Of course, McAlister points out that you must use a tone that fits your field. When you find a hot job prospect, “fire all of your cannons,” he says. “Go for it. Hard. That means sending your resume in through everybody you know who knows somebody at the employer. You run the risk of annoying the hiring manager. Well, tough.”

A little enthusiasm and determination go a long way. That’s the opportunity cost. You can afford it. Dr. Mildred L. Culp welcomes your questions at culp@workwise.net. Copyright 2009 Passage Media.