Resume Tip of the Week: Don’t just press “Send”

28   Oct ,  2011 | 8
comments

Yeah, I said it…”Don’t Just Press Send” is my resume tip of the week!   I feel it’s a common mistake we all make when applying for a job.

Before I get deeper into this, let’s take a step back into time.  25 years ago when there was no email, no Internet job postings (and a lot of you college students were not even born yet)…people used to look at newspapers, make phone calls, find job boards, go to career fairs, etc to find a job.   It actually took a lot of work just to ‘find’ a job.   Nowadays, it’s so easy to search and apply for jobs with the power of the Internet. (Click here to see how I found my aviation meteorologist job)

But here’s where I think people are going wrong…don’t just send your resume and call it a day!   For example, let’s say you find this meteorology job that you are qualified for.   You feel it is a great fit for your resume and you’ve (more or less) met the qualifications.  You find the job posting is close to your home location too.  Wow…Score!

Now you get your resume ready for the position and you’re ready to send it out.   You decide to apply through an Internet job website like Monster.com.   You send your resume or cover letter and you feel like you’re done.   Now, the waiting game begins!

Sound familiar?   I think this is a costly mistake!  Here’s why….

Bottom line, it’s hard to tell how hungry you are from a piece of paper.  It’s hard to see your personality.   It’s hard to get a sense of your communication skills.  Feel me?

Something I really loved from the old days that I feel still rings true today, “Make phone calls”.   With a simple phone call, you can probably find out who the hiring manager or recruiter is for the position and build a relationship with them.

In my next follow up post on this topic, I’ll discuss how I “made phone calls” to get ahead of the competition.  I’ll also share strategies on how to break through if the post says, “No phone calls, please.”   Stay tuned!

Posted by: AJ · Categories: Landing a Job, Resume and Interview Tips · Labels: , , , ,

Posted by AJ on October 28, 2011

  • Jo R.

    Thanks AJ! This is really interesting, I never took the effort to go the next step after sending a resume. I’ll try to put your words into action as I continue to apply for new jobs.

  • Twistr25

    The problem I notice is especially for places like the NWS, there seems to be no direct location to call and get a solid answer and/or being able to talk to an actual hiring agent. Any ideas for those businesses?

  • Anonymous

    Hi Twistr25, definitely understand your concern. I would try a couple of things..each NWS forecast office has a direct phone number. Call them…talk to a meteorologist, and ask if it’s cool to shadow their work environment. Build a relationship with the meteorology team there…especially the managers. For example, I was able to go visit a Central Weather Service Unit the same way. I built a relationship with the top meteorologist/manager there, and he was very optimistic that I would get the position if I applied. But I ended up going to into a private forecasting firm at that time.

    In addition, each job posting to the NWS is assigned a recruiter or hiring agent. Contact the recruiter (or google their phone number) and mention your qualifications and that you’ll be applying for the position. A lot of times the NWS will have their number listed.

    Hope that helps!

    AJ

  • http://www.linkedin.com/in/llrasmussen Raz

    Hi AJ — Thanks for all these posts about finding jobs. You mentioned “shadowing” a meteorologist, and I have been wondering about that kind of thing. I am doing some “retraining” from oceanography in order to move into more applied work in meteorology (synoptic/operational). I would like to get acquainted with what is done at local NWS stations, and start fostering some contacts. It’s possible then to just call up and describe your interests and ask to shadow someone for a few days? I was also wondering about volunteering with NWS. I have seen something about that on the NOAA site, but it’s a little confusing how it works, and appears it might be limited to formal internships like those advertised on USAjobs.

  • Anonymous

    Hey Raz, I have to be honest and I’m not entirely clued in on the exact volunteering requirements for NWS. But here’s what I would do. Pick your favorite NWS forecast office. Call them up and talk to a meteorologist on staff there. Explain what you are looking to do….one option you could say is you’d like a tour of the NWS facilities and get an idea of the tools they use to forecast…you can say that it would be an inspiration to meet them and that you’ve always wanted to be a forecaster…and of course understand you’ll have to go through a major “security clearance” to get through.

    Most of the mets there are pretty cool, have been there for a long time, and will work with you. Of course if they get a thousand calls, then they’ll be irritated…so don’t call them too much :)

    I was able to make a phone call into a CWSU and meet with the chief met there doing what I mentioned above. It was really awesome to see the Air Traffic controllers and how the meteorologists interacted with them. In terms of volunteering/internships, I would ask them when you’re there how it could work. Although I do remember college buddies that did volunteer at the NWS in Sacramento and they seemed to enjoy it. I hope that helps Raz!

    • http://www.linkedin.com/in/llrasmussen Raz Rasmussen

      Thanks for the suggestions. What are their security requirements? I didn’t realize they did that too. Like trying to get near a Coast Guard station I guess.

      I am an oceanography instructor and researcher, so perhaps that will help clear me as not-a-total-nutcase! In fact, I’m really interested in near-shore coastal wind fields, so that might be a point of contact.

  • WxNerd02

    I’m looking for a job in Broadcast and almost every position says “No phone calls, please?” How do you get around the “No phone calls, please?” And would it effect your chances of being hired?

    • freshAJ

      Great question WXNerd02. I’ve seen this before too and I definitely understand it’s frustrating. The bottom line is the news director does not want to get inundated with calls. And you definitely want to respect their wishes. But here’s what I would do to get around this:

      1) Does the station have a meteorologist on staff already? If so, give him/her a call and either meet them or talk to them. Get to know them better.

      Or

      2) Email the News Director after 1 week of sending the tape. Follow up by asking if he/she had received the tape and what the timeframe for interviews are. If no response, then after another week call and find out to see if they received your email.

      But honestly I think working the meteorologist on staff (or possibly another anchor/reporter/producer, whomever) is the best option. You can find out if the News director may take a call from you, and find out much more insight into what is going on.

      Hope that helps,

      AJ