I have over the last two years put in for jobs online through varies company web sites and with the OET’s web site. I just received the one  thing I hate, yes hate, the most about this type of job search: The impersonal  “We sincerely appreciate your interest in career opportunities with (fill in the blank). Regretfully, we have decided to pursue other candidates at this time.” notice. What a way to be told no. Nice.

I guess I could  be fair to these companies due to the large number of job seekers out there today. I mean it must be a overwhelming job to find and hire people with the influx of new workers the new economy has brought forth but I am not going to be fair. Why not? Because I am not 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101010 01100001 01100111 01100111 01100101 01100100 00100000 01101101 01100001 01101110 (that is binary code for the jagged man ). I am not a key word or key phrase in a companies  search tool of job applicants resume. I am not a score on a psychometric test. I am a person. I am flesh and blood. I am  unique and I have skills and talents that paper alone cannot convey.

After tiring of the online searches and searching the news paper help wanted ads I started a new line of thought. I know companies are doing more with less so their managers and HR people are over worked more than not. But guess what? That knowledge really doesn’t do anything for my bottom line now does it? First I talked to friends, family, neighbors, the any bill collector who called and ask them if they knew of anyone hiring. I prayed a lot and then some. Then I set out to make people say no to my face. I wanted them to see the person.

Second thing I did was I started sticking my face in places I thought I might want to work at. If I was ask to apply online I made handed the manager a quick resume first. They usually looked it over and I would tell them it was very abbreviated and I would love to sit down and talked to them about the details of my past jobs and the skills that go with them. I got two interviews off this approach out of the first three places I went.

Eventually I was hired by the first company I interviewed with. It was a two part interview process that I went through but this was the key: I got the interviews and the job by being me. A real flesh and blood person. What I encourage anyone to do is make it personal and take it personal. You are human and you are unique now make your real selves real to potential employers. Good hunting!