Don’t be an “Arthur”

Often wrong, never in doubt. Those are the words we use to describe my wonderfully spunky and confident 4-year old daughter.

For example, last week she proclaimed, “I want a girl cheese for lunch!” It took us a while to convince her that the actual sandwich is a “grilled cheese” and that we weren’t the ones saying it incorrectly.

We all have the tendency to be like my daughter. We are confident in what we “know”. We charge ahead with full determination…. in the wrong direction. A couple of weeks ago, I was talking to a job seeker (let’s call him Arthur) who really wanted to stand out as a candidate. He told me that he mailed hard copy resumes to large, multi-national corporations hoping that HR would notice his efforts. The problem with Arthur’s tactic is that he wasn’t addressing the envelope to a particular person in the company. I am sure the envelopes ended up in a massive mail room trash can or they were opened by the wrong person.

Job seeker, maybe you aren’t creating a resume landfill like Arthur, but maybe you are taking a reactive approach to your job search. Are you exclusively spending your job search time responding to job boards? If you aren’t meeting face-to-face with decision makers, know… There really is a better way.

hashtag#jobsearch hashtag#resume

Author

  • Sarah Johnston

    I’m a former corporate recruiter and industry “insider” who got tired of seeing talented high-achievers get passed over for opportunities because they did not have the right marketing documents or know how to position themselves in interviews. I have relocated multiple times across the country as a “trailing spouse” and have had to execute job searches in completely cold markets (where I literally knew no one!) I have been named a LinkedIn Top Voice in the career space in 2019, HR Weekly’s Top 100 Most Influential People in HR, named the owner of the “best resume writing firm for experienced executives” by Balance Careers and a “top follow” by JobScan in 2019 and 2020.

Sarah Johnston

Sarah Johnston is a former corporate recruiter and industry "insider" with a passion for empowering high-achievers in their career journeys. Frustrated by talented individuals being overlooked due to ineffective marketing documents and interview strategies, Sarah made it her mission to equip professionals with the tools and knowledge to succeed. As a seasoned "trailing spouse" who relocated multiple times, she understands the challenges of executing job searches in unfamiliar markets. Sarah's expertise and impact have earned her recognition as a LinkedIn Top Voice in 2019 and a spot on HR Weekly's Top 100 Most Influential People in HR. Her resume writing firm has been acclaimed as the best for experienced executives by Balance Careers, while JobScan listed her as a top follow in 2019 and 2020.

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