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Direct Approach A way to contact potential employers

Sometime people can have different routes to go to the same goal.  For example, people may have different routes people can take to arrive to the same travel destination when traveling.

In the same way, People can have different ways to job search.  People can have different methods to search for a job position.

In the book called What Color Is Your Parachute in a 2013 edition by Richard N. Bolles described 16 different ways to search for a job position in chapter 3 “The Best and Worst Ways to Look for Jobs”.  Different job search methods had different measures of success.

Direct Contact of contacting a potential employer

While there can be different job search methods, different job search methods will vary in their success rate.  The direct method of contacting a potential employer directly can be highly effective method for some people.  Direct method may give people job opportunities not available through other job methods.

Different content media sources have described the direct method has a highly successful method.
Some of the different content media sources that described the direct method were:

  • What Color Is Your Parachute?  A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers (2013 edition) by Richard N. Bolles

Richard Bolles describes the Direct Contact method in
Chapter 3 “The Best and Worst Ways to Look for Jobs”.
Richard Bolles described the method has

            “By yourself, using the index to your phone book’s Yellow Pages to identify subject or fields of interest to you in the town or city where you want to work, and then calling up or visiting the employers listed in that field, to ask if they are hiring for the type of position you can do, and do well.” (Listed as a 65% success rate) (p. 33)
(This is from a 2013 book, so the source of the potential employers may have changed; you can find Yellow pages on the Internet – one web address called The Real Yellow Pages at https://www.yellowpages.com/ or look for information about your industry.  You may be able to find directories of potential employers in your industry).

Richard Bolles described contacting potential employers directly in a job club having a high success rate. (70% of success rate). (p. 33).  A person doing the same activity that they could do alone but would have a higher success rate in a job club.  A job club gave social support and people in the job club could let a person know about job positions they found. “Well, let’s say you’re in a job-club that has 48 other members.  Once you tell them what you’re looking for, you get an extra 48 pair of eyes looking on your behalf, and an extra 48 pair of ears listening on your behalf – all the time they are out there looking for job-leads themselves.” (p. 34) (Richard Bolles described this occurring in a Azrin job-club.

  • Get Hired Fast: Tap the Hidden Job Market in 15 days (By Brain Graham) (Copyrighted in 2005).

Research places that you wish to work for and contact those places.  Details found in Part Two: The Fifteen Day Direct Calling Campaign: Your Game Plan for Success.  Part Two consists of two chapters
Chapter 4: Identify Your Target and Know What They Want
Chapter gives the idea on research places you plan to contact; find out their needs and explain how you can meet their needs
Chapter 5: Making Contact: You Fifteen Day Action Plan
You contact by phone different potential employers.  The Fifteen Day Action plan was a way for the book to organize your contacting potential employers.  Chapter described calling potential employers by the telephone.

  • The Ultimate Job Search Guide: Knock Dead by Martin Yate (copyrighted 2017)
    Chapter describes making contact with potential employers.  Contact people over the phone.  Descried as a method that recruiters will use.

All three above sources described the advantages of direct contact potential employers.  Direct method can be a way to access opportunities.

Websites

Minnesota Employment and Economic Development

Minnesota Workforce Development office has a good article about direct contact potential employers.
Article called “Making Contact with Employers
Article web site:
https://mn.gov/deed/job-seekers/job-guide/find-work/contacting-employers.jsp

Martin Yate has written about direct contact with employers in
Article called “Your Career Q&A: Make the Most of Cold Calls” (January 12, 2021)
Article web site:
https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/organizational-and-employee-development/career-advice/pages/your-career-qa-make-the-most-of-cold-calls.aspx

(From SHRM can access up to three articles a month; then need to join association to access articles)

YouTube Videos
YouTube videos have information on the direct approach to contacting potential employers.
You can search for phrases like on YouTube web site:
“Cold calling potential employers” or
Access the hidden job market

Here are some videos that may be helpful

  • How to Cold Call and Email for Opportunities! Tips for Cold Calling + Tricks for Cold Emailing
    Published: July 21, 2020
    YouTube Channel: Iris Fu
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbb1y7ayzAA&t=12s
  • “What to Say to Hiring Managers | To Get a Job in the Hidden Job Market | The Direct Approach”
    Published: September 1, 2020
    YouTube Channel: The Companies Expert
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbVNnTDzmbc&t=5s
    (This video part of the series called “How to Tap the Hidden Job Market”)

You may be able to achieve job success with the direct method; contacting a potential employer directly.

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