You’ve got job search questions.

And I’ve got Guerrilla answers …

Question: How do Guerrilla Resumes work with computer programs that scan resumes? How do I get past them?

Answer: This is like asking, “I’m on the two-yard line and the other team has 11 men defending against the run. The other team always stops the run. How can I best run the ball and score?”

Well … who said you had to run to score? Why not PASS?

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Here’s how you can turn ordinary phone conversations into job interviews and job offers.

Best part: It works even when employers call to REJECT you for a job.

Want proof?

Here’s the story …

One of our readers, Joe L. in Pennsylvania, got hired by the same person who called to turn him down for a job. And it took only 7 days.

Joe had applied by email for an advertised job opening (not something we recommend you spend a lot of time doing, by the way).

“The president called me to state that I was not qualified for the position, but I kept talking. After a brief discussion, during which I gave him some business ideas and posed questions as if I were networking, he invited me in for an interview.”

The results?

“They created a position and presented an offer a couple of days after our meeting. The time between the first e-mail contact and job offer was 7 business days.”

Got that?

Joe was called by an employer, to tell him he wasn’t going to be hired.

Joe kept talking past the first “No.” He kept selling himself, by demonstrating his value to the employer.

Joe was not hired for the job he applied for. That position went to somebody else. And this is why you should not spend more than 20% of your time applying for advertised jobs! The competition is too stiff.

Joe was hired for a job that was created for him. Why? He did his homework, asked smart questions, and struck the company president as too valuable to ignore. Joe had ZERO competition for this job. And this is why you should have as many intelligent conversations with as many hiring authorities as possible.

Do NOT waste your talking to HR gatekeepers who can only fill jobs handed to them. Talk to the heads of departments and companies who can create jobs for you.

Action Step: Resolve to turn every phone call with an employer into a face-to-face meeting, even if that phone call is to reject you for a job!

Because, if you persist politely with more reasons to hire you, only good things can happen. At the very least, you can ask for a referral to another non-competitor, like this:

“Well, Mr. Employer, I want to thank you for your time. One last question: You thought enough of my skills to at least talk to me, and I appreciate that. What other companies would you call if you were in my shoes?”

If you quit at the first sign of rejection, however, you have ZERO chance of succeeding.

Remember that the goal of all your job search efforts, from sending out resumes to networking, is to get an in-person interview with someone who can hire you.

Joe got hired by persisting past the first “No” on the phone, and by proving his value with his suggestions and questions. And — as is so often the case when a job seeker demonstrates his/her smarts — the job was created just for him.

By the way, here’s the marketing basis for this: Every phone call is a chance to sell.

Example: Credit card companies train their customer service reps to sell something to every person who calls in, no matter why they call.

Whether it’s a new card for your spouse or a balance transfer, at the end of every conversation, credit card companies almost always ask you to do something that makes them money. Why? Because it makes them money.

Why not use this in your job search? Try selling yourself to employers on every phone call you make or receive. See if it doesn’t produce more interviews and job offers.

Want more ideas like these? Listen to our Free Guerrilla Job Search audio.

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From the Department of Redundancy Department, here’s yet another story of a job hunter who found work fast by ditching his traditional resume for a Guerrilla Resume.

But first, a question: How’s your job search going?

Terrible? Rotten? Worse?

You’ve got company.

Yet, it’s a shame you aren’t getting more job interviews, when others do it so easily.

Case in point: Jim Muehlbauer, from Woodbury, Minnesota.

Jim got hired in less than 90 days for a tough-to-find job in architecture/engineering. If he can do it, can you?

Read on to find out …

“In mid-February I started using the Guerrilla Resumes techniques. I got bites by the end February. I believe I sent about 25 to 30 resumes out. I landed 7 interviews, which turned into two offers on the same day. I accepted my new job in May,” says Muehlbauer.

“Both jobs offered similar salaries to what I was making before I was laid off.  This was extremely exceptional, considering my profession currently has about 50% unemployment.

“In writing my Guerrilla Resume, I included LinkedIn recommendations. The way I see it, you can take recommendations into an interview, but they are seldom, if ever, looked at. If they are on your resume, they are hard to overlook.

“I was told by a colleague at my new firm that mine was one of 160 resume that came in on the first day the job was posted. I asked HR if my resume made a difference, and she said the recommendations definitely caught her attention,” says Muehlbauer.

What made the difference for Jim’s Guerrilla Resume, helped him stand out among 160 applicants, and ultimately get two job offers?

Two things: logos and quotes.

1) Logos, from past clients, employers, schools, and organizations.

Among other reasons, logos work because they’re a non-verbal way of appealing to the emotions of the reader. People would rather look at pictures than read words. This is Sales and Marketing 201 … and Job Search 801.

2) Quotes, from past clients, employers, and vendors.

Quotes are really testimonials, another basic sales and marketing tool. What other people say about your product or service is exponentially more powerful than anything you can say. That’s why you’ll always see testimonials in any good sales letter, catalog, or  infomercial.

And that’s why, since 1996, I’ve been urging people to include testimonials in their resumes. The rest of the career world is only now starting to catch on. Not to worry, though. David Perry and I create new tactics almost every week to keep you and the rest of Guerrilla Nation well ahead of the job search game for years to come.

Resource: Guerrilla Resumes.

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Here’s a Guerrilla Networking tip you can use right now.

When you add a new person to your network on Linkedin, send them a personalized e-mail — a short, 4–5 sentence message saying that you are currently looking for new career opportunities in “X” industry. Ask if they have any recommendations on great companies that you should research.

Never ask anyone in your network for a job. Instead, ask people for information: a reference or suggestion on companies you should pursue.

If you do ask for information, you can expect 10-20% of your network to respond with suggestions, which can lead to a dialogue with them (or someone they refer you to), which can lead to meetings with hiring managers, which can lead to employment.

On the other hand, if you ask people for a job at their company — which is how most folks “network” — you can expect ZERO results.

Now, you have a choice.

You can keep using the same networking tactics you’ve probably been using up to now, and keep getting the same results. Which, if you’re reading this, probably aren’t any good.

Or you can take a small step in a new direction by trying this proven Guerrilla Networking tactic today.

When I say proven, it’s one of the ways that one Detroit-area man found a 6-figure job in only 8 days last month.

He used this “asking for advice” method to build his network. He also watched this DVD, which shows you how to ace any job interview, by starting work before you’re hired — one of our most powerful Guerrilla Job Search secrets.

Happy hunting!

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Following seven months of struggle, one Minnesota man made a simple change in his job search in August, and was hired for a new position only 30 days later.

What did he do?

Read on …

Scott Bornstein, from suburban Minneapolis, was using what he thought was a well written resume, but without results. “Every time I sent it out, people would suggest changes to make. When I handed it out at a job fair, they’d say, ‘Thank you’ and file it away immediately.” He wasn’t getting called by employers.

Sound familiar?

But Bornstein found a way to improve his resume, which boosted his self-confidence, which, in turn, led to more interviews, in a virtuous circle that led to a job offer within 30 days.

It all started with a new, improved resume.

“I went to using a Guerrilla Resume. It was easy to write and it gave me confidence, with a resume that I felt positive to hand out to anybody,” says Bornstein.

The Guerrilla Resume is a new style of resume. It’s normally one page long and has two essential components:

      1. logos or graphics from past employers, colleges, or organizations;
      2. quotes from people familiar with your work, such as managers or clients.

Why are these elements so powerful?

Logos and graphics can improve your resume because the human brain would rather look at pictures than read. (What’s worth a thousand words?) So the right logo or graphic on your resume can make a favorable impact before an employer reads one word of your resume.

Can you get in trouble for using a logo? If you print it on a T-shirt and sell it on Ebay, sure. But is it verboten to use a logo in your resume to convey a relationship with an employer, client, school, or organization?

Not in my experience since 1996. Of course, I’m not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. When in doubt, ask permission before using a corporate graphic or logo.

Quotes from past managers or clients are the second element of every Guerrilla Resume.

Bornstein used three quotes on his resume. Quotes get attention because they are third-party endorsements of you, just like testimonials in an infomercial.

Where can you get them? Start with the recommendations on your Linkedin profile. They’re already in the public domain — why not use those quotes in your resume?

Now, here’s what happened after Bornstein revamped his resume.

“The next day I went to a job fair in Minneapolis. I walked up to a recruiter and handed my resume to her. She actually grabbed my hand, leaned in, and said, ‘This is an amazing resume.’ And I knew at that moment that I had something,” says Bornstein.

What he had was confidence, which improved every part of his job search.

Think about how easy it is to do something when you know you can, versus when you’re unsure. It’s the difference that can make all the difference.

“With the new resume, I had complete confidence in what I was doing. As soon as I started handing it to other people – hiring managers, recruiters, whoever – nobody wanted to change it. I felt they all wanted to give me a chance, and that was different,” says Bornstein.

The job Bornstein eventually took came from a contact he made at the Wooddale Transition Group. (If you’re not a member of a high-quality job club, consider joining one. In addition to producing employment leads, it gets you out of the house to meet and help other people.)

“An email went to the group members on a Wednesday and I applied, along with 32 other people. The new resume immediately popped up for the hiring manager,” says Bornstein, who was called on Friday and interviewed on Monday. A second interview followed on Thursday and he was offered a job the next day — nine days after applying.

What did Bornstein do to seal the deal in his second job interview?

He brought a portfolio of achievements, work samples, and comments from others, organized in a three-ring binder. The portfolio, which took Bornstein two hours to assemble, supported his resume and helped him edge out two other candidates for the position.

When asked to describe the difference his new resume made, Bornstein replied, “The confidence was huge for me.”

An eye-grabbing resume can provide the same kind of ego boost you might enjoy after getting a nice haircut or a $1,000 suit. If clothes can make the man, can a Guerrilla Resume make the job search?

In this case at least, the answer is yes.

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