Here’s my reply to an email I just got before lunch today, from a reader in New York who’s flustered by one of my Guerrilla Job Search suggestions.

I think it may apply to you, too. Or I may be a dork.

What do you think?

Regarding your article about hand delivering resumes. You cannot just go into any office building in NYC and many other places.  With security they want to know where you are going and who you are seeing BEFORE they let you in. In some cases the company has to put you in the computer before you can go up and you have to wait in the lobby up to fifteen minutes. I even had to surrender my driver’s license one time when entering a building, until I came back down. 

The days of knocking on doors are over.

– Nick in New York

Here’s my reply to Nick …

This is all actually good news. If you are tempted to give up and not hand deliver a resume, so is everyone else. Which means there is a huge opportunity here to do something different that gets you on the radar screen of hiring managers — in non-felonious fashion, of course.
 
Rather than give you answers, let me try to inspire your creativity, so you can think and act more like a Guerrilla …
 
1) Who said it has to be you hand-delivering your resume?

Who else could do this for you? What if you enlisted an employee on the inside to help? It’s been done before … and it led to a job.
 
2) What could you mail to employers that will get opened and read?

Example: What if you mailed your resume in a thank-you note envelope that looked personal? Or mailed a coffee cup? A paper weight? ALL of these Guerrilla Job Search tactics have produced interviews, by the way.
 
3) What if you hand-delivered your resume at smaller firms that don’t have security guards at the door?

Remember: Small businesses account for up to 70-80% of all new jobs, so I would focus 80% of my efforts there. And they can often create jobs for the right person. Imagine having ZERO competition for a job, because it didn’t exist before you walked into the room. Here’s an example.

4) How else could you get around this problem of security, which is clearly defined for you, as opposed to most problems, which are not defined and, therefore, harder to solve?
 
For more creative ideas, get your copy of our free Guerrilla job search audio CD.

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After counseling thousands of job seekers since 1996, I can say with certainty that they fall into two groups:

1. Those who break their search into daily tasks and complete them, and
2. Those who get overwhelmed and give up.

Not surprisingly, the first group finds work significantly faster than the second.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed in your search, here’s a tip: One task, imperfectly executed, beats 100 good ideas left undone.

You can’t do it all today. So don’t even try.

Whether your next employment project is revising your resume or making a list of all the people in your network, don’t try to do it all at once. Break it down into manageable steps and make a start. This is how you build momentum and get things done.

Example: If you can’t think of 20 employers you want to work for, can you think of one? Sure you can.

OK. What’s the name of that one company? Write it down.

Now, who do you know who works there, used to work there, or might be happy working there? Call that person and ask them for the name of a similar company. Bingo. You now have two employers on your list — and you’ve just had a networking conversation, which can lead to more.

The way to start getting things done is to just get started.

I’m no psychologist, but I could qualify as a bartender, in that I listen to bar-loads of unhappy people who want to unburden themselves of their job-search troubles. And over the years, I’ve learned this: When you take positive action, in spite of your emotional state, you will move steadily toward your next job — and any goal you set.

It can be as simple as having a breakfast meeting with a neighbor who’s also in the job market, or making one phone call you’ve been dreading.

Why not start now?

For more Guerrilla Job Search ideas, grab our Free Audio CD, here.

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