Here’s a piece of womanly advice for the desperate pub gentlemen looking for women – fish, don’t hunt.
But a piece of contrast advice for the clueless job seekers looking for opportunities – hunt, don’t fish.
Since you probably know more about how to attract women than I do (or I hope you do), I’m going to focus on the second inspiration.
Yesterday I made a new friend, Mengmeng, who is doing the same NWE project with me. To be honest, I was quite proud of my early application and ‘smart approach’ (which I will tell you about later) to secure the post – until she told me how she got it.
She walked straight into the office and asked for a job – when there was NO job available at all.
At first the staff said no. But as Mengmeng talked more about her current MA and personal objective, the guy who said ‘No’ earlier changed his mind. He said maybe we DO have something for you.
And that’s how she got her job.
By the time I started working, she’s already been on that project for a month.
A hunter, so it seems, is likely to gain more than a fisher; it is because instead of waiting, a hunter initiates.
Of course it can be intimidating walking straight into an office to ask for a job, and after all not everyone is so damn lucky.
However, there are a few things the job seekers can do which require no luck at all, but will definitely bring benefit. One of the tips which has been put to test by me a few times and proved 100% useful of all time is this,
If the job you are applying for says ‘contact John Smith for more details’, CONTACT him
If you fear your voice is going to suddenly disappear or your English will shatter over the phone, at least email him.
This is an opportunity to show your keenness and learn more than any other applicant about untold details of the job (so ask smart questions!) .
And once personal rapport is built, when it comes to your cover letter, you can always say,
‘prior to applying for this post, I have in person contacted John Smith…’
and that shows you are dedicated and fully prepared.
Not many people have done this.
In my case, the person I chatted to beforehand later became my interviewer for my current job, which turned out to be quite helpful.
Once again, the tip was played well.
