You are the Solution
Here’s something non-recruiters may not know. Every job opening is a headache for a recruiter. Most job openings are a 911 - Code Red - Dumpster Fire for a recruiter. They want that job filled and they want it filled FAST.
If you’re in application mode, you might get frustrated by the quantity of applications you’ve submitted. It might feel like you are just throwing submissions into the abyss, or screaming into the void, or putting both your resume and your work history into a repository that no one will ever check, over and over again.
Stop being frustrated and start thinking like a recruiter. Think about what they need. Think about their priorities, their frustrations, their fears.
I’m reminded of a story about George Clooney that is told in Ryan Holiday’s book The Obstacle is the Way. The actor spent his first years in Hollywood getting rejected. He was a victim of what is sometimes called ‘the tyranny of being picked.’ Everything changed for Clooney when he tried a new perspective - he realized casting is an obstacle for producers too. They were all hoping that the next person to walk into the room would be the right person.
Clooney flipped his mindset and realized that auditions were a chance for him to solve their problems, not his. He wasn’t groveling for a shot, he was someone with something special to offer. He was the answer to their prayers, not the other way around. That was what he began projecting that he was the man for the job. That he understood what was needed, and he could deliver. Once he started projecting this mindset, he started getting offers for roles.
Recruiters all over the country are wringing their hands because their leaders have demanded that they find a brilliant dedicated business analyst or account manager or train conductor, or any job you can think of. The recruiter is business-minded; they understand that this job is vital to operations and they want to find the best possible person for the job.
Like so many other situations in life, I want you to try to really imagine a scenario from another person’s perspective. In his famous book How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie says "Success in dealing with people depends on a sympathetic grasp of the other person’s viewpoint." Carnegie emphasizes the importance of remembering the perspective of others in all situations. We must be mindful of their goals, their fears and frustrations. If we are only thinking about our own contributions to the interaction, we should think about theirs.
With this in mind, let’s think through that job posting. Perhaps you see a posting like this one: https://g.co/kgs/B2ypjZm for a Marketing and Content Manager position for a company called Baycom in Milwaukee, WI. This job requires a bachelor's degree in marketing ‘or a related field’ (to me, any field can be related to marketing, so I’d call any bachelor’s degree ‘related’) and 5-7 years experience. So, if you have 6 years of marketing experience and bachelor’s degree, you might apply. But I’d ask you to take it a step further and find answers to these questions:
-What is Baycom?
-What are they trying to accomplish?
-Who is this open position a headache for?
-Can I connect with that person?
Let’s dig in!
We know from the posting that “BAYCOM is the leading provider of mission-critical voice, mobile data and video solutions to public safety and commercial clients throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota and the Midwest.” But let’s dig in and see what else we can find.
There are two important bullet points in this posting that might be helpful to us. Under ‘what’s in it for you?’ these two points are listed:
• A spot on BAYCOM Leadership team with direct reports to President and Director of Marketing
• Healthy marketing budget with COOP dollars and unmatched collaboration with VP and Director of Sales
So, if we can find out who the President, Director of Marketing, VP or Director of Sales are, we might be able to find someone that we can reach out to and ‘pitch’ that we are the right person for this job.
First note - THIS IS A PITCH. TREAT IT AS SUCH. Do not just DM these people that you applied for the job or ask for a call. SELL YOURSELF. You are a marketer (in this scenario). Act like it.
If you are not already familiar, Linkedin allows you to search by ‘people.’ You put the name of the company in the search, and you can look at a variety of things, including jobs the company has posted or posts they have made from the company account. If you click ‘people’ here, you will see people that work for Baycom Inc.
In the first four results, we see the profile of Baycom’s president, the business development manager, and the CHRO of their parent company. Now that we have their information, we have some choices to make. We need to find out how we can show them that we are the solution to their problem. We need to get scientific about this job posting and try to figure out what they want in their Marketing and Content Manager, then we need to communicate to them that we are the right person for the job.
This might sound overwhelming. So I need you to stop and breathe. And it might be helpful to remember that time you fell down a rabbit hole on the internet. Remember that time you saw that Apollo 13 was playing on TV, and you couldn’t remember if Apollo 13 won an Oscar, so you googled the Oscars to see, and you ended up scrolling through Oscars results lists going back for years, and you got mad all over again that Dolly Parton never won an Oscar? This is just like that. You are just digging around on the internet. You can do this.
So, keeping Dale Carnegie in mind, we are going to go back to the job posting and put ourselves in the mind of the Baycom leaders. We need to know what they are looking for in a Marketing and Content manager. What problems do they have? What solutions are needed?
These are the first three bullet points under ‘Responsibilities’ in the job posting:
The Marketing and Content Manager will oversee the entire marketing execution, serving as a self-driven content strategist, who will work closely with the President, leadership and OwnersEdge marketing team to devise, implement and execute marketing and communication strategies
Develop strategies and tactics to market our company and drive qualified right-fit sales opportunities to our business
Collaborate with marketing team to develop growth plans for the organization
As you read through these bullet points, hopefully some words are standing out to you. Baycom is looking for a ‘self-driven’ strategist who will ‘devise, implement and execute’ strategies. They need a one-man show here. They need someone who is going to take this job and run with it. They need someone who is going to DAzzLE (Tk - Link to Dazzle post).
The other interesting thing is that it says this person will ‘collaborate’ with the marketing team. Remember from earlier - this person will report to both the President and the Director of Marketing. My take on this is that the president wants to be more involved in content. The president wants someone that they can direct, who will work hand-in-hand with the marketing team.
Put yourself in the president’s shoes. She wants someone who can get along with the marketing team, and not step on their toes, but she wants this person to drive the content message in the direction she wants it to go. She needs a peace-maker or a diplomat. Here’s what we still don’t know - what content message does she want? What kind of strategy is she after? And it’s OKAY that we don’t know that, because we just need to show her that we CARE what kind of message she wants.
So now we are going to write our email!
We can message the President directly on LinkedIn. There is a good chance she will see it, because she is active there, but I can tell you that people at this level get LinkedIn direct messages ALL the time. I probably get 3-5 every day. So we are going to send a LinkedIn DM, but we are also going to take a guess at her email.
Writing The Email
Subject: Content and Marketing Manager
Hi Kate! I see you are hiring for a Content and Marketing Manager and I wanted to reach out and let you know I’d be perfect for the job. I have all the required skills and experience, but I’m also someone looking for a company with a vision, and I can see that vision in Baycom. I’m looking for a role where I can help a strong leader realize their content vision using my skills and expertise. I pride myself on my ability to execute the visions of others in meaningful, lasting ways. I’m also a diplomat who excels at working in cross-functional groups in collaboration with multiple stakeholders. I’ve submitted my application and would love the chance to chat with someone at Baycom about this role.
Of course you can write this email how you want, but these are the main bullets you want to hit:
I’ve read your posting and I’m qualified for this role
I’ve already applied
I understand your problems
I can provide solutions
There you go! In addition to the president, I’d think about sending a similar message to others in the company. What do you have to lose? As a recruiter - you’d be shocked who forwards messages like this to me and asks me to follow-up. If a big wig asks me to follow up on something, I’m going to do it - even if the role they are messaging about has nothing to do with them. SO - if you send this to the head of compliance, he may be your advocate within the company - who knows? Worst case scenario - nothing happens. And what have you really lost? 10 minutes of writing an email?
Your mindset is the most important thing. You bring TREMENDOUS value to any setting, and a company like Baycom, Inc. would be LUCKY to have you. It is not cringey or awkward to send these messages. It’s the same as seeing your neighbor hosing off his driveway and offering to let him borrow your pressure-washer. He is doing a job, and you have a tool that could be helpful to him.
Learn to advocate for your skills without being embarrassed. You are a ROCKSTAR - but no one out there is going to know about it if you don’t tell them. Start sending that message. In addition to getting the word out to actual leaders, this will raise your vibration, and let the universe know you are willing to get your hands dirty and put in the time to get where you deserve to be.
