Targeting Companies Directly (Prospecting)
In days gone by, people used to take their CV round Industrial Estates, knocking on doors and asking to see if there were jobs available in an organisation or company. So why don’t people do a similar thing now?
The truth is that they should, particularly if they are changing career
Why change the approach when changing career?
If you change career, your skillset and experience will almost certainly be inferior to people applying for the same job who have been in that type of role longer than you have. Of course they have an advantage over you so what can be done about it?
If you simply apply or upload your CV to job boards when you don’t have the experience, your CV won’t have the necessary keywords to be found in the database in the first place or is likely to get rejected if applying as other applicants will probably have more experience than you.
So, What’s the Answer?
Get your CV in the hands of the most senior person you possibly can
The reason this works is that the CEO of the organisation will have more knowledge of what is going on in the business than, say the HR department who will only be looking to fill a vacancy once that decision has already been taken.
The more senior the individual, the higher the likelihood of that person being open to a direct approach as they will more likely be open to initiative being taken and will appreciate that the individual is taking a step that others won’t take.
Better to be introduced?
Of course, it’s better to be introduced rather than having a cold email land in the inbox of a senior individual so thinking about the best way to approach someone pays dividends. Posting the CV with a well-crafted Cover Letter can work, as can connecting on LinkedIn, being introduced, asking to meet in person, buying that individual a coffee, etc. No-one likes to be bugged but an approach at the right time can pay massive dividends. 
Does this work?
The short answer is that, yes, it does!
I’ve used this approach many times personally and guided customers through this on many occasions as well. If you would like to have a quick discussion about this, drop me an email: success@cvthatworks.co.uk and I’ll be happy to discuss in person or find out about your circumstances and see what can be done. You’ve got nothing to lose!
Author: Glenn Hughes
I’m a professional CV writer who also writes website content, LinkedIn profiles, helps people with bespoke job applications and more. I’ve been writing for the internet since 2009 and have many published articles.
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