COMM 2232
Communication for Career
Development
Week 2
Targeting Employers; Career Fairs; Elevator
Pitches; Telemarketing and Cold Calling
(ch. 3, 4)
Labour Market Research
MARKETING
STRATEGIES &
TECHNIQUES
Attitude
A settled way of thinking or feeling about
someone or something, often reflected in a
persons behaviour
Attitude
Right kind of attitude = willing to undertake the
job-search process
Negative thinking leads to negative actions
To change negative thinking:
recognize it
remove it
replace it
How jobs are found
5% Mass mailings
11% Executive Search Firms
14% Help Wanted Ads
70% Networking
Job Markets
Advertised Job
Market
classified ads,
recruiter listings,
online databases
Hidden Job Market
80% of job openings,
less job seekers = less
competition
tap into by making
yourself known through
networking
hired through referrals
by others often in the
field or company
20% of available jobs
are advertised
most people use this
route to finding a job
= more competition
2 Approaches
PROACTIVE
REACTIVE
act in advance
act in response
make contacts
follow up
wait for the phone to
ring
Job Board Email
Alerts
Most job board websites and many employer
websites will allow you to create an account
and have job ads sent to your email
Informational
Interviews
non-job seeking interviews set up by job
seekers to learn more about a position,
company, industry and to increase network
contacts
Pursuing Employers
Strategically*(1)
Goal - Contact as many employers as possible
A List - employers your really want to work for
B List - employers you like but not in your top
ten
C List - employers you would work for, have
some
interest in but you dont want to
spend a lot
of time pursuing
Include on each list:
company names
addresses
contact info
names and position titles of people to contact
C List:
Good places to start
these companies are good practice for
interviewing, cold calling, follow up, etc.
B List:
send resume
check to see if they will be interviewing
A List:
think of the most effective ways to contact these
firms
ex. call for informational interview, contact
recruiter to set up interviews
Follow up any efforts with personal phone calls
Ask individuals to review your resume, then send a
copy to each firm
follow up with letters or calls
determine which companies will be involved in
career fairs
talk to hiring authorities about current or future
Durham College
Job Fair
http://www.durhamcollege.ca/events/job-fair
Wednesday, February 4
Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Career Fairs
Formal gatherings of recruiters held at hotels or
large meeting facilities
Opportunity to meet many people and pass out
resumes
Chance to practice social communication and
interviewing
Consider attending as many as possible
Sample Career Fair Conversation pg. 44
Career Fair Attendance Tips pg. 45
When you leave a job fair you
should have:
business cards from recruiters you met
notes you took on employers and
conversations you had
materials from booths
ideas about where you may fit into the
employment field
Follow up
Send a follow up letter to each recruiter you met
Include:
a thank you for information and the recruiters
time
a review of 1-2 of your primary qualifications,
with a reference of your knowledge of the
company
a request for an interview and a statement
that you will follow up with a phone call
Elevator Pitch
A short verbal summary of your skills and
qualifications that makes the listener want
to know more.
Elevator Pitch
Should answer:
Who are you?
What do you do/want to do?
Why should they care/How are you
different?
Elevator Pitch
When can you use this?
Elevator Pitch
Events designed specifically for networking
Casual everyday networking opportunities when you meet
new people
Career fairs
Cold calls to employers
Telemarketing - elevator pitch makes a good answering
machine message
Superiors in your current job
Job interviews - common question Tell me about yourself
Elevator Pitch
How long should it be?
Elevator Pitch
35-50 words - 15-30 seconds - for when
you dont have much time to talk
Can be used as a lead in to a longer
conversation
IN-PROCESS # 2
Write your 50 word Elevator Pitch
Be sure it explains:
Who you are
What you do
What you want to do
Why listener should care/What makes you
unique
Refer to sample script for ideas
Telemarketing
Uses:
networking
seeking information
answering classified ads
following up on mailed resume
following up on an interview
contacting references
following up on leads from contacts
thanking contacts/references
informing people that you got a job
Guidelines
List companies you want to contact
Plan the time of your calls
10am or 3pm are good times to call
early Monday morning and late on Friday
afternoon are not good times to call
try different times to see what works
Guidelines*(2)
write down your key points
employers want to know: who you are,
why you are calling, and what you can
do for them
use bullet points or a full script but dont
read from the script - sound natural
Guidelines
Practice what you will say
alone, with a friend and ask for feedback,
record yourself
Follow up and follow through
after you set an appointment, confirm it
through phone or email as it gets closer to
the date
Telemarketing
Telephone Dos and Donts pg. 41
Sample Calling Script pg. 42
Goal is to talk to the person in charge of hiring
in the specific department or position you want
Initiating Contact
Examples of what to say p. 40
Getting past secretaries
Dont say the call is personal when they ask what the call is in
regards to
Say you want to discuss a correspondence (resume) or a
business matter
When you reach the person you want to talk to, ask for an
appointment rather than an interview
Give person different times you are available so they have
choice and may respond automatically ex. Is Tuesday or
Wednesday better for you?
Handling Rejection*(3)
Dont take it personally
Try to get at least one thing from each call you make
information, a contact, an interview
How to Respond:
1. let the other person know that you heard and
understand their objection
2. reply with a statement that lets the person know
that you still have something of value to offer them
3. Repeat your original request
Cold Calls
apply in person to a company for a position
that has not been advertised
Goal is to make a strong impression so you
secure an interview
Works best with smaller companies
Dont start cold calling with your A List
companies, practice with those at the bottom
of your C List first
Cold Calls
Ask for appropriate person or hiring manager;
research before if possible
Have Elevator Pitch ready
Go alone
Dress professionally
Bring resume, portfolio, etc. with you
Be ready to overcome objections
Leave your resume; tell them you will follow up
Follow up
RESEARCH
APA CITATIONS
WHAT TO CITE
material quoted word for word
material you reword or paraphrase
statistics or findings from a survey or study
facts, ideas, opinions that are not common
knowledge
APA CITATIONS
IN-TEXT CITATIONS
Information you use from other sources must
be acknowledged in the paper (in-text) to
help the reader find the information in the
reference list at end of paper
include authors name, year of publication,
page number
(Wilson, 2001, p. 47)
APA CITATIONS
REFERENCE LIST CITATIONS
separate page at end of report with References at
the top
entries double spaced and arranged alphabetically
see APA booklet for formats
example - Book
Author, A. A. (Year of Publication). Title of work:
Subtitle. Place of publication: Publisher.
WHAT TO RESEARCH
Geographic location
Wages
Availability and outlook
Demographics
Titles of entry-level positions
Job duties
WHAT TO RESEARCH
Key skills and required qualifications
Industry trends, challenges, issues
Starting salary range
Employers
shift, contract, full-time work
WHERE TO
RESEARCH
Your network - family, friends, teachers, etc
Informational interviews
Professional associations
Industry publications, blogs, books, magazines, business
directories
Newspapers, press releases, job ads, yellow pages
Internet and social media
Career Services staff and resource material
