Looking for Advice

[Keith Mastin]

> So my question is, how have some of you gone about getting a job when
> you have no paper work but are good at what you do? How do you get a
> given company to even respond to your resume? I have sent out quite a
> large number of resumes but so far I only got one interview. For what
> it is worth; I have been actively building, troubleshooting and
> supporting PC systems since '97 (under windows and linux).

I had to answer a stack of tough questions lately, a lot of them centered
around owning my own company. My little fiasco here has been bought out,
and the buyers came back to me to ask if I could run it for them, but they
wanted a bunch of corporately-oriented paperwork on me that doesn't exist,
certificates and such. After weeks of shuffling back and forth I told them
that if they want me they have to either redesign their criteria or keep
looking, because I don't have it.

The next round was asking how I could own and manage a company in the
black with no certification. I guess they decided that redesigning their
criteria was easier than finding a certified unix engineer (they didn't
have a clue about what they were asking for, did they?). Answering that
question was a lot easier.

Getting someone to respond to your resume is impossible unless at gun
point. Most wind up in the garbage, and those that don't are arbitrary. If
you want yours read, best to hand it to them in person during the
interview. Get a little bit of inside knowledge about the company that you
pick to work for (work on), and start 'dating' the few that might make a
difference in getting you the interview. A well placed bug in the ear from
the inside is worth more than any resume.

Given this, my own resume is a single sheet with contact info and a
summary of skills. I provide more info on request, and haven't had a
problem with it. When asked, I just tell them that I've thrown more
over-stuffed resumes in the garbage than I could shake a stick at. HR
knows that story only too well, and I've gained by getting a summary,
small agreement out of them. I do have a method to my madness, having been
the person on the other side of the hiring table a few times.

The chinese word for crisis is the same as opportunity. Find out what
their real problem is that the position is meant to fix, and work on that.
Look for new start-ups with some obvious funding and a fairly solid
business plan, or older companies changing either ownership or management,
or expanding. They are in crisis.

Have an attitude. They NEED to hire you. You can work anywhere, so why
should you consider working for them? Number 1 reason for employees
leaving an operating company for greener grass? Not pay or benefits...
it's because the boss is an idiot, so beware.

Good luck.
-- 
Keith Mastin
BeechTree Information Technology Services Inc.
Toronto, Canada
(416)429 9304
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