If YOU send it, THEY will come...

Unfortunately, many job-seekers are still trapped in that old mentality of sending résumés and then waiting for a call. Some job-seekers even use the poor tactic of applying to every available job in hopes that someone will contact them. These tactics usually yield poor returns. But what do you expect? If you don't invest any time in formulating a job-search strategy then you really shouldn't expect to get good results.

It is clear to hiring managers the difference between a general résumé and cover letter versus a customized résumé and cover letter. The former does nothing to differentiate you or communicate your sincerity in wanting to work for the company. The latter clearly states your value proposition to the employer and states why you would be a good fit in meeting the employer's needs.

Let's look at it another way. If Procter & Gamble doesn't have a one product fits all approach for its customers, then why should you? They don't just try to force the same product down everyone's throat. If they did, they'd probably be out of business. Their business strategy is to segment their customers and craft marketing strategies to appeal to those segments. You can see this in the way they package, price, promote, and place their products. The communications is the most important because if the customer cannot clearly differentiate a P&G product, they might purchase a competitor's product.

So as you can see it is no longer a simple game of indiscriminate résumé sending. Customization is the key. If you send it, they will come....only if you can clearly communicate a unique value proposition based on your assessment of the company's needs. And yes, that takes a lot of work from you my dear job-seeker. It sorely pains me to see job-seekers use poor strategies and tactics that yield little or no results. Invest the time in developing a sound job-search strategy and then execute it to perfection!