Informational Interviews
Informational interviews are not only a helpful method for gathering information about potential career paths; it can also be an effective way of introducing a job seeker to prospective employers. The benefits of informational interviewing are:
- Many times more likely to result in a job offer than competitive interviews
- Removes client from stress of competition, being compared to others
- Focus on benefit to employer
Advertised Job Listings
This is not one of the most productive avenues, but an advertised position still represents an opportunity. At the very least, calling an employer to discuss an open position or a posted job order provides an opportunity to get to know that company’s hiring needs, and to introduce the One-Stop services to them. It also may be a good opportunity to gather information about comparable salaries and which businesses are growing/hiring.
The Internet
Many employers now list job openings on their web sites, and invite inquiries about the jobs or even accommodate on-line applications. There are some advantages to contacting employers via the Internet:
- People tend to respond quicker to e-mail than to phone calls or mail.
- It’s easier to get past the receptionist with e-mail than with a phone call.
- It delays the necessity to discuss a person’s disability until they meet the person and have an opportunity to get to know/like them.
- Some companies do initial interviews via the Internet or e-mail. This gives applicant the opportunity to impress the interviewer without worrying about how to deal with the disability.
- When the employer does learn about the disability, the applicant has already demonstrated important attributes, for example that they can use a computer and can communicate effectively. That opportunity may have been lost if the applicant showed up for a live interview in a wheelchair, with a guide dog, etc.
Resumes for the Internet
When applying via the Internet, there are some things to keep in mind:
- Make sure e-mail address is on resume.
- Use a professional screen name/e-mail address (not “PartyKing” or “BeachStud”)
- Check e-mail often (at least once/day) for responses.
- Respond to e-mails ASAP!
- Do not list your web site address unless it has something to do with the work you do. (No one wants to read about your web site dedicated to Irish folk songs).
- Have two formats of your resume prepared: one in ASCII/DOS format and one in Word 6.0 or newer. It’s a good idea to ask what version employer prefers.
- If you convert a Word document to DOS, make sure the formatting wasn’t lost.
- Make sure the Word version is well formatted and check spelling and grammar!!!!!
- Don’t discuss disability issues on the resume or in e-mail unless it is being sent to someone who has firsthand knowledge of working with that disability in that particular industry. For example, it’s OK to mention the applicant is visually impaired when sending an e-mail directly to a manager who himself is visually impaired, but not when sending a resume to the personnel department of a company that may or may not have visually impaired employees.
Finding a Company’s Web Site:
Almost every company on the web also lists their jobs on the web. There are several simple ways to find a particular company or industry on the web:
1. Guess their web site address
Most companies use their name or abbreviation of their name in the address.
Examples:
Extensions are commonly (but not always) used as follows:
- .com = used for commercial businesses
- .org = used for non-profit organizations
- .edu = schools, colleges and universities
- .gov = government (this gets tricky, as there are additional extensions for state, county and city government)
Note: there are exceptions to the use of extensions, and there are also new extensions being added to accommodate the rapidly expanding World Wide Web. If one or two tries at an obvious name and extension don’t find the site, then proceed to:
2. Find them through a search engine
There are many good search engines available, that all operate pretty much the same. You just type in the name of the company or industry, and the search engine provides a list of related web sites.
www.yahoo.com
www.altavista.com
www.google.com
www.excite.com
To find a search engine specific to an industry, go to: www.submitit.com, and click on Engine List.
Cold Calling
Cold calling by phone is similar to approaching companies cold via the Internet. The difference is the receptionist – the “gate keeper”. How you approach the receptionist will determine whether you get though the gate, to contact the right person. A few tips for getting past the receptionist:
- Always introduce yourself by name and explain what you do and why you’re calling.
- Ask for the receptionist’s name, and mention the name when you get connected to the right person – “Mary suggested I speak with you”.
- BE NICE! It should go without saying, but often the receptionist is treated as a nuisance rather than someone who can help.
Cold Calling by Job Developer
- Request an employer to interview your client even if there are no specific job openings. In that case, the stress will be lower on both the participant and interviewer.
- More focus on individual participant and not how he/she would fit into a job box
- If employer likes the person, they’ll be first in line when a position opens up.
