How Do I Find a Job Without a Resume?

[svp]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyrVRz4eC8g[/svp]
I was asked this question on Quora and thought to be a good way to encourage you to think creatively.

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The question I was asked was, “How do you find a job without a resume?” I think the answer comes down to two ways.

If you are very inexperienced and looking for a job, let’s say, in retail or a job at a fast food restaurant, you don’t need a resume. They may ask you to complete an application but the idea of a formal resume is not important.

However, if you are in a professional discipline, how do you find the job without a resume? The answer comes down to, “Why would employer want to talk to you without you following the convention of you submitting your resume?”

I think the answer is clear. They had a particular need and you have the experience they are looking for. How do they know that?

Perhaps they have seen your LinkedIn profile. Perhaps you referred to them by someone who knows your work and is a strong proponent of it. Perhaps they saw you speak at a group were you are the expert on stage, presenting on that situation.

Being the expert in the field changes the rules because, “the rules,” are designed for the average individual– the one who is compliant. There is no reason to bend for them. If you are seen as the expert, you have opportunities that other people don’t have.

How do you present yourself as an expert? I gave one example earlier – – you are up on stage at a conference and are presenting.

Here’s another. You have written about this subject for years. Books are a business card for a lot of people. After all, when you think about it, what is a book telling us? Is telling us that you have knowledge and expertise on a particular subject that makes you different than other people. Pretty simple.

So if you want to be found, If you want to be sought after, If you want to avoid the resume trap so that when they call you up and say, “Jeff, we would like to talk with you about an opportunity with a client of ours.”

“Great. Let’s talk!”

“Do you have a resume?”

“No. I don’t have resume. You know about my background. You reached out to me, remember? Look, you found me on LinkedIn (or saw me speak or read my book), and time to write a resume. I have a full plate ahead of me.”

That’s the easiest way to do it.

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Do you really think employers are trying to help you? You already know you can’t trust recruiters—they tell as they think you need to know to take the job they after representing so they collect their payday.

The skills needed to find a job are different yet complement the skills needed to do a job.

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter has been a career coach and recruiter for what seems like one hundred years.

JobSearchCoachingHQ.com is there to change that with great advice for job hunters—videos, my books and guides to job hunting, podcasts, articles, PLUS a community for you to ask questions of PLUS the ability to ask me questions where I function as your ally with no conflict of interest answering your questions.

Connect with me on LinkedIn http://bit.ly/thebiggamehunter